Translation: The Evening Light is Orange-Lime (Seiko Matsuda)

Takashi is a master of tone and voice. He gets nuanced emotions across in simple, conversational lines. In his hands, a "mere" sentence-ending particle can turn a good line into an awesome one. The second chorus ("you always...") is like a slap to the face, the Japanese so fierce that tears started in my eyes as I translated. Actually the first chorus ("even if you called...") had me tearing up too — that combination of sadness and honesty — the pure and profound sorrow, too crestfallen (as yet) for anger. 

The Evening Light is Orange-Lime (Suzuki/Matsumoto) has music by the great Shigeru Suzuki. If the lyrics to December Morning were less excellent, this would be my favorite song on Side B.

Also, it raises the question — how many times did Shigeru and Takashi collaborate after 1979's Cosmos '51? I thought that was where their partnership ended, but this song is from 1981. Maybe there are others.

(Omitted chorus tag: "It's too late.")



:::



I'm waiting for your phone call.

The evening light is orange-lime.

I'm dressed and ready for our date.

The hands of the clock are being mean,

moving irresponsibly forward.

Actually, even if you called right now,

we wouldn't make it to the movie on time.

And I'd been really looking forward

to seeing it together.

I squeeze a lime into my glass.

I'm going to have a drink 

and forget all about this.

You always do just what you please.

I've had it up to here with your selfishness.

Go find somebody else, okay?

I go change out of my clothes.

Tears come to my eyes

when I see the sun setting.

It's weird...

It's weird, but

tears come to my eyes when

I see the reflection

of the sunset in the glass.

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