Lyrics and translation Shinji Tanimura - 祇園祭

祇園祭

化野をぬけて 清滝へ向かう
祇園祭りの遠ばやしを
逃がれるように 宿につけば
心細さもつのる
渡月の橋を 渡りきるまでは
振り向いちゃいけない 自分の過去だけは
真顔になった君は去年
確かにこの宿にいた
あー宵山の 人波にまぎれて
あー握りしめた 君の手を覚えてる今も

祇王の夢と祇女の涙
庭に佇み夕暮れまで
悲しすぎるわ女はいつも
男の為に生きてくなんて
結婚するより このままの方が
一生懸命 生きれるみたいと
つぶやく君は 僕よりずっと
大きく見えた旅の宿
あー宵山の 人波にのまれて
あー流れてゆけ 若すぎる恋の痣よ

風の噂に聞くこともない
祇園祭りに さらわれたまま
君の写真も少し黄ばんで
僕もいくつか年老いた
もっと男で いられたならば
君も女でいられたならば
恋に走れたあの年の夏
帰ることない暑い夏
あー宵山の 人波のどこかを
あー愛している あの人も流れているだろう

あー祇園祭りの 遠ばやしが聞こえる
あーあの日のまま あーあの日のまま
あーあの日のまま あーあの日のまま

Gion Festival

We left Kasano behind to head for Kiyotaki
running from the distant drums of the Gion Festival
We arrived at our inn and as the night goes on
my feelings of loneliness grow
Do not look back until we cross Togetsukyo Bridge
Let's just forget our past for now
You turned serious last year
I remember you were at this inn
Ah on the eve of the festival, lost in the crowd
Ah I remember your hand that I held so tightly

A Gion princess's dreams and a geisha girl's tears
I watched from the courtyard until sunset
How sad it is that women always
live for men
You said that living this way is better than getting married,
as if you could really live your life to the fullest
You've always seemed more mature than me
in this inn on our journey
Ah on the eve of the festival, flooded by the crowd
Ah let it go, the scars of a love that came too soon

I've heard nothing about you since then
You were taken away during the Gion Festival
The photo of you has slightly yellowed
I too have grown older
If only I had been more of a man
If only you could have just been a woman
We could have followed our love that summer
And never had to return in this hot summer
Ah on the eve of the festival, somewhere in the crowd
Ah my love, is she there, flowing away too?

Ah I can hear the distant drums of the Gion Festival
Ah just like that day, ah just like that day
Ah just like that day, ah just like that day