Overdose - natori

TLDR: A man drowning in denial

I think I have a thing for crashing plates. I mean, using a crashing plate sound sample as a sort of crash cymbal. I thought I was joking when I said I liked the cover of Kaibutsu San by 96猫＆天月 because of the crashing plates. But here in Overdose we hear crashing plates again and I find myself liking it too. Well. Enough about my audio fetishes, this song is way too fast (for me) to sing in karaoke but oh boy is it catchy. To boot, the concept suggested by the lyrics was interesting (to me) so it piqued my interest on first listen :3

Music Video

There ain't an mv with a plot, but the art in the video is definitely made for the song, the release date is on a piece of paper stuck on the wall. The colour scheme used looks just about right for someone who's taken hallucinogens and the sound of crashing plates can be heard even though no plates were crashed. (Okay sorry Imma stop mentioning breaking kitchenware.) The captions and description of the music video already have an English translation, which I tried my best not to refer to.

On top of his amp is a card showing the flag of the United Kingdom suggests he identifies with, or is influenced by British music, or culture, or... something lol. And possibly that he knows some English as well.

Of the posters on the wall, there's one with readable text, titled "MAYDAY THAT NEVER ENDS", talking about the poem Paradise Lost, by John Milton. It's pretty long, 12 books long, over 10,000 lines, written over 5 years. The link shows book 1, which starts with the fall of man (Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden ate a fruit from a tree God told them not to eat from) where the first act of disobedience (towards God the creator) by humans brought the punishment of death into the world. According to wikipedia, John Milton was blind, ill, and emotionally traumeowtised by the death of his second wife and their infant daughter when writing Paradise Lost. So his poem does get pretty dark. Here's Sparknotes for those interested.

It's hard to say if the lyrics of Overdose referenced Paradise Lost. But they both mention doing what is wrong, and nightmares. Similar enough? 🤪

The title "MAYDAY THAT NEVER ENDS" itself is a little interesting, if not slightly worrying. If there was a space between MAY and DAY, it would be a never ending holiday. May Day is a holiday, also known as Labour Day in some countries. A rest from work. yay. But uhh, MAYDAY put together is a call for help :") And I reckon that's probably the intended meaning. I'm overdosed. Send help. ナトリさん大丈夫？

Lyrics & Translation

Dose, give me, give me Dose, give me, give me

本当は分かっていた
本当 really || 分かっていた knew
Actually, I knew

いけないことだったって 分かっていたのに
いけない bad || こと thing || だったって that it was || 分かっていた knew || のに and yet
That it was wrong, even though I knew

この手をすり抜ける全部が愛に見えたの
この this || 手 hand || すり抜ける slip through || が is || 愛 love || に as || 見えた saw
Everything that slipped through this hand looked like love.

確かめていた言葉が形になって 揺れるだけ yeah
確かめていた verified || 言葉 words || が were || 形 shape || に to || なって became || 揺れる shake || だけ only
The words that were made certain took shape and only swayed

弾いて 描いて きっと それだけ
弾いて strum || 描いて draw || きっと surely || それ that || だけ only
Strumming and drawing, surely, just that

つまらないな 正解の読み合わせ
つまらない boring || 正解 correct || 読み合わせ read and compare
It's boring isn’t it, the correct way of reading

あとちょっとで分かりかけていたのに
あと after || ちょっと a little || 分かりかけていた come to understand || のに and yet
Even though just a little more and I would have understood it

飲んで 吐いて 全部忘れちゃえ
飲んで drink || 吐いて vomit || 全部 everything || 忘れちゃえ forget
Drink then throw up, forget everything

水をまとった本心と鏡合わせ
水 water || まとった wrapped in || 本心 true heart || と with || 鏡 mirror || 合わせ compare
Compare the true heart that is wrapped in water with (what is in) the mirror

見つめ 会えたら
見つめ to look at || 会え meet || たら if
If they can see each other

Overdose 君とふたり やるせない日々
君 you || と and || ふたり two of us || やるせない miserable || 日々 days
Overdose together with you, miserable days

解像度の悪い夢を見たい
解像度 resolution || 悪い bad || 夢 dream || 見たい want to see
I want to watch a bad dream with low resolution

Overdose 君とふたり 甘いハッタリ
君とふたり with you, the two of us || 甘い sweet || ハッタリ bluff
Overdose together with you, a sweet bluff

Don't stop it music, darling umm

本当に分かっている?
本当 really || 分かっている? do (you/I) know?
Do you/I really know?

いけないことだったって 分かっている?
いけない bad || こと thing || だったって it was || 分かっている? do (you/I) know?
Do you/I know that it’s wrong?

多分 時間だけが過ぎていく問答で満ちていく
多分 probably || 時間 time || だけ only || が is || 過ぎていく passing || 問 questions || 答 answers || で with || 満ちていく filling
[... sidenote: 自問自答 means answering one's own questions ...]
Probably only time will pass, filling up with questions & (self-thought) answers

言い訳する間もなく 裸になってしまうだけ yeah
言い訳する make excuses || 間もなく soon || 裸 naked || なってしまう end up becoming || だけ only
Shortly after making excuses, I’ll just end up becoming naked

きっと 溜まっていくんだ ずっと
きっと surely || 溜まっていくんだ will fill || ずっと forever
Surely it will fill up, forever.

