Recently, there have been people who kindly translate the Japanese text in my artwork into English, and I am truly grateful for that. Personally, I feel that what is lost when I translate my own work into English (in my rather clumsy way) is often greater than what would be lost if I simply left it in Japanese for the Newgrounds audience. In other words, it is like when you finally learn the meaning of a foreign song you love, only to find that the magic fades a little. Because of this, I eventually stopped translating my artwork into English, but that is why it makes me so happy that there are people who have taken the time to learn Japanese, such a completely different language from English, and go out of their way to interpret my art!

Their work reminded me of the time when I myself fell in love with English, studied it with passion, and, back in the days before machine translation had advanced, spent countless hours translating English content and posting it on my blog. Inspired by that memory, I decided to try translating into Japanese a song I have loved for years, "Ghost" by Mystery Skulls.

In this article, I will share the parts of the song that puzzled me during translation, my interpretations of them, and the process that eventually led me to post my Japanese translation on LyricsTranslate.

Original lyrics:

'Cause the world might do me in

It's alright 'cause I'm with friends

Guess I'm giving up again

It doesn't matter

Note:

• The dictionary I checked defined “to do me in” as something like “to make me tired as hell,” but when I asked ChatGPT, she told me that this phrase carries a stronger meaning, closer to “trying to k-ll me,” so I decided to adopt this interpretation in my translation.
• I think “Guess…” here means “I guess.” In Japanese, it is quite common to leave out the subject of a sentence, but when I was in school I was taught that in English, subjects like “I” or “you” are almost never omitted. However, I have often seen sentences without a subject in song lyrics and in comment sections, so for now I understand it as a highly colloquial English expression.
• “To give up” usually takes an object, but here the object is omitted. Later on, however, it becomes clear what exactly he has “given up.”

Translation:

世界は僕を潰しにくるかも

大丈夫さ、仲間がいるから

また諦めることになりそうだ

そんなことどうでもいいけど

Original lyrics:

Had me feeling like a ghost

And that's what I hate the most

Guess I'm giving up again

And this time (this time, this time)

Note:

• This is something that often happens with English song lyrics: different sources give slightly different versions. For example, some sources have the first line as “And I’m feeling like a ghost.” However, listening to the song, it does not sound like he is actually singing “And I’m feeling,” so I chose to go with “Had me” instead.

Translation:

まるで幽霊にされた気分だ

それが一番イヤなんだ

また諦めることになりそうだ

今度こそは（今度こそ、今度こそ）

Original lyrics:

This time I might just disappear

This time I might just dis-

This time I might just disappear

This time I might just dis-

Note:

• The chorus is very striking! and there were not many parts I found puzzling. If I had to name one, it would be the question of why he chose to use “might” instead of “may.” However, I do not think this choice has much impact on the Japanese translation, so for now I am leaving it unresolved.

Translation:

今度こそ僕は消えてしまうかも

今度こそ僕は消え-

今度こそ僕は消えてしまうかも

今度こそ僕は消え-

Original lyrics:

Try and hear me, then I'm done

'Cause I might just say this once

Seen this play out in my dream

It doesn't matter

Note:

• At first, I did not understand the meaning of “seen this play out,” but I learned that it carries a nuance similar to “I have (already) seen this happen (many times).” He is saying that he has seen the “nightmare” of this happening before.

Translation:

ちゃんと聞いてくれ、そしたら終わるさ

一度しか言わないかもしれないから

こうなるのを夢で見たんだ

そんなことどうでもいいけど

Original lyrics:

Tired of giving up the ghost

F--k, it's you I hate the most

Maybe there's no guarantee

It doesn't matter

Note:

• “Give up the ghost” is a phrase that forms the core of the song’s meaning, yet at first I had no idea what it meant. After checking various sources, I learned that it is a euphemism meaning “to d*e.” With that in mind, I chose to use a Japanese euphemism for “to die” in my translation as well.
• And then, suddenly, the F-word! English lyrics often have things like this. The F-word is still relatively mild, but there are songs that casually contain words you really should not use at all. I have heard that some professional singers even take measures such as deliberately closing their mouths at the moment they would otherwise have to shout those words.
• The earlier parts of the song were already difficult to interpret, but “Maybe there’s no guarantee” seemed completely unrelated to the two lines before it. To figure it out, I watched both the animated MV and the original MV, and I also looked at how other Japanese translators had rendered it. At present, I interpret it as a line expressing the sorrow of someone who has been betrayed by friends countless times before. Because of that interpretation, I spent quite a while debating whether to use the literal translation of “guarantee” (保証) or something more poetic. In the end, I chose the expression “確かなもの” (certainty), which I felt fit the tone better.

Translation:

生きるのに諦め疲れた

畜生、やっぱりお前が一番嫌い

確かなものはどこにもないのさ

そんなことどうでもいいけど

That concludes the content of this article. Thank you very much for reading it all the way through.

According to a Japanese source I found when looking up information about this song, its explosive popularity about ten years ago was not due to the original "Exorcist"-style MV released first, but rather to the animated MV created by "MysteryBen27." Personally, I feel that the animated MV can be seen either as directly related to the song's original meaning or as an entirely new story added by the animator. For that reason, when trying to interpret what the lyrics are really about, I believe it is more important to focus on the words actually sung in the song and on the original MV. (However, please note that the original MV contains a jump scare at the very end.)

Based on that, my personal conclusion is that this song is sung from the perspective of someone who has died, or is on the verge of ending their life, because they were betrayed by a friend or lover, and is now addressing that "you," the very person who betrayed them. The phrase "It doesn't matter" appears repeatedly in the song, and to me it sounds very much like the words of someone who has given up their ghost. From that perspective, I can relate to these lyrics on a personal level, since I myself have experienced being betrayed by friends or excluded from groups multiple times. (Of course, I never considered ending my life, but I can still empathize with the feelings expressed here.)

For Japanese Learners

When I write articles about English learning, I sometimes include a section directed at Japanese learners. This time, what I want to say is simply this: “LyricsTranslate is truly a great site!” It allows anyone to post translations easily, the layout is clean and easy to navigate, you can access other people’s translations with a single click, and sometimes people who know the original lyrics well will add helpful annotations. Recently, they even added a “subtitles” feature where the translation highlights in sync with the song’s video. As an English learner, I find these features incredibly useful and inspiring.

Here is an example: Ken Ashcorp - Absolute Territory

So, wanting to try this feature myself, I added the beautiful song “LANA - セカイノハズレ -” by TOMOSUKE!

If you are confident in your Japanese skills (日本語自信ニキ/ネキ), please try translating these lyrics. It would make me very happy to see your translation, and since I have added subtitles to this song, you might enjoy watching your translation light up in time with the music!