Japanese Lyrical Breakdown: Magnet

Song Breakdown

Overall, Magnet is a song about passion, forbidden love, and both the excitement and anxiety that comes from pursuing such a forbidden love. The song begins with a line talking about their actions within the bedroom, before breaking into a look at how their choices affect them outside, and finally, a look into the fear that this causes. This is an old song that has never truly died in the Vocaloid, utatte, or now V-tuber community, and for good reason. The song expresses a far too true and far too common fear that people, especially in the LGBT community, feel on a daily basis, a fear of their actions, of being separated, of not being accepted by the people around them, of their own personal fights, with them accepting that they aren't doing anything wrong, of becoming obsessed and fearful to show it. It expresses powerful themes that resonate with many. While nowadays, I don't think it's the strongest Vocaloid song for those in the LGBT community (I feel Ladies First nowadays is much more relatable, as it covers not a fear of yourself being wrong, but rather a fear of the reactions of those around you), but frankly, it's an incredible song, with deep, personal, and very passionate lyrics, incredible music, and a powerful story, it's not hard to see why so many connected to this song.

Verse 3 Breakdown

The final verse is used to express the final edge of doubt in what they've done. Up until this point, there is a strong sense of convection and passion, but this one expresses something they've been bottling up, the fear of their actions and the anxiety that comes up after the act. The speaker in the third verse cries when morning hits and the anxiety fills them 「夜明けが来ると不安でないでしまう私」, and in an act of solace, their partner tries to comfort them, but it fails to work because they were also anxious enough to cry 「あなたも泣いていたの」. The thing is that the anxiety and apprehension doesn't come from them thinking what they did was wrong, but rather, given the context and rest of the song, a fear of the reactions of people around them, and perhaps, maybe being separated? Finally, it goes back to the first chorus, expressing their desire to be changed and rewritten, but in addition adds another line, one expressing their wish to never lose one another, where even if they are separated (or knowing the context of the song, forced apart)「マグネットのように例えいつか離れても巡り合う」, and then it goes to the second verse chorus with a slight modification, and then ends with the final line of "that's fine, because you are my most important person"

Verse 1 Breakdown

The song opens up on a moment of passion, introducing us to our singers in a moment of intimacy and passion, but one with a veil of doubt, that what they are doing might be wrong It first starts with a bit of a retrospective from Miku (I'll just use the Vocaloids for simplicity), and how what began small spread into a great flame (か細い火。。。いつの間にか燃え広がる熱情). In this line, she acknowledges that she isn't normal, that "her butterfly doesn't fly normally" (私の蝶不規則飛び回り), and that irregular path, that abnormality, lead her to her lover. The second verb then puts us into the present, and into a very intimate scene, with images of interlocking and uninterlocking fingers (絡み合う指ほどいて) and what I think is kissing (唇から舌へと), but what fuels their passion, other than their affection, is the feeling of thrill that they might be doing something bad (許されないことならば尚更燃え上がるの). Finally, it goes into the chorus, where the passion intertwines with the doubt. In their attempts to forget about their "sins", in their attempts to convince themselves what they are doing is right (確かめて欲しい間違いなど無いんだと思わせてキスをして), and they choose to drown in their lust and pleasure (塗り替えて欲しい。魅惑の時酔いしれ溺れていたいの)

