Clicking around on YouTube I found “Dancing Samurai,” a song made by mathru (Masaru) using Gakupo, the GACKT vocaloid. Here’s one fan-made “PV”:
Mega-LOL! ^o^
Anyway, there seem to be two English translations running around on the internet, and they both seem a little off to me. So here I offer my own interpretation. I am not a native Japanese speaker, so I bet there’s a small number of mistakes but, well, I think it’s pretty solid.
First off, here are the lyrics in Japanese, as posted on mathru’s blog.
サムライ☆(腹切れ貴様ぁ！)
Dancing in the night このフロアで
リズムに乗れぬ奴 斬り捨て御免
Dancing all the night この時代に
戦を巻き起こせ ビバ☆サムライ(ヘァ！)
上で支配する奴がいて 下で動いてる奴がいる
俺はどちらにも染まらずに ただ舞を続けてる
この狭い日本に男として生まれたなら
天下を取れるまで止まんな どんな壁も超えてゆけ
Dancing in the night どんなMixも
リズムに乗れぬなら ハラキリ御免
Dancing all the night この時代に
嵐を巻き起こせ ダンシング☆サムライ(ヘァ！)
街ですれ違う女子たち 未熟な俺にはまだ早く
だけども声をかけてみる 結局無視をされる
嗚呼 なら武士として天辺へ登ってやる
立ちはだかる者は一瞬で一刀両断してやる
Dancing at the place どんな場所でも
リズムを生み出せりゃ ハッピーなライフ
Dancing with your pace どんな時でも
全力で行かなきゃ ダメ☆サムライ(ヘァ！)
Dancing in your life 最後の時も
音楽があるならシアワセだな
Dancing all your life その頃には
誰しもが認める ダンシング☆サムライ(ヘァ！)
Dancing in the night このフロアで
リズムに乗れぬ奴 斬り捨て御免
Dancing all the night この時代に
戦を巻き起こせ ヒラ☆サムライ
いつの日か 真のサムライ
サムライ☆(腹切れ貴様ぁ！)
Okay, on to the translation and romanization. One quick note: there are a couple of derogatory words used in this song, namely “kisama” and “yatsu” that are variously translated as “bastard,” “scum,” “wretch,” or simply, “that guy.” Just know that it’s a rude thing to call someone, said with disdain. The translation for each verse appears directly below it in italics.
EDIT (April 2016): I’ve been meaning to update this for a couple of years now and never got around to it. Ahaha… Anyway, I realized I made a mistake. The line rizumu ni norenu yatsu kirisute gomen is incorrectly translated to “Excuse me for eliminating the guys who can’t catch the rhythm”. I misinterpreted kirisutegomen as kirisute (lit., “cut and throw away”, “kill” in other words) + gomen (“sorry”). Kirisutegomen was actually a samurai’s right to kill a commoner or samurai of lower rank than themselves who had done something bad. Thus there is no asking to be excused intended in these lyrics. Well, I suppose that meaning could be in there still as a cheeky double entendre. The translation below has been updated to reflect this understanding. That said I haven’t been able to definitively conclude if “harakiri gomen” is meant to be understood the same way, so I’ll leave that part of the translation as is for now.
SAMURAI (hara gire kisamaa!)
SAMURAI (commit harakiri, you wretch!)
Dancing in the night kono furoa de
rizumu ni norenu yatsu kirisute gomen
Dancing in the night On this dance floor
I have the right to kill the guys who can’t catch the rhythm
Dancing all the night kono jidai ni
ikusa wo makiokose biba SAMURAI (hea!)
Dancing all the night In this era
Stir up battles Viva SAMURAI (hya!)
ue de shihai suru yatsu ga ite shita de ugoiteru yatsu ga iru
ore wa dochira ni mo somarazu ni tada mai wo tsuzuketeru
Above are the guys who rule, below are the guys who work
Untainted by either, I just continue the dance
kono semai nihon ni otoko to shite umareta nara
tenka wo toreru made tomanna donna kabe mo koeteyuke
If you are born as a man in this narrow Japan
Don’t stop until you’ve taken the whole country, overcoming all obstacles
Dancing in the night donna Mix mo
rizumu ni norenu nara HARAKIRI gomen
Dancing in the night If you can’t catch the rhythm
no matter which Mix, sorry, commit HARAKIRI
Dancing all the night kono jidai ni
arashi wo makiokose danshingu SAMURAI (hea!)
Dancing all the night In this era
Stir up a tempest, dancing SAMURAI (hya!)
machi de surechigau onnakotachi mijukuna ore ni wa mada hayaku
dakedomo koe wo kaketemiru kekkyoku mushi wo sareru
The girls I pass in the street are still too fast for inexperienced me
I try to greet them anyway; I end up being ignored
aa nara bushi to shite teppen e nobotteyaru
tachihadakaru mono wa isshun de ittou ryoudan shiteyaru
If I’m lamenting that, I’ll climb to the top as a warrior
I’ll cut in half with one stroke, in an instant, those who block my way
Dancing at the place donna basho demo
rizumu wo umidaserya happiina raifu
Dancing at the place No matter what place
Creating rhythms is a happy life
Dancing with your pace donna toki de mo
zenryoku de ikanakya DAME SAMURAI (hea!)
Dancing with your pace No matter what time
For SAMURAI it’s BAD not to give it your all
Dancing in your life saigo no toki mo
ongaku ga aru nara SHIAWASE da na
Dancing in your life Even at the final moment
If there’s music, that is HAPPINESS
Dancing in your life sono koro ni wa
dareshimo ga mitomeru danshingu SAMURAI (hea!)
Dancing in your life At that time
Everyone will recognize you as a dancing SAMURAI (hya!)
Dancing in the night kono furoa de
rizumu ni norenu yatsu kirisute gomen
Dancing in the night On this dance floor
I have the right to kill the guys who can’t catch the rhythm
Dancing all the night kono jidai ni
ikusa wo makiokose HIRA SAMURAI
Dancing all the night In this era
Stir up battles, NOVICE SAMURAI
itsu no hi ka shin no SAMURAI
One day [you will be] a true SAMURAI
SAMURAI (hara gire kisamaa!)
SAMURAI (commit harakiri, you wretch!)
Scales of Libra 