Hitoto Yoh: Iro ha Momiji

04.06.08
Artist: Hitoto Yoh
Title: Iro ha Momiji (Autumn Hues)
Words: Hitoto Yoh
Music: Mashiko Tatsuroh

I've been with you
for 220 days
unable to call you my boyfriend.

wanna be loved

letting things just float along the way they have been
looking up at the ceiling
more stuck on you than I thought
the constant singing of the insects *1

autumn hues
smell the Japanese maple
please
autumn hues
scold this tricky girl without getting mad,
my first love Japanese maple.

hangin' at the festival
with my other friends
everybody come and go as you please, even monkeys *2

I can be colder than I thought,
the autumn eve I mixed up shame and love.

autumn hues
smell the Japanese maples, one day
put two strangers together
autumn hues
for dark red, a turning point

Translated By: Brian Stewart & Takako Sakuma

Translator's Notes: The title and chorus of this song are a kind of word play. iro ha refers to "the color is" however, in the old Japanese alphabet i ro ha is the equivalent of ABC. Similarily ni ho he is another string of alphabet letters but when sung as nioe it means smell. The Momiji is a Japanese maple with very tiny delicate leaves that form lace like patterns in the trees. In the fall when the leaves turn, the foliage is beautiful. *s!

* 1 - The image here is of the singer lying on her bed, unable to sleep with thoughts of the boy she likes and hasn't been able to confess her feelings for in her head, in addition to this the bugs of autumn outside are loud and constant.

* 2 - There is a Japanese expression kurumono kobamazu sarumono kamawazu which means something like "None shall be turned away, but nor shall they be paid attention to at their departure"... BUT, Hitoto Yoh replaces the saru (to leave) here with "monkey" making it even monkeys are welcome!

Romaji

anata wo kareshi
to
yobenai mama ni
nihyakuhatsuka sugi

aisaretagari

aimanimani yudanete tenjyou mite ha
omou yorimo uwazora
ryuuryuu mushi no koe

iro ha momiji
ni ho he momiji zurui atashi, wo
douka
iro ha momiji
ni ho he momiji okoranai de shikatte hatsukoi momiji

hoka no tomodachi to
daradara matsuri
kuru mono kobamazu saru mo kamawazu.

omou yori mo tsumetaku dekiru akiyo ni
hazukashisa to kawaisa
sorazora hakichigae

iro ha momiji
ni ho he momiji zurui atashi, wo
douka
iro ha momiji
ni ho he momiji okoranai de shikatte hatsukoi momiji

iro ha momiji
ni ho he momiji tannindoushi, mo
itsuka
iro ha momiji
nihohe momiji awase akane kawari me

iro ha momiji
ni ho he momiji zurui atashi, wo
douka
iro ha momiji
ni ho he momiji okoranai de shikatte hatsukoi momiji

Romaji By: Brian Stewart