か細い火が心の端の灯る いつの間にか燃え広がる熱情 私の蝶不規則に飛び回り 貴方の手に鱗粉を付けた

Translation: A small fire burns in the edge of my heart. Before I knew it, those flames spread into a burning passion. My butterfly flit about erratically, until finally it left behind its scales on your hand.. ーか細い：Thin/skinny, feeble/delicate/fragile. Like 細い but mostly used in song and poetry. ー火：Fire. ー心：Heart. ー端：Edge. ー灯る：To be lit, to be burning. ーいつの間にか：Before one notices/before one is aware. ー燃え広がる：To spread (fire). ー熱情：Passion ー私：I. Neutral, but considered feminine in formal situations and songs. ー蝶：Butterfly ー不規則：Irregular/chaotic/erratic. Add に to make it an adverb. ー飛び回る：To fly about/to fly around. 連用形 (connecting form) to allow it to connect to the next part without creating a sequence. ー貴方：You, mostly used in song, also can be used as a term of endearment to mean honey or dear, which will matter more later in the song. ー手：Hand. ―鱗粉：Insect scale. ー付ける：To attach. Notes: ー端の灯る：So this has to deal with the weird rule of "everything in writing happens in one tense", so while it would be more accurate to say "a fire was lit in my heart" or even "a small fire is burning", the tense says that the best is that "a fire burns". ー燃え広がる熱情：This could also be seen as "the passion spread like fire" or "the burning passion spread", but I like this idea. ー不規則飛び回り：This one has two ways I could interpret it, as this is a bit weird. First is 連用形, which is continuous form, which is meant to connect it to the next part without creating a timeline or sequence, which is to say it flew and attached a scale. The other, which is probably just as likely, is that there is an implied verb here, and is meant to say something like "My butterfly had an irregular flight, and attached a scale to you." Frankly, it doesn't really matter that much, as either way the message gets across, but going by the wiki and the 96猫 video, I found my translation pretty close. ー貴方の手に鱗粉を付けた：Here, I translated it as "until it left a scale on your hand", even though it doesn't really imply it ever stop flying, but I changed it for style, even though "and left a scale" would be closer.

絡み合う指ほどいて 唇から舌へと 許されない事ならば 尚更燃え上がるの

Translation: I unravel our intertwined fingers, and move from your lips to your tongue. If what we are doing won't be forgiven, then our fire burns even more. ー絡み合う：To be intertwined/to become entangled. 絡む = to become entangled, 合う = to unite, together it means to be intertwined (in a mutual sense). ー指：Fingers ー解く：To untie/unfasten/unlace. ー唇：Lips ー舌：Tongue ー許す：To permit/allow, to forgive/pardon. In this case, it's in negative passive form, which makes it mean "won't be forgiven" or "won't be allowed". ー事：Thing (conceptual/intangible). ーならば：If. It basically means the same as なら, which is meant to mean "if" (see the comparison for more details), but ならば sounds more literary and poetic, but otherwise is interchangeable (and maybe has more focus on the cause, but I'm not certain). ―尚更：Even still/even more so/all the more. ー燃え上がる：To burn more/to burn brighter/to flare up. 燃える = to burn, 上がる = to rise. 燃え上がる = to burn and rise. Notes: ー絡み合う指ほどいて唇から舌へと：The て implies that order, so the person unravels their fingers, then moves from lips to tongue. Also, the へと is used here for emphasis. It means more or less the same as へ, but the と makes it feel more vivid and focuses on the word before it, so it's not just from her lips to her tongue, it puts specific emphasis on that she is moving to her tongue, which paints an image of passion. ー許されないことならば尚更燃え上がるの：Okay, few things to go over. First of all, なら has too many uses to go over, but one is that one's decision is affected by another. But also has this funny case where "if x happens, then I'll do Y". The main idea that I'm trying to say is, because other people are disapproving it, it causes it their flames of their passion to burn even hotter, creating an image in the thrill of doing something they shouldn't, or in a really odd reading, perhaps a rebellion on society?

