Yubikiri / Kiryu

Kanji & Romaji: hiphopvomit
Translation: myself

Lyrics: Sakai Mitsuki, Isshiki hiyori
Music: Sakai Mitsuki





ユビキリ [Yubikiri]
Pinky promise / Cutting one's finger off
(see: footnote 4.)

A pledge vowed by little fingers     Pain as well as joy     Even now... I want it to be as it used to be that day

Tying up paper strings in tiny bundles      an evening of making yarn from the red string (1) Someday...it will reach your finger, won't it?

I let myself follow you purposely     Footprints of an incense surrounding me      [Coming] to you who turns a blind eye to it

Immorality    Sin     Lingering affection     These all are obscenely (2) dripping aphrodisiacs     For you who ignores them

My shadow     Your shadow      Two separated sides of the moon

Drowsily     You falling asleep and me becoming wide awake

My Dear (3) dreamer,

Please, sleep     Let us (our fates) entwine togheter      We made a pinky promise after all

To "past", "future", "present" you...      Please, invite my evening

Through the pouring rain of thousand tears       Let's pass the red string through the needle's eye

It hurts... It hurts... It hurts... Pinky...

Take a look take a look

"I cut my finger off" (4)

Today as well, I will embrace the void     waiting here for you

I'm waiting alone for the moment where there will be just the two of us, while counting stains on the ceiling

My Dear lover,

Children lost in their dream     Led by the red string entangling these two

Drip drip... Dripping non-drying love

Please, share [with me] my destiny

My Dear person of my last moment,

Please, sleep     Let us (our fates) entwine togheter     We made a pinky promise after all

To the "past", "future", "present" you...      Please, share [with me] my evening

Footnotes:

1. Red string of fate. There is a Japanese belief that every person has their destined one linked with them by an invisible red string attached to little fingers of both people. The string cannot be torn and will lead one to another regardless of their whereabouts.
2. Wordplay: 淫靡 [inbi – obscenity, impurity] is written here as 淫美 where the first kanji stands for obscenity and the latter for beauty.
3. Wordplay: 背景 [haikei – scenery] is a homophone of 拝啓 [haikei – Dear...]
4. 指切り/ユビキリ [yubikiri – pinky promise] can be literally translated to cutting one's finger off`, hence  ユビキッタ [yubi kitta] - we made a promise can be also translated to I cut my finger off; it may be a symbol of losing the red string linkage as well as a symbol of disability to keep the promise; also worth to mention that yubikiri involves a punishment: if you don't keep the promise, you'll be obliged to swallow 1000 needles

Discussion:

My, my... Quite an unusual song at some point. 

A~ny~ways~! Have you noticed the first person narration? In my opinion, it is quite otherworldly, meaning that this song is written from a lonely ghost's perspective. A girl's point of view, that is, who couldn't keep her promise, where (probably) she and her lover would live togheter forever and ever. However, the fate turned out to be unfortunate and our heroine died prematurely, therefore she now wishes her partner died as well, so they can be togheter again. Sad, but quite interesting at the same time. 

I must say that Kiryu's lyricists (both Mahiro and Mitsuki) are fond of hiding dead bodies inside their lyrics.