Hard Rain

  • Lyrics & Music: Kazuya Yoshii
  • Arrangement: The Yellow Monkey

Original Lyrics

強く無情な雨がふる 外は春先
地を這いながら君を 僕は求めた
時よ笑うには二人は幸せさ
今夜激しさに 喜び合うのさ

Hard rain It’s my love
君は僕の恋人
Hard rain It’s my love
泣かないで 忘れないで

ましてや二人には 何も無かった
恋を取ろうか命を惜しもうか
それしか無かった

Hard rain It’s my love
君は僕の恋人
Hard rain It’s my love
泣かないで 忘れないで

Hard rain It’s my love
冬の涙よ雲の涙よ
Hard rain It’s my love
やさしい笑顔よ またいつか

この夜が終われば 僕は旅立つ
でもでもでも君が…………奇麗だから

Hard rain It’s my love
これから春が来ようとしていた
Hard rain It’s my love
そこに春がもう来ていた
Hard rain It’s my love
君は僕の恋人
Hard rain It’s my love
泣かないで 忘れないで
泣かないで 忘れないで
泣かないで 忘れないで
泣かないで 忘れないで


Romanized Lyrics

tsuyoku mujou na ame ga furu soto wa harusaki
chi wo hainagara kimi wo boku wa motometa
toki yo warau ni wa futari wa shiawase sa
konya hageshi sa ni yorokobi au no sa

Hard rain It’s my love
kimi wa boku no koibito
Hard rain It’s my love
nakanaide wasurenaide

mashite ya futari ni wa nanimo nakatta
koi wo torou ka inochi wo oshimou ka
sore shika nakatta

Hard rain It’s my love
kimi wa boku no koibito
Hard rain It’s my love
nakanaide wasurenaide

Hard rain It’s my love
fuyu no namida yo kumo no namida yo
Hard rain It’s my love
yasashii egao yo mata itsuka

kono yoru ga owareba boku wa tabidatsu
demo demo demo kimi ga……kirei dakara

Hard rain It’s my love
kore kara haru ga koyou to shite ita
Hard rain It’s my love
soko ni haru ga mou kite ita
Hard rain It’s my love
kimi wa boku no koibito
Hard rain It’s my love
nakanaide wasurenaide
nakanaide wasurenaide
nakanaide wasurenaide
nakanaide wasurenaide


Translated Lyrics

It’s early spring, and a cruel rain falls outside
I searched for you as I crawled along the ground
Oh time, we’re happy and smiling
Tonight we’re going to find happiness in the violence

Hard rain, it’s my love
You’re my lover
Hard rain, it’s my love
Don’t cry, and don’t forget

Not to mention, we had nothing
To grasp a hold of love or to have regrets forever
Those were the only choices we had

Hard rain, it’s my love
You’re my lover
Hard rain, it’s my love
Don’t cry, and don’t forget

Hard rain, it’s my love
Oh tears of winter, oh tears of the clouds
Hard rain, it’s my love
That kind smile, maybe I’ll see it again one day

When this night’s over, I’m setting off
But…but…but…because you’re so…beautiful…

Hard rain, it’s my love
The spring was about to come here
Hard rain, it’s my love
The spring’s already arrived there
Hard rain, it’s my love
You’re my lover
Hard rain, it’s my love
Don’t cry, and don’t forget
Don’t cry, and don’t forget
Don’t cry, and don’t forget
Don’t cry, and don’t forget


Notes

Welcome to what is hands down the worst song on Smile. I’ve mentioned that I’m not fond of some other songs on the album because they’re boring, but Hard Rain is the worst offender. Musically speaking, the arrangement has almost nothing to it. It’s one of Yemon’s most plodding ballads, and it’s not even particularly long. It feels like Yoshii just wrote it on an acoustic guitar, and there was very minimal instrumentation put around it to flesh things out.

Hard Rain - Yoshii
Smile tour, 1995

But a boring arrangement could be forgiven if the lyrics were good. But these are possibly Yoshii’s weakest lyrics ever. They’re just WAY too simple! Not just for Yoshii, but for just about any good song writer. In fact they’re so without any traces of his normal writing style, that I’d almost believe he didn’t write them. His vocal performance on this calls back to the way he sung Silk Scarf ni Boushi no Madam back on Experience Movie, but just rings so much more hollow since the song is so much less substantial.

v
Smile tour, 1995

Yoshii wrote this song for a friend who had encouraged him throughout his early career that he’d succeed (it’s also said that this friend was departed, but I can’t find a firm source on that. The lyrics do suggest it though). It’s fairly clear that the friend was a woman though, and almost certainly a former lover. Yoshii mentioned before going into the song at their first concert at Nippon Budokan on the Smile tour. This was the only time that Hard Rain was played live.