Lyrics

Lyrics are through 2012--need to add Arui Wa Anarchy, No. 0, The Mortal, Schaft second album

Transcription notes:
{words in braces} are what is being sung in the song but is not in the album's lyric booklet; these lyrics may come from other sources and will be noted. If the source is not noted then it's simply how I hear it and may be subject to inaccuracies. If I'm not sure what is being said, then I will put a ? mark.

(words in parenthesis) are backing vocals, notes, or samples.

In Japanese: [words in brackets] is the way the lyricist wants you to read the kanji and is not the traditional way nor is it usually even an acceptable way.

In English: [words in brackets] are the traditional way of reading the kanji or the original English of a word written in katakana in Japanese.

Translations: (if I bother to do it--I'm lazy and I think translations are dangerous) My goal is to be accurate but also to do so in a way that you can sing along. Not saying I get it right but I try to balance the following: 1. nit-picky via back translations (if I can translate it back into Japanese and it doesn't match the author's original words, then I will try to do a better translation in English) 2. syllabic matching (if the original line in Japanese was 10 syllables then I will try to translate it into 10 English syllables so you can sing along) and keep the English word in the same part of the sentence for sing-along purposes 3. not assume the author's intentions and make huge leaps in translations (the reader should be allowed to come to conclusions on their own) 4. keep the same tone: if the original lyrics were casual, dirty, slang, masculine, etc then I'll seek English words with a similar tone (here is where huge leaps may be made because the translator may color the translation with how they speak rather than how the author may speak if they learned English)

*Please note that males in Japanese often use a word for "I" which is masculine only and is often used in the lyrics presented here. This gendered nuance is not translatable in English.

Lyrics written by Jonny Stephens

  1. Information (Switchblade)

Information

Lyrics by
From: Switchblade, originally released on September 21st, 1994
I saw the local cable company
they came and dug up the road
they cut the roots and killed the tree
to give me inFORMation overload
they laid an optical vein with a heart of glass
so the rich infuse but the poor are bypassed
no need to qualify distinction
of any creature if alive or in extinctionsomebody gifted with a scanner and a keypad
can rustle up an animal in cyberspace and time dad
can it be as really real as takarazuka
a message that is subtle as a kiss from a bazooka
come into the water don’t be scareed of a varrucha
erase that from your mind the bottom line is filthy lucre

they’re going to give you inFORMation
they want to put in FORMation
is it a cause for celebration a non creative re-creation

if you’re virtually hungry eat a virtual meal
if you’re virtually sick then do you virtually heal
with a virtual brain invent a virtual wheel
you’re a virtual slave but the kneeling is real

we’re going for a swim in someone elses
stream of conciousness and I hope that
we don’t drown

a change of perception
under pain of deception
latest stab into modernity
chew the flavour of eternity
how does anyone else feel
who can tell me what’s the real deal
will the glove and goggle free you
or put your conciousness in curfew

no need to answer any question
the mass of inFORMation giving mental indigestion
somebody lacking internet without a modem
is waiting for the chance of overrating what you show them
can it be as really real as waking in a fever
asleep inside a dream thats advertising unilever
come into the universe of corporate dementia
where everybody swaps their teeth for permanent indenture