Kaji Meiko- Urami bushi lyrics

梶 芽衣子 (- Kaji Meiko) Meiko Kaji was born in 1947.03.24. Chiyoda, Tokyo under the name Masako Ota. She began to work at Nikkatsu studio 1965. In the beginning of 1970 she was cast in some Stray Cat Rock series directed by Yasuharu Hasebe under the new name Meiko Kaji. In 1971 she went to Toei where she met director Shunya Ito and made four films in the brilliant Female Prisoner Scorpion series which made her famous throughout Japan. The story was adapted by a manga by Toru Shinohara.
In 1973 she played Yuki in the fantastic Kazuo Koike's manga based revenge-themed film Lady Snowblood, which later became a cult film in the West, thanks to Quentin Tarantino, who used her theme song Uram bushi in the film Kill Bill 1-2.
She appeared in some Kinji Fukasaku's films, like Yakuza Graveyard (1976).
1978 she starred in Yasuzo Masumura's Sonezaki Shinju for which she earned nomination for Best Actress at five different award shows, and won four of them.



Urami Bushi [怨み節] (Bitter Melody / aka Grudge Song)

花よきれいと おだてられ
咲いてみせれば すぐ散らされる
馬鹿な バカな バカな女の 怨み節

さだめ哀しと あきらめて
泣きをみせれば また泣かされる
女 おんな 女の涙の 怨み節

憎いくやしい 許せない
消すない消えない 忘れられない
つきぬつきぬ つきぬ女の怨み節

夢よ未練と わらわれて
さめてみせます まださめきれぬ
女おんな 女ごころの 怨み節

真赤なバラにゃ トゲがある
刺したかないが 刺さずにゃおかぬ
燃えるもえる 燃える女の 怨み節

死んで花実が 咲くじゃなし
怨み一筋 生きて行く
女おんな 女いの命の 怨み節


Hanayo kireito odaterare
Saitte misereba sugu chiraseraru
Baka-na Baka-na Baka-na onna-no urami bushi

Sadane kanashito akiramete
Naki o misereba mata nakasareru
Onna onna onna-no namida-no urami bushi

Nikui kuyashii yursenai
kesunai kisenai wasurarenai
Tsukinu tsukinu tsukinu onna-no urami bushi

Yuumei-yo mirento warawarete
Samete misemasu mada samekireru
Onna onna onna gokoro-no urami bushi

Makka-na bara-nya toge ga aru
Sashitaka naiga sasazu nya okanu
Moeru moeru moeru onna-no urami bushi

Shinde hanami** ga saku jyanashi
Urami hitosuji ikite iku
Onna onna onna-no inochi-no urami bushi

English translation:
The flower, if it is pretty, becomes flattered
(Then) If it shows itself in full blossom, soon its petals are scattered
Foolish! Foolish! Foolish woman's bitter melody.

If fate is harsh, you must accept it
If you show yourself crying, you will be forced to cry again
A Woman, a woman, a woman's tears' bitter melody*

This hateful regret, I cannot forgive
It is not erased. I does not disappear. I cannot forget it.
Pierced through, pierced through.
Pierced through woman's bitter melody.

When dreams bring lingering regret, laugh
If they appear while you're awake, don't close your eyes
A woman, a woman, a woman's heart's bitter melody

The most brilliantly red rose has many thorns
If the (thorn's) wound was not deep, it
was not fate to wound deeply
Burning, burning. Burning woman's

bitter melody.
The dying fruit of the flower*, it can no longer bloom
In blind bitterness it lives out its days
A woman, a woman, a woman's life's bitter melody.

終　[END]

[Notes:
* A more readable English translation here and in the other verses would be something like "The bitter melody of a woman's tears", but this song makes a point of ending each verse with the phrase "bitter melody".
** The term hanami also carries a metaphorical reference to the "interior and exterior" -- here referring to the singer's heart (interior) and body (exterior).]

Translation thanks to Scott Foutz