終わってしまえばいいと ふっと
終わってしまえ come to an end || ば if || いいと would be good || ふっと <whiff>
Would be great if it ended, <whiff>

傷んで腐っていく あの甘い果実のように 僕ら 壊れていく
傷んで damaged || 腐っていく rotting || あの that || 甘い sweet || 果実 fruit || のように like that || 僕ら we || 壊れていく become broken
Damaged and then rotting, like that sweet fruit, we are breaking down

だから踊って 眠って 全部忘れちゃえ
だから that's why || 踊って dance || 眠って sleep || 全部 everything || 忘れちゃえ forget
That’s why we dance, sleep, and forget everything

嘘を被ったあなたと隣り合わせ
嘘 lie || を the || 被った cover || あなた you || と with || 隣り合わせ adjoin
Becoming one with you who is covered in lies.

見つめ 会えたら
見つめ to look at || 会え meet || たら if
If we see eye to eye

Overdose 君とふたり
君 you || と with || ふたり two of us
Overdose together with you

分かりたいのに
分かりたい want to know || のに and yet
Even though I want to know

変に間の悪い嘘が嫌い
変に weirdly || 間 time/pause || 悪い bad || 嘘 lies || 嫌い hate
I hate bad lies that don’t fit in

Overdose 君とふたり 分かりたいのに
Overdose together with you, even though I want to know

Two step from (hell) with me, darling ah ah ah ah yeah

Overdose 君とふたり やるせない日々
Overdose together with you, miserable days

解像度の悪い夢を見たい
I want to watch a bad dream with low resolution

Overdose 君とふたり 甘いハッタリ
Overdose together with you, a sweet bluff

Don't stop it music, darling umm

Overdose 君とふたり 分からないけど
分からない I don't know || けど but
Overdose together with you, I don’t know but

変に間の悪い嘘でもいいから
変に weirdly || 間 time/pause || 悪い bad || 嘘 lies || でも also || いい fine || から so
Bad lies that don’t fit in will do too so

どう 君とふたり 甘いハッタリ
どう how about it?
How about with you, the two of us, a sweet bluff

Don't stop it music, darling umm
Dose, give me, give me Dose, give me, give me
Umm don't stop it music, darling umm

Surely the lyrics are written from the perspective of a guy with an unrequited love. Reading and overreading between the lines, wanting to stay blind and ignorant to the truth, choosing to continue deceiving himself that there's hope for love to be returned. Possibly the relationship between friends with benefits where one party wants more than just friendship.

In the very beginning, the main character claims to know that something is wrong. Everything looked like love. The words took form, they were concrete, yet they swayed. Perhaps the girl's words seem to make promises but are actually just baseless. However, the correct interpretation is boring, and our main character insists that he could have come to understand it, presumably, it refers to the swaying words. But it's all useless, it's trying to make something out of nothing, so drink, and forget it all. Put your heart in front of a mirror and look at the reflection, is your true heart being reflected?

In the second verse, the main character becomes confused. He wonders if he does know that something is wrong. The more time is passing, the more questions he has. If we assume that 問答 refers to 自問自答, it means that he is asking questions, and also coming up with the answers to them himself. Making his own assumptions, perhaps he's too afraid to ask. Because in the next line he says after making excuses, he'll just end up naked again. Hence the impression that he's in love with his friend with benefits. He thinks this filling up of questions will go on forever, but wouldn't it be great if it came to an end he says, as he takes a whiff of whatever drug he's inhaling. How toxic their relationship must be if he's using rotting fruit as a metaphor to describe what they are becoming. 🙃 But once again he chooses not to dwell on the negatives. They dance, they sleep (together?) and they forget everything. He knows she's lying, and now he's decided to follow her lead and lie (to himself?) as well. Hopefully, they be on the same page.

In the chorus, he describes their time together overdosing together as miserable days, but also as a sweet bluff. A bad dream, but he wants to watch it in low resolution. Don't fret the details, just enjoy the moment. He knows it's bad, but he also isn't sure if he knows anymore. The second chorus: while they overdose together, he wants to know but, asking is no use, he doesn't want to hear her lies. The third chorus: "While we overdose together, I don't know but, I'm okay with all your lies." He's a goner this dude. Lol. Totally brainwashed.

Perhaps for the sake of rhyming, these three words are used in the lyrics: 読み合わせ, 鏡合わせ, 隣り合わせ. 合わせ on its own means face-to-face, two things facing each other. It could imply a comparison, or matching things, etc. 読み合わせ is to read and compare; 鏡合わせ is used at hairdressers where two mirrors facing each other are used to show us the back of our heads; 隣り合わせ is to adjoin, to combine. What is real? What is fake? Do they match? Can you tell the difference?

He knows, but he doesn't want to know, so, he no longer knows. Don't stop the music darling. Let the nightmare continue on. "Give me another dose," he says. A dose of music, dancing, alcohol, sex, lies, and fake love. But perhaps the one he desires most of all is the one left unsaid. Give him another dose of her.

Let's talk about the lyrics.