Translation: The Three o'Clock Lullaby (Haruomi Hosono)

One of the great things about Side B of Tropical Dandy is the tracklist. Very classy of Hosono not to add "instrumental" to the fourth and fifth track titles.

I adored The Three o'Clock Lullaby (and its lush instrumental follow-up) before I listened into (/read into) the lyrics, but let me tell you, once I did...

I didn't get the last line right, it's still a little off. I'll come back and edit it after I figure it out. Gotta first await the eventual, inevitable hit of TSE (Translator's Sudden Epiphany). Can't rush that, just have to listen more — as if I needed more excuses to play Tropical Dandy, ha!

:::

Dream thee now, here on my lap

while an old record is playing.

And you, wind;

and you, light, too:

passing by outside my window.

It's the three o'clock lullaby you're hearing.

Until someone knocks on the door,

we'll stuff this magic bottle

full of tea 

and full of stories

underneath a cold tin roof.

When we've talked over the town gossip

and when we've sung along to that hit song

even though it's popular,

tell me more about the dream

you dreamed last night.

And may that become my lullaby.

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