Translation: I Passed through Your Town (Hiro Yanagida)

The bittersweet vibe continues in I Passed through Your Town. I love Hiro's bright arrangement, all ska horns and infectious group vocals. [Edit, a couple months later: "bright" is an understatement. This song is joy incarnate!!] At "but I heard," the backing vocals disappear and it's just beautiful, frail Hiro singing alone.

Hiro lops off the last two lines of Takashi's lyrics, which I've restored in this translation. I'm not sure the grammar makes sense with the lines gone; if it does, I think it turns the narrator (instead of the town, which goes unmentioned) into the one "smothered in autumn light."

:::



The twilight is passing by.
A town the color of dead leaves
is reflected in the window of the train.

The wind that blows in through the window
smells of memories.
I close my eyes and hear your voice.

Come to think of it,

I heard someone say
you don't live in this town anymore.
Even if that's true, it doesn't matter.
I can see you regardless, you know.

On each and every street corner,
I could find the shadows
you left behind —
and feeling sure of the fact,
I turn around.

The town flies by
smothered in autumn light.
Next thing I know, nighttime 

has stolen up on my eyes.

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