Miyuki Nakajima - Between the Sky and You (1994)
Music/Lyric: Miyuki Nakajima
Another Miyuki Nakajima song today. This time it's "Between the Sky and You," the theme song from the television series Homeless Girl. I don't know much about the series, other than that the main character was a homeless girl with a pet dog. Apparently it was an homage to Hector Malot's Sans Famille. In the song, Nakajima takes on the role of the girl's pet dog. The embedded version is the album cut, which I much prefer, but there's also the synthier, more up-tempo single cut, if you're into that kind of thing. There's also a so-so English cover by Valerie Carter, called "Bitter Rain."
I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something unique about this song. If I had a better grasp of music theory I could probably identify a specific reason for that, but as it is all I've got is that I really like it.
Kimi ga namida no toki ni wa
Boku wa popura no eda ni naru
Kodoku na hito ni tsukekomu you na
Kotoba ienakute
In your time of sorrow,Kimi o nakaseta aitsu no
I will be a poplar branch.
I have not the words to say
To take advantage of a lonely girl.
Shoutai o boku ga shitteta
Hikitometa boku o kimi wa
Furiharatta toui yoru
I saw the true natureKoko ni iru yo ai wa mada
Of the one who made you cry
On that long-ago night,
When you held me back and drove me off.
Koko ni iru yo itsu made mo
My love is still here.[Chorus]:
It is still here, forever.
Sora to kimi to no aida ni wa
Kyou mo tsumetai ame ga furu
Kimi ga waratte kureru nara
Boku wa aku ni de mo naru
Between the sky and you,[Repeat Chorus]
Cold rain will fall today.
If you would only show me a smile,
I would do anything, right or wrong.
Kimi no kokoro ga wakaru to
Tayasuku chikaeru otoko ni
Naze onna wa tsuite yuku no darou
Soshite naku no darou
When men swear lightly,Kimi ga susanda hitomi de
"I understand your heart,"
Why do women go to them,
And then cry?
Tsuyogaru no wa totemo itai
Nikumu koto de itsu made mo
Aitsu ni shibararenaide
It hurts me so to seeKoko ni iru yo ai wa mada
Your eyes steeled in anger.
Don't let yourself be
Forever bound to him by hatred.
Koko ni iru yo utsumukanaide
My love is still here.[Repeat chorus x 3]
It is still here, so hold your head up high.
Notes on translation: 僕は悪にでもなる was a bit of a head-scratcher. I suppose it means something along the lines of "I would even do evil," but I suspect that there's some secondary meaning of 悪 that I'm not getting.
For example, one dictionary says that it can refer to the villain in a play. Perhaps this is an allusion to the second verse, wherein the dog recalls the time when he met the man who made his mistress cry. It's implied that he growled menacingly at the man and perhaps even tried to attack him, but that the girl held him back and then drove him off. In this context, he could be said to be playing the part of the villain.
Or maybe I was right the first time. Anyway, I went with "I would do anything, right or wrong."
Hello, I hope that my comment will not be too late for anyone to read. I come across your post as I wish to know the meaning of this song. I come across a a post (http://homepage2.nifty.com/apo-k/mu4.htm) and I think that I can roughly explain the meaning of "僕は悪にでもなる". You are correct in translating this phrase as "I would even do evil". One important key to this song is the usage of "Boku" and "Kimi". "Boku" is an informal way of saying "I" as a male (rarely used for female). "Kimi" is and informal way of saying "You" (in both sex). We know that the main character in the Japanese drama 家なき子 is a girl. Hence, the usage of "Boku" in this song will not be describing a girl. Instead, it may make sense if "Boku" is used in describing the main character's dog. That is, the dog is willing to be evil in order to make the girl smile. With such logic, the whole song is written from the view point of a dog. The same logic can be used to interpret the meaning of the song title 空と君のあいだに. "Between the Sky and You" in here, the "You" will be referring to the girl in the Japanese drama.
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