ローリンガール
Rolling Girl
Artist: wowaka (ヲワカ) aka Genjitsutouhi-P (現実逃避P)
Album: Unhappy Refrain (アンハッピーリフレイン)
Lyrics: wowaka Composer: wowaka
NND YouTube
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ロンリーガールはいつまでも 届かない夢見て 騒ぐ頭の中を掻き回して、掻き回して。 | Ronrii gaaru wa itsu made mo todokanai yume mite Sawagu atama no naka wo kakimawashite, kakimawashite. | Lonely girl, forever the same You dream unreachable dreams And churn, churn the insides of your clamoring head |
| 「問題ない。」と呟いて、言葉は失われた？ もう失敗、もう失敗。 間違い探しに終われば、また、回るの！ | “Mondai nai.” to tsubuyaite, kotoba wa ushinawareta? Mou shippai, mou shippai. Machigai sagashi ni owareba, mata, mawaru no! | “It’s no problem,” she whispers- Have words failed her? Another failure, another failure. If it ends with a spot-the-difference, She will spin again! |
| もう一回、もう一回。 「私は今日も転がります。」と、 少女は言う 少女は言う 言葉に意味を奏でながら！ 「もう良いかい？」 「まだですよ、まだまだ先は見えないので。 息を止めるの、今。」 | Mou ikkai, mou ikkai. “Watashi wa kyou mo korogarimasu.” to, Shoujo wa iu shoujo wa iu Kotoba ni imi wo kanadenagara! “Mou ii kai?” “Mada desu yo, mada mada saki wa mienai no de. Iki wo tomeru no, ima.” | One more time, one more time. “I will roll along again today,” The girl says, the girl says While playing out the meaning in her words! “Are you done now?” “Not yet. I still can’t see what’s ahead, after all. So I’ll hold your breath (for) now.” |
| ローリンガールの成れの果て 届かない、向こうの色 重なる声と声を混ぜあわせて、混ぜあわせて | Roorin gaaru no nare no hate todokanai, mukou no iro Kasanaru koe to koe wo maze awasete, maze awasete | Rolling girl, a shadow of your former self The colors on the other side are unreachable Overlapping voices upon voices blend together, blend together |
| 「問題ない。」と呟いた言葉は失われた。 どうなったって良いんだってさ、 間違いだって起こしちゃおうと誘う、坂道。 | “Mondai nai.’ to tsubuyaita kotoba wa ushinawareta. Dou nattatte iinda tte sa, Machigai datte okoshichaou to sasou, sakamichi. | “It’s no problem,” she whispered- These words have failed her. You say that it doesn’t matter what the outcome is, Mistakes are meant to be made anyway- (Literally: they’re mistakes after all, so let’s just go ahead and cause them) So the slope invites you |
| もう一回、もう一回。 私をどうか転がしてと 少女は言う 少女は言う 無口に意味を重ねながら！ 「もう良いかい？」 「もう少し、もうすぐ何か見えるだろうと。 息を止めるの、今。」 | Mou ikkai, mou ikkai. Watashi wo douka korogashite to Shoujo wa iu shoujo wa iu Mukuchi ni imi o kasanenagara! “Mou ii kai?” “Mou sukoshi, mou sugu nanika mieru darou to. Iki wo tomeru no, ima.” | One more time, one more time. Please, get me rolling The girl says, the girl says While heaping meaning in her silence! “Are you done now?” “Just a little more, I’ll be able to see something soon. So I’ll hold your breath (for) now.” |
| もう一回、もう一回。 「私は今日も転がります。」と 少女は言う 少女は言う 言葉に笑みを奏でながら！ 「もう良いかい？もう良いよ。そろそろ君も疲れたろう、ね。」 息をやめるの、今。 | Mou ikkai, mou ikkai. “Watashi wa kyou mo korogarimasu.’ to Shoujo wa iu shoujo wa iu Kotoba ni emi wo kanadenagara! “Mou ii kai? Mou ii yo. Sorosoro kimi mo tsukaretarou, ne.” Iki wo yameru no, ima. | One more time, one more time. “I’ll roll along again today,” The girl says, the girl says While playing out a smile into her words! “Are you done now? It’s alright. You must be getting exhausted by now too, right?” So x* will stop breathing now. |
Analysis/Interpretation:
*Contains dark and potentially triggering subject matter, proceed with care.
“Rolling” is a metaphor for living another day.
Rolling Girl struggles with depression and overwhelming intrusive thoughts. As everybody has intrusive thoughts to some extent, she initially brushes her own as normal. So initially, she can ignore the question of “are you done yet?” (referring to life itself). She still has her hopes and dreams for the future, and thinks that joy will come soon. “I’ll hold your breath” refers to Rolling Girl shutting up the intrusive voice.
(I 100% believe this song is in the perspective of the head voice, which is why I make the lyrics sound more directed at the girl than other translations.)
However, as success remains out of reach, her intrusive thoughts become stronger. The slope of life invites you to roll–but rolling can also bring pain. She remains silent and struggles alone. It comes from not asking for help, which is could be the result of shame, fear, belief in self, or simply not having someone to turn to for support.
*Two alternative ending interpretations (who is “x?”)
- Optimist Route: Rolling Girl is talking to the voices in the end (x = “I”)
- Rolling Girl turns the question around and instead challenges her intrusive thoughts. She’s had enough of them and kills them for good.
- Pessimist Route (likely): Rolling Girl’s intrusive thoughts is overpowering her (x = “you”)
- This last urging of Rolling Girl’s intrusive thoughts takes Rolling Girl over completely. There’s not even the opportunity for her to reply or resist.
- MMD evidence: “Tomorrow” of “Tomorrow, tests will begin” on the blackboard is erased. She follows the arrows and there’s no way back, so she feels there’s only one ending for her. Miku climbs both figurative and literal stairs before the plunge. Miku does not lipsync the entire song. Her lack of lipsyncing includes the last line.
- Akiakane evidence: The last “roll” and “the girl says” are censored.
An Alternative Analysis:
A happier interpretation is that the Rolling Girl is resisting getting help, and insists on staying within a depressive mindset, thinking that things will get better over time with the “fake it until you make it” mentality. However, she doesn’t get her desired results because she doesn’t address her own problem. This starts a vicious cycle and she ends up becoming more depressed and thus ignores the pleas to get help- one more attempt (roll) at success in whatever her goal was, one more time, surely that will succeed and bring her the joy she desperately wants. Maybe that was wowaka’s own mindset- after all, his musical contribution credit was overshadowed by a voice bank, and just only two vocaloid songs later (just over a year later) does he leave the scene to make music under his own band (before returning years later to produce Unknown Mother Goose). Finally, she does realize how exhausting it is to live without addressing her mental health problems, and takes a rest.
In the end, each person will end up having their own interpretation (for example, “Rolling” is interpreted instead as building up fake personalities to be accepted by different people groups, and in the end the Rolling Girl reverts to her original self).
I know this blog is going to be more jpop focused, but I really, really wanted to post this one here. Hopefully this additional translation to this well-loved song helps someone.
jellie translations 