Fly is one of the coupling songs in the Limited Edition single of GUTS by Arashi. I really love this song, the tune is catchy and upbeat. It’s my favourite out of all the tracks in GUTS, coming a close second would be GUTS though. The single was released in 2014, you can still get the LE from PlayAsia, whereas the RE is available on both PlayAsia and CDJapan (Fly isn’t included though!).
Anyway, listening to songs is a great way to learn new vocabulary. It’s easier to remember the pronunciation while listening, and while reading the song lyrics you can remember the definition. The lyrics of this song is really beautiful, but with a lot of imagery used, it’s not that straightforward to understand, especially for beginner learners.
Here’s my selection of vocabulary from the song.
All definitions are from jisho.org.
滲む (にじむ, nijimu)
1. to run (of liquid); to spread
2. to blur; to blot; to be blurred
3. to ooze; to well up (of tears, etc.)
4. to show through (of feelings, emotions, etc.); to reveal itself
This appeared in the first line, with the meaning ‘to be blurred’.
擦る (なする, nasuru)
1. to rub in; to smear on; to spread on; to daub
2. to lay the blame on
Again, another word from the very first line, to mean ‘to smear’. This word is usually written in hiragana, as was the case with in the lyrics. But since I’m Chinese, it’s easier for me to get the meaning from kanji than hiragana alone. The kanji tells much more. The same kanji is also pronounced as こする (kosuru), meaning to rub or to scrub.
繋ぐ (つなぐ, tsunagu) – to tie; to fasten; to connect; to transfer (phone call)
From the second line! Connected constellations and so on…
Anyway, when talking about this term now, the first thing that comes to mind would be the 24hr TV charity event. Why? Because the theme this year was 「つなぐ ～時を超えて笑顔を～」 “Tsunagu ~Toki wo Koete Egao wo~”, which roughly translates to “Connecting ~Smiling through the times~”.
星座 (せいざ, seiza) – constellation; star sign; zodiac sign
In the song it was referring to the constellations in the sky.
零れ (こぼれ, kobore)
1. spilling; spill
2. leavings; leftovers
It was the first meaning used in the song, where the words that the person had an overflowing of words to say to his/her unrequited love.
募る (つのる , tsunoru)
1: to invite contributions, etc.; to solicit help, participation, etc.; to recruit (e.g. soldiers);
2: to grow violent; to become stronger; to become worse
The thoughts he/she has for the other party are getting stronger.
込める (こめる, komeru)
1: to load (a gun, etc.); to charge;
2: to put into (e.g. emotion, effort);
3: to include (e.g. tax in a sales price);
4: to hang over; to shroud; to enshroud; to envelop; to screen
The intense thoughts are put into a song.
贈る (おくる, okuru)
1. to give (as a gift); to present
2. to confer; to bestow; to award
And the song is meant to be a gift to the other party.
見つめる (みつめる, metsumeru) – to stare at; to gaze at; to look hard at; to watch intently; to fix one’s eyes on
気付く (きづく, kitsuku) – to notice; to recognize; to recognise; to become aware of; to perceive; to realize; to realise
深い (ふかい, fukai)
1. deep
2. profound
3. dense; thick
4. close (relationship)
5. intense; strong
6. late
In the song, it meant ‘deep’. To escape from the deep darkness.
闇 (やみ, yami)
1. darkness; the dark; dark
2. bewilderment; despair; hopelessness
3. black-marketeering; shady; illegal; under-the-table
On the same line as the previous word, escaping from the darkness.
果て (はて, hate) – the end; the extremity; the limit; the limits; the result
儚い (はかな, hakana)
1: fleeting; transient; short-lived; momentary; ephemeral; fickle; vain;
2: empty (dream, etc.); mere (hope); faint (possibility)
In the song, it referred to the second meaning.
飾る (かざる, kazaru) – to decorate; to ornament; to adorn
眩い (まばゆい, mabayui) – dazzling; glaring; dazzlingly beautiful
程 (ほど, hodo)
1: degree; extent; bounds; limit;
2: (Particle) (Usually written using kana alone) indicates approx. amount or maximum; upper limit
纏う (まとう, matou) – to put on; to wear; to be clad in
In the song it was used to describe how the light envelops both of them as they hug.
抱き締める (だきしめる, dakishimeru) – to hug someone close; to hold someone tight; to embrace closely
紐解 (ひもとく, himotoku)
1: to peruse (a book);
2: to untie a scroll
The word literally means ‘rope untie’. In the song, it was referring to how the person is trying to unravel the secrets of the other party.
彷徨う (さまよう, samayou) – to loiter; to putter; to prowl; to wander about; to roam about; to knock around
捨てる (すてる, suteru)
1. to throw away; to cast away; to dump; to discard
2. to abandon; to desert; to leave
3. to give up; to resign
Casting aside the words the leads him/her to roam about aimlessly, so that he/she can return to the side of other party.
甦る (よみがえる, yomigaeru)
1: to be resurrected; to be resuscitated; to be rehabilitated; to be revived; to be refreshed; to be restored;
2: to be recalled (e.g. memories); to be brought back
Being revived by the rain that won’t stop.