MIRROR
Music and lyrics by Gackt C.
English translation by !Super Cat

You're never there in times of need
You don't even try to understand what's important
Everyone's getting sick and tired of you

You're only chasing something new
"What happened to the old days?"
Is something you have no right to say

My smiling face reflected in your eyes isn't rewarded
Although I've known since the beginning . . .

Rising up under the sky
Alone . . .
All I have to offer is this broken body

It's said, "Believe and you'll be saved."
Only because angels are good at making up excuses
And God's a good liar

Your tears I see are all fake
You were smiling in the end . . . but . . .

Let's come together under the sky
Alone . . .
I shout that I wish someone cared about my broken heart
And I want to hug you tighter

When you throw out something old to get something new
Someone always get hurt

I fell in love under the sky
One promise . . .
Your voice turns my weakness to fire

If my love won't reach you
If it can't get inside you
Finish my heart off with your disdainful fingers
 

Translator's notes:   Sometimes, the words that Gackt sings differ from the written lyrics.  In MIRROR, Gackt sings, Angels are good at making up excuses / And God's good at lying, but in his written lyrics, the symbol for men is used instead of angel, and the symbol for women is used instead of God.  Thus the lyrics read, Men are good at making up excuses/ And women are good at lying.  There is also a rather nice secondary effect, linking men to angels and women to God-- as though men are like angels in their service of women (God).

Further notes:   In Japanese, this song is subversive and brutal.  The opening line is kanjina toki itsumo soba ni inai (You're never there when you're needed).  However, because the verb (in this case inai) comes at the end of the sentence in Japanese, it is not until the last moment that you realize that this sentence is an insult.  In fact, the expectation is that it will be kanjina toki itsumo soba ni iru (You're always there for me when I need you), a common sentiment in love songs.  Expecting a warm, fuzzy, "You're always there for me when I need you," and then hearing "inai" at the end of the sentence is like closing your eyes for a kiss and receiving a slap across the face.  It's a shock.  The same thing happens in the next sentence, and the next.  Another point is that Japanese people (and so it follows, Japanese songs) rarely voice strongly negative opinions, a fact which makes the lyrics of MIRROR doubly  unusual.
 

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