The chorus-closing tag ("you're a satin doll," 君はサテン・ドール) was hard to deal with. The literal, word-for-word translation felt awkward. The other extreme, omitting the tag altogether, left the choruses too spare. So I got creative trying to strike a balance.
The second chorus ("evading my feelings...") is mostly guesswork.
So ends my work on Caution, since the remaining songs — the two that open Side B — don't have Takashi lyrics. They're nice tunes, if more pedestrian in arrangement than what's on Side A. It's worth noting that one of the two has Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano (these were his session days, pre-YMO) and the other has Caramel Mama.
:::
A sip of Bloody Mary
moistens your lips.
The tremolo of ocean waves
fills the seaside terrace.
You give me a strange smile
all covered in the colors
of tropical flowers in bloom...
satin doll that you are.
A second sip of Bloody Mary.
Your hair is swaying.
The light of the Southern Cross
pierces the curtains of the night.
Evading my feelings
as they lean your way,
your red shoes retreat...
satin doll that you are.
You've drained your Bloody Mary
and now your cheeks are burning up.
The damp tone of the piano
is quivering within me.
Life is a carnival.
We sing la la la la.
And in the middle of the night,
barely able to keep my feet,
I begin to dance with you...
satin doll that you are.
(Back to: List of Translations)
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