Bump of Chicken: Catch Ball

03.11.06
Artist: Bump of Chicken
Title: Catch Ball (*Play Catch)
Words: Fujiwara Motoh, Masukawa Hiroaki
Music: Fuiwara Motoh, Masukawa Hiroaki

The street lined with trees after the rain lets up,
the smell of exhaust and grass,
You're in front of me, a bit to the side.
Coughing as you laugh painfully

The iron bar rusted red, *1
The halfmade dam of sand,
From behind me, you threw the ball up high
into the sky where the sun was setting.

Even as I said, "There's no way I can catch that!"
I put aside my amazement and rushed to catch it.
You laughed, "You don't have to."

Even after sundown, we kept playing.
You made a slightly resigned face,
and then as if something had occurred to you,
You threw an out of control curveball.

Even as I said "There's no way I can catch that!"
I put aside my amazement, hussled and caught it.
You said with shock, "I didn't think you'd get it."

Complaints like curve balls.

the kindness like a disappearing miracle ball. *2

your balls always fly up to places I can't reach.
yet you throw them to me over and over again.

Even the ones I've no hope of catching,
I put aside my amazement, and hussle to get
I don't want you to smile
and say "you don't need to catch it"

I hussle after all these things
I've missed until now
the kindness and complaints
and keep on playing catch, I keep playing forevermore.

I get better and put some distance between us,
our hearts get closer.
your voice gets farther away.
your VOICE gets closer.

Complaints like curve balls.

the kindness like a disappearing miracle ball

Translated By: Brian Stewart & Takako Sakuma

Translator's Notes: The title of this song should technically be "Play Catch" in English since we don't normally say "Play Catch Ball". On to the *'s!

*1 - This is a fixture of Japanese playgrounds, which kids use to practice sakanobori. It's just an iron bar about four or five feet off the ground that one can "climb over backwards and upside down" or "flip over forwards".

*2 - The kieru makyuu apparently came from the manga "Kyoujin no Hoshi" (Star of the Giants) the basic archetype of the sports manga of today. The "disappearing miracle ball" was developed through blood and sweat, and was a product of the "love" of a father to his son. A "miracle ball" is a type of pitch which is diffuclt to predict and therefore hit, but it's also difficult to throw. This seems to be how Fujiwara is using it in the song, "It's difficult to understand where this gentleness is coming from, hard to get a grasp on".

Romaji

ame agari no namiki michi
haiki gasu to kusa no nioi
kimi ha boku no naname mae
seki wo shinagara
kurushisou ni
waratta

akaku sabita tetsubou
tsukurikake no suna no damu
kimi ha boku no ushiro kara
gomu no bo-ru wo
hi no shizunda sora ni takaku nageta

'toreru wake nai darou!' akirenagara mo awatete ou
'torenakute mo ii' to kimi ha hohoendeta

yuuyake ga owatte mo
kyacchi bo-ru ha tsuzuiteta
kimi ha chotto akita kao
omoitsuita kao
kontoro-ru mushi no
ka-bu nageta

'toreru wake nai darou!' akirenagara mo hisshi de toru
'torenai to omotta' to kimi ha odoroiteta

ka-bu no you na guchi

kieru makyuu no you na yasashisa

kimi no bo-ru ha itsumo
todokanai tokoro he tondeiku
kimi ha bo-ru wo nandomo
boku ni nageta

toreru wake nai tama mo akirenagara mo hisshi de ou
'torenakutemo ii' to hohoende hoshiku nai

ima made
minogashita yasashisa ya guchi ya iroiro hisshi de ou
kyacchi bo-ru ha tsuzuiteiku itsumade mo tsuzuiteiku

umaku natte kyouri wo oku
kokoro ha chikazuiteiku
kimi no koe ha tooku nari
kimi no KOE ga chikaku naru

ka-bu no you na guchi

kieru makyuu no you na yasashisa

Romaji By: Brian Stewart