抱き寄せて欲しい 確かめて欲しい 間違いなど無いんだと 思わせて キスをして 塗り替えて欲しい 魅惑の時に酔いしれ溺れていたいの

Translation: I want you to hold me closer! I want you to reassure me, and make me believe that this isn't some kind of mistake. I want you to kiss me, and repaint me with your colors. I want to be intoxicated and drown in this moment of enthrallment. ー抱き寄せる：To pull one close/to hold one close/to take into one's arms and embrace them. 抱く = to hold/to hug/to embrace. 寄せる = to bring near/to let someone approach, etc. Basically, "to hold one and bring them closer". ー欲しい：Want/wanted. Technically an adjective, but used similarly to a verb. ―確かめる：To confirm/to make sure. ー間違い：Mistake, accident. ーなど：Something like/or something. Basically used to broaden a word, see in misc for more details. ーだと：What is known as.../what is called... ー思わせる：To make someone thing/make someone believe. Literally just the causative form of 思う, but it's also its own word. て form for requests. ―キスをする：To give a kiss. キスする is to kiss, but キスをする is "to give a kiss"... I think. て form for requests. ー塗り替える：To repaint, to remake. 塗る = to paint/to smear with color/to coat. Often used an innuendo. 替える = To replace and change. 塗り替える = To replace (the existing colors) and paint (with new colors). ー魅惑：Captivation/charm/fascination. ―時：Time, area of time where X happened. ー酔いしれる：To be intoxicated, to be entranced/infatuated. 酔う＝to be drunk/excited and elated. 酔い痴れる has 痴, which means fool, so 酔い痴れる literally means to be drunk/elated to the point of being a fool. Put into continuous form, which we talked about earlier. 溺れる：To drown/to be pulled underwater/to struggle to swim, to indulge in/to be addicted. Both work, the first in a metaphorical sense and the second in a more straightforward sense (so the opposite of their actual use). Notes: ー抱き寄せて欲しい確かめて欲しい：The way that て欲しい works is that when it's put at the end of a verb like 抱き寄せる, it is telling another person that you want them to do it to you, so 抱き寄せて欲しい means "I want YOU to hold ME close", whereas the opposite is 抱き寄せたい (I want to hold you close). ー間違いなど無いんだと思わせて：Okay, so I'm fairly confident this means "That there isn't anything like a mistake or "any sort of mistake", but let's break down why. The など broadens the 間違い, to mean "a mistake or something like that", which I interpreted as "some kind of mistake", which I think is closest. The entire part of the sentence basically then means "there isn't some kind of mistake". It doesn't help that 間違いない is a set phrase in Japan which means "without a doubt" or "certain", so the whole thing could also maybe mean "make me absolutely certain", but the set phrase is broken, so I don't think so. Anyways, んだ form to make it explainer, then と to express that all before this is the thoughts. 思わせる is then put into て form to make it a request. Also, I see 間違い translated as "sin" sometimes, and while it can also be defined as "improper sexual conduct", I somehow don't think that's right. ーキスをして塗り替えて欲しい：In this case, you can link the first and second part, so you could also translate it as "I want you to paint me in your colors through a kiss", but I figured the scene is a bit more... sensual than that, so I figured the kissing and the repainting are different things. Also, I said "paint me in your colors" even though it doesn't specify what she's repainting in, I think the implications are there for that. ー魅惑の時に酔いしれ溺れていたいの：I have no idea how to phrase this. I went with the 96猫 translation for 魅惑の時 as "moment of captivation", but it literally means "time of charm" or something like that. I could also translate 酔いしれ溺れ as either "become intoxicated and addicted" or "become swept away and drown" or anything in between, but the overall idea is becoming lost in their charm and losing sight of themselves, being drunk and taken over by this moment of lust and captivation, which I think my thing gets across. As for why I went with enthrallment... I wanted to paint an image of being completely lost to your own instincts and the charm, mindless, so I though enthrall is the best one, even though it's a bit odd here. Also ていたい, technically means "I want to (currently) be drowning", but I couldn't fit that in in a nice way, so this is what we get.

迷い込んだ心なら 簡単に解けてゆく 優しさなんて感じる 暇など無い位に

Translation: If our hearts have gone astray from the right path, then let's simply just melt away. I don't even have time anymore to feel your gentleness. ー迷い込む：To stray from one's path/to lose one's way. ー簡単：Simple/easy. に to make it an adverb. ー解けてゆく：To go (ahead) and dissolve. 解ける = to melt. ていく or てゆく (for writing) means "to go and do". ー優しさ：Kindness ーなんて：Simple to など, but a bit less poetic. ー感じる：To Feel ー暇：Boredom/leisure/free time. ー位に：Extent/degree. While 位 usually means "throne/crown/social standing/etc", 位に means "extent/point/degree" and is the only adjective form of this kanji. That said, it's usually written in kana. Notes: ー簡単に融けてゆく：ていく form is basically mean to say "I go and do", but in this context also has the implication of "go ahead and do" or "to melt and go", or in a more understandable way, "to melt and move forward from there", but I worded it like I did for clarity. 融ける can also mean "to fuse", so it could also have been "let's go and become one" (probably in an intimacy sense). ー暇など：暇 technically means "free time", but in spoken Japanese is often used to express boredom (mostly from a lack of things to do), similar to how we in the US say "there's nothing to do". ー無い位に：

引き寄せてマグネットのように 例えいつか 離れても 巡り合う 触れていて 戻れなくていい それでいいの 誰よりも 大切なあなた。

Translation: Pull me close to you as if we were a pair of magnets, where even if we are someday separated, we will find each other again. I've felt your touch, so it's okay if I don't return. That's okay, because more than anybody, you my love are my most important person. ー引き寄せる：To draw/pull something or someone closer to oneself. ーマグネット：Magnet ー例え：Even if/no matter what/suppose that. It's kinda similar to ても, but used at the start. ーいつか：Someday/sometime. ー離れる：To be separated/to become distant and drift apart. Either are fine here. A few others too. ー巡り合う：To reunite (by chance), to run into each other again. Notes: ーのように：Basically a grammar structure meaning "like or resembling in behavior", so in this case, マグネットのように means something along the lines of "like magnets" or "like similar to magnets", which I put as "as if we were a pair of magnets. ー触れていて戻れなくていい：This one is a rewording of the first one, but has a slightly different nuance. Technically, it can be exactly the same, but also, because 触れて is now attached to 戻れない this time, it kinda feels like these two are together like "I'm fine with being touched and not returning" or "it's okay if I don't return so long as I can feel your touch".

束縛して もっと必要として 愛しいなら執着を見せつけて 「おかしい」のがたまらなく好きになる 行けるとこまで行けばいいよ。

Translation: Restrain me, it's becoming more and more necessary. If you hold me dear, please show off your obsession. What others call would strange have to us started to become irresistible. Let's go until we get as far as we can go. ー束縛：Restraint/shackles, binding/confinement. In this case, it's used as a する verb, so it means "to restrain/confine", but I think both are fine. て form to form a request. ーもっと：More ー必要：Necessary ーとして：As/role as. Used to define the word before it into a role. ー愛しい：Beloved/dear/darling, pitiful. I'm going with the first one, though the second could work in a self-deprecating way. 愛しい is also used more in writing and songs than speech. ーなら：If ー執着：Attachment/obsession/fixation. ー見せつける：Show off/display/flaunt. 見せる = to show (someone), つける = to attach. 見せつける = To show off and attach (myself) to someone, or to show off or flaunt. て form to make it a request. ーおかしい (可笑しい)：Strange/unusual, funny (in an odd way)/eccentric. ーたまらない (堪らない)：Intolerable/unbearable, irresistible/can't help but. In this case, it's the second definition. く form to turn it into an adverb. ー好きになる：Come to like. Literally "becomes something I like". ー行く：To go. Put it into potential form the first time, then into ば (if) form the second time. ばいい means "should do". ートコ (所)：Place, aspect, thing. I'm going with place. ーまで：Until Notes: ーもっと必要として：The way として is being used here is interesting. So the basics is that とする means "to act as/behave as", and when put into て form basically links it to the next sentence, but can simply be interpreted as "as noun" (think something like as the father figure). So basically, it's saying that locking them up is acting more and more as a necessity, or becoming more like a necessity. The first part is a request, and this one uses the implied "it", which is the act of chaining them up, which is become more necessary. ー