平沢進 - "Echoes" / Hirasawa Susumu - "Echoes" Lyrics

[phonon_belt]

In some random interview I read that Mr. Hirasawa sometimes tries to use music to place the listeners in a situation outside of reality or everyday life. The goal is to make the listeners ask themselves how they would react in such a situation. "Echoes" strikes me as that kind of song. This song places you in the position of being told to remember something important that you've forgotten (a common enough experience). But there's the added pressure of knowing that whatever it was that you forgot, it clearly involved the disappearance of an entire town, maybe your home, maybe everyone you knew and cared about...you don't know what happened, or why, or who or what was the cause. You don't even know where you are now, just that there's something burning somewhere nearby. How would YOU react in that kind of situation? What memories would you think you'd lost?

That's why I like this song--it's so open to personal interpretation! But the haunting melody is lovely, too.

I also like to speculate that this song is somehow connected to the scenario in "Royal Road, Paradise", where a king sees only fire and lost people, but can't recall why this catastrophe happened... Or maybe it's connected to the scene in "Phonon Belt", where everyone in the town square suddenly vanished? Whether or not Hirasawa meant for these songs to be connected at all, it sure is fun to play with the different stories and situations he's given us! :)


平沢進 - "Echoes"

ECHOES　いつか見たような　火の粉が降り
ECHOES　思い出せと燃えて　街が消えた日

見たこともないキミを連れて　丘を降りたのはいつの事かと

ECHOES　いつか見たような　街が消えた日

ECHOES　居たはずも無いのに　キミを訪ね
ECHOES　あの日見たような ドアを叩いて　

来た事も無い家懐かしく　キミと消えたのはいつの事かと

ECHOES　居たはずも無いのに　ドアを叩いて

聞こえない　あの歌が終わる時
思い出す　この声が消えるかと
ECHOES……

見たこともないキミを連れて　丘を降りたのはいつの事かと

ECHOES　いつか見たような　火の粉が降り
ECHOES　思い出せと燃えて　街が消えた日

聞こえない　あの歌が終わる時
思い出す　この声が消えるかと……
ECHOES……




Hirasawa Susumu - "Echoes"

ECHOES itsuka mita you na ki no ko ga furi
ECHOES omoidase to moete machi ga kieta hi

Mita koto mo nai kimi o tsurete oka o orita no wa itsu no koto ka to

ECHOES itsuka mita you na machi ga kieta hi

ECHOES ita hazu mo nai no ni kimi o tazune
ECHOES ano hi mita you na doa o tataite

Mita koto mo nai ie natsukashiku kimi to kieta no wa itsu no koto ka to

ECHOES ita hazu mo nai no ni doa o tataite

Kikoenai ano uta ga owaru toki
Omoidasu kono koe ga kieru ka to
ECHOES

Mita koto mo nai kimi o tsurete oka o orita no wa itsu no koto ka to

ECHOES itsuka mita you na ki no ko ga furi
ECHOES omoidase to moete machi ga kieta hi

Kikoenai ano uta ga owaru toki
Omoidasu kono koe ga kieru ka to
ECHOES



Hirasawa Susumu - "Echoes"

Echoes  I feel like I've seen these sparks drifting down before
Echoes  As they smolder, they tell me to recall the day the town vanished

When was it that I went down the hill together with you, whom I've never seen before?

Echoes  The day the town that I feel like I've seen before vanished

Echoes  There's no reason you would have been here  But still I go to visit you
Echoes  I knock on a door that I feel like I saw on that day

A house I've never been to makes me nostalgic  When was it that it vanished with you?

Echoes  There's no reason you would have been here  But still I knock on the door

When the song I cannot hear ends
I will recall  But will my voice vanish?
Echoes...

When was it that I went down the hill together with you, whom I've never seen before?

Echoes  I feel like I've seen these sparks drifting down before
Echoes  As they smolder, they tell me to recall the day the town vanished

When the song I cannot hear ends
I will recall  But will my voice vanish..?
Echoes...