[Intro] [Shamisen - mournful melody] [Shakuhachi enters softly] [Verse 1] Sakazuki wo katamuke Hitorikiri no yoru ni Omae to no hibi wo Omoidashiteru Irezumi wo hotta hi Chikai wo kawashita hi Kyoudai to yonda hibi Mou modoranai [Pre-Chorus] Ashita wa kuru Yameru koto wa dekinai Giri ga watashi wo yobu [Chorus] [Shamisen intensify] Giri no sake Kanashimi to tomo ni nomu Kyoudai wo korosu Sore ga ore no tsutome Uragiri wa yurusarenai Demo kokoro wa itamu Giri no sake Namida to sake wo mazeru [Verse 2] Naze uragitte shimatta Omae wa shitte ita hazu Kono michi wo erandara Shinu ka ikiru ka dake Oyabun no meirei Jibun no kokoro yori Omoi shi nanda koto wa Wakatte ita hazu darou [Pre-Chorus] Ashita no asa Omae to saigo no toki Giri wo mamoru tame ni [Chorus] Giri no sake Kanashimi to tomo ni nomu Kyoudai wo korosu Sore ga ore no tsutome Uragiri wa yurusarenai Demo kokoro wa itamu Giri no sake Namida to sake wo mazeru [Bridge] [Shakuhachi solo - deeply mournful] [Shamisen minimal] [Taiko soft, heartbeat-like] Oboete iru ka Ano natsu no hi wo Futari de chikatta Shinu made kyoudai da to Demo yakuza no michi wa Giri ga subete da Ninjo wa sutereba naranai Sore ga sadame nanda [Final Verse] [Quiet, reflective] Saigo no sakazuki Omae no tame ni sosogu Asu no asa Tomodachi toshite Teki toshite ja naku Kyoudai toshite Omae wo okuru Sore ga ore no jihi da [Final Chorus] [Most emotional, voice breaking] Giri no sake Saigo no ippai wo nomu Kyoudai wo korosu Ashita no asa ni Yurushite kure Kore ga yakuza no michi Giri no sake Karappo ni natta [Outro] [Shamisen fades] [Shakuhachi alone - single mournful note] [Silence suggesting dawn approaching] Ashita ga kuru... Giri wa matsu... [Fade to silence] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swedish Translation [Intro] [Shamisen - mournful melody] [Shakuhachi enters softly] [Verse 1] Jag lutar sake-koppen I denna ensamma natt Minns dagarna med dig Allt som var Dagen vi tatuerades Dagen vi svor eden Dagar vi kallade varandra bröder Aldrig kommer tillbaka [Pre-Chorus] Imorgon kommer Jag kan inte vägra Plikten kallar på mig [Chorus] [Shamisen intensifierar] Pliktens sake Jag dricker med sorgen Att döda min broder Det är min skyldighet Svek kan inte förlåtas Men mitt hjärta gör ont Pliktens sake Tårar blandas med sake [Verse 2] Varför svek du oss Du visste ju När du valde denna väg Finns bara döden eller livet Bossens order Viktigare än eget hjärta Du borde ha vetat Att det skulle bli så [Pre-Chorus] I morgon bitti Sista stunden med dig För att upprätthålla plikten [Chorus] Pliktens sake Jag dricker med sorgen Att döda min broder Det är min skyldighet Svek kan inte förlåtas Men mitt hjärta gör ont Pliktens sake Tårar blandas med sake [Bridge] [Shakuhachi solo - deeply mournful] [Shamisen minimal] [Taiko soft, heartbeat-like] Minns du Den där sommardagen Vi två svor Bröder tills vi dör Men yakuzans väg Giri är allt Mänskliga känslor måste läggas åt sidan Det är vårt öde [Final Verse] [Quiet, reflective] Den sista koppen Jag häller för dig I morgon bitti Som din vän Inte som fiende Utan som broder Skickar jag dig vidare Det är min barmhärtighet [Final Chorus] [Most emotional, voice breaking] Pliktens sake Jag dricker den sista koppen Att döda min broder I morgon bitti Förlåt mig Detta är yakuzans väg Pliktens sake Har blivit tom [Outro] [Shamisen fades] [Shakuhachi alone - single mournful note] [Silence suggesting dawn approaching] Imorgon kommer... Plikten väntar... [Fade to silence] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- English Translation [Intro] [Shamisen - mournful melody] [Shakuhachi enters softly] [Verse 1] I tilt the sake cup In this lonely night Remembering the days with you All that once was The day we got our tattoos The day we swore our oath Days we called each other brothers Never coming back [Pre-Chorus] Tomorrow will come I cannot refuse Duty calls to me [Chorus] Duty's sake I drink with sorrow To kill my brother That is my obligation Betrayal cannot be forgiven But my heart aches Duty's sake Tears mixed with sake [Verse 2] Why did you betray us You should have known When you chose this path There's only death or life The boss's orders Matter more than one's own heart You should have known It would come to this [Pre-Chorus] Tomorrow morning The final moment with you To uphold duty [Chorus] Duty's sake I drink with sorrow To kill my brother That is my obligation Betrayal cannot be forgiven But my heart aches Duty's sake Tears mixed with sake [Bridge] [Shakuhachi solo - deeply mournful] [Shamisen minimal] [Taiko soft, heartbeat-like] Do you remember That summer day When the two of us swore Brothers until we die But the yakuza way Giri is everything Human feelings must be cast aside That is our fate [Final Verse] [Quiet, reflective] The final cup I pour for you Tomorrow morning As your friend Not as an enemy But as a brother I send you onward That is my mercy [Final Chorus] [Most emotional, voice breaking] Duty's sake I drink the final cup To kill my brother Tomorrow morning Forgive me This is the yakuza way Duty's sake Has become empty [Outro] [Shamisen fades] [Shakuhachi alone - single mournful note] [Silence suggesting dawn approaching] Tomorrow comes... Duty waits... [Fade to silence] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A traditional Japanese enka ballad exploring the tragic heart of yakuza culture - the conflict between giri (duty/obligation) and ninjo (human emotion). The song follows a yakuza member drinking alone the night before he must execute his closest friend who has betrayed the clan. Despite their deep brotherhood, forged through shared tattoos and blood oaths, duty to the organization supersedes all personal bonds. Sung entirely in Japanese, the lyrics progress from nostalgic memories of brotherhood through acceptance of fate to a final mercy: executing him as a friend, not an enemy - the only kindness left to give. Enka is the perfect genre for this story - it's actually the favored music of real yakuza culture, known for its melodramatic expression of sorrow, nostalgia, and the heavy burden of life's unavoidable duties. The song doesn't glorify yakuza life but presents its tragic reality - men bound by codes that demand they sacrifice their humanity, friendships destroyed by betrayal and duty, the heavy price of honor in a world where personal feelings must always be secondary to obligation. The empty sake bottle represents both the drained night and the emptiness in his heart. He will do what must be done because he is yakuza, but that doesn't mean it doesn't destroy something inside him. Authentically capturing enka's melodramatic sorrow and yakuza culture's giri-ninjo conflict, the song is a meditation on duty's unbearable weight and the bonds that even death cannot fully sever. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2025 Ande Records Lyrics by Ande All rights reserved. https://ande-records.se/
