Duty [song] possible meaning

[Rebirthia]

Duty meaning…


«In the West we say that money moves the world, but in Japan, giri makes the world go around much more. Giri is the Japanese word for obligation, debt, duty, and to putting obligations above personal desires, or economic reason is the rule #1 of Japanese society. This means honoring a long-term relations over the chance to make a greater benefit, and marrying with the woman that mother chooses instead of the person you are in love with. The feeling is that one cannot survive without the others in this world. This idea was specially strong in Japan because the lack of space bound people into close-knit groups, which inevitably became very interdependent.

For that reason, people are enmeshed in a complex network of social obligations from birth, because the children inherit the giri of their parents, and then builds up its own throughout life. The people of the West spend most of their time trying not to create debts with the others, and feel discomforted being indebted. However, the Japanese are brought up to freely accept favors and allow themselves to fall into other’s debt like something inevitable.

The need to fulfill social obligations continuously puts special pressures on people and this causes Japanese to complain more often than others about ningen kankei – the strains of maintaining harmonious relationships. But the complex bonds of giri also assure that as long as one does one’s duty to others, one will never left out in the cold.»

extracts from “Everything you wanted to say about Japan in English”, byMargarite Price y Itoh Nobuji.

So, that means that "what everythin wants..." and the lyric of duty makes much more sense now, at least, for me. does she mean that this kind of social obligation is bad? because she says that a whole generation ended... and she know it's her turn now... perhaps the release of the album duty was in itself, her duty ? (this idea has been commented by masa as well)

[LEMONed 05]

Also, in Nikkei Entertainment, Ayumi says...

"I think that within all that, what I'm saying to the world now isn't "Hey, this is me!" The time I was saying "Hey, listen. This is me" and wanting people to turn around and look was with "A Song for XX." But now everyone's already looking my way, so instead of getting their attention now I have to focus on what I'm telling them. I want to tell the many adults and kids watching me how they look from my point of view."

I think this song just stems from the fact that she feels she is a leader now and has a duty to others to send good messages and influence them in positive ways.

[Qt Mashi]

oh wow good job, i havent read the duty lyrics so yeah...hehehhe

[Raleigh]

Interesting.

[Echiko]

interesting...=D

I thought she was talking about death. XD Like the actual meaning of "one era end". o_o I seem to be very wrong. haha. thanks alot!

[Kazuko]

O-o;; Thanks for sharing XDDD

[extepan]

i also think it is about her duty towards her society cos all the teenage girls in japan are copying her image at that time.

[Mirai Noah]

Interesting idea...

[walking proud]

i wish i were this smart. good job ^^

[Rebirthia]

and she has this duty still...

[voltron]

Yea, I think it has to do with her taking over the "throne" of J-POP. The end of an era was Namie's falling from popularity, and now it's ayu's turn next. I think she wasn't trying to be the top singer that everyone idolizes, initially, and she tried to even fight it for a while. But in Duty she accepts who she is and the responsibilities that come with it.