Marunouchi Sadistic (Expo ver.) Sanmon Gossip

Playing cops and robbers ’neath Ginza signs
All who chance to prosper shall go blind
Won’t you buy me a Ric [1] to play
What I got ain’t enough to pay

I’ll play a riff

Plug me into Marshall, [2] I’ll blow out your window
And trip my way up to eternal heights
RAT [3] and I will lay down and shake out your eardrums
A hit of this distortion makes me high

houshuu wa nyuushago heikousen de (The reward’s on the parallel lines after joining a company)
toukyou wa aisedo nannimo nai (I love Tokyo but there’s nothing there)
ryoushuusho kaite choudai (Gimme a receipt)
zeirishi nante tsuite inai korakuen [4] (No tax accountants here Korakuen)

I’ll rip into those robes and pursue the Dharma
A Buddhist monk of my own would feel fine
Selflessness and cessation get you Nirvana
If Kurt would beat my Gretsch, [5] I think I’d fly

shourai sou ni natte kekkon shite hoshii (In the future I want you to be a monk and get married)
maiban shingu de yuugi suru dake (Every night on your bed just playing games)
pizaya no kanojo ni natte mitai [6] (I wanna try being a pizza place girl [6])
soshitara benjii, atashi o gurecchi de butte [5] (And then Benzie smacks me with his Gretsch [5])

I’m looking for a good way to fly
I’m searching for a way you can’t buy
You know I know a kickin’ way to die
It’s rock and roll, martyrs keep the fans high
Still floating, as time rolls by


Translation notes:
[1] Rickenbacker 620 – her famous guitar, also known for being a favorite brand of the Beatles
[2] Marshall - brand of her amplifier
[3] Rat - her PROCO brand distortion pedal - her ’zine “RAT” is also named after this
[4] Korakuen - a music hall in the Tokyo Dome and a Marunouchi line stop
[5] Gretsch - Asai Kenichi’s guitar
[6] pizza place girl - Shiina Ringo had worked part time at a pizza place before she made it big. She was likely inspired (both in her choice of workplace and in writing this song lyric) by a line in Blankey Jet City's song "Pink no Wakai Buta" which mentions a "pizaya no kanojo" (pizza place girl).




Romanization & translation credit: Brian Stewart & Takako Sakuma