Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - What are these songs about?

Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/index.php)

- Ayu Chat-Room (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=20)

- - What are these songs about? (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120279)

What are these songs about?

Sorry to make a new thread about this, but I'm really curious about the meaning of a few songs. They are probably obvious but the translations on the Ayu lyrics website are terribly literal and confusing.

NEVER EVER:

Quote:

Sometime, surely since before you were born,
I was searching for something unchanging.
I'd find it, and lose it, and sometimes
there were nights when I hurt people.

If just one of your wishes could come true,
If just one of your wishes could come true,
what would you wish for?
What would you wish for, here, under this sky?

Despite my strong desire,
I started giving up.
I'd find it, release it, and sometimes
there were nights when I hurt myself.

If there were something I could give to you,
If there were something I could give to you,
It would be my unchanging, certain thoughts.

What unchanging certain thoughts? Release what? Hurt yourself? I don't get this song at all.

do it again:

Quote:

* Do you still remember
The dream you once had ?

** Where is that dream now
And what is it like ?

*** "What is sad is to give up"
That's true even now

**** But such cases that don't fit well
Are increasing in reality

***** Not by a dream only ...
Only a dream can ...

What? "But such cases that don't fit well are increasing in reality" is that even proper English? Okay, so she's singing probably to herself about a dream she had but gave up on. But the rest of the translation is confusing. What cases?

From the title I figured this was like alterna, about her having to do the same thing, but then there's also a sentence further into the song that seems to refer to a break-up.

About You:

Quote:

But if I meet someone
Whom I really want to face
I don't want to feel fear

It's so fearful to believe
What is invisible and formless
But if you can do so
Don't you feel it's wonderful?

Even in the middle of such a grey city
Where you can hardly hold yourself together

Don't laugh so weakly
With a resigned look
As if to say "Such is life"

(*) Where is the person
Who could get what he wanted
Without making any sacrifices
You see?
You have the thing which I long for
Which I had lost and will never get again
However strongly I wish for it

Okay, so on one side this song is obviously about someone who is afraid to show emotion and has darkness and won't let anyone in. But the rest?

She wants to "face someone"? Is she gonna battle someone?
"What is invisible and formless?", I don't know, you tell me, Ayu. God? Is this song about God now?
What thing does she long for? What can you get without making sacrifices?

Thanks guys. <3 I love these songs audibly but with these weird lyrics (well, the translation) I never really got them. I get the emotion but not the meaning...

BTW off-topic but who else thinks the lyrics of sending mail are beautifully realistically written?

I prefer Kiwi-musume translations...

About you = Frozen
http://www.kiwi-musume.com/lyrics/ay.../aboutyou.html

Never Ever gets clearer here, it's a song about the quest for true love, a love larger than life, and how you hurt yourself and others while looking for this unreacheble love:
http://www.kiwi-musume.com/lyrics/ay...neverever.html

Do it again IMO is about the sacrifices you have to make in order to fullfill your dreams... Being it either personal effort (dance, dance, dance, sing, sing, sing) or giving up on other dreams you may have.
http://www.kiwi-musume.com/lyrics/ay...doitagain.html

Thank you!! ^_^ Those are a lot better.

I'm wondering what do you think about this part:

Quote:

Where is there a person
Who’s managed to get everything they want
Without suffering at all?
You have
Something I’ve longed for
Something I lost and could never find again
No matter how much I wished for it

From About You. I'm assuming she's talking about love?

About You seems to be about envying a person with a ton of merits and good qualities who was once confident but has wasted their good qualities recently and perhaps lost confidence because they were once hurt when they bared themselves. She's frustrated they're not living up to their full potential when they have qualities she respects but wishes she still had. What that quality IS (romantic success, charm, a talent for reading comprehension, whatever) is probably deliberately not clarified so it's up to the listener to interpret.

Quote:

Originally Posted by November4 (Post 3081868)

BTW off-topic but who else thinks the lyrics of sending mail are beautifully realistically written?

ME. omg sending mail is one of her BEST song imo. That's why I chose it as my username on tumblr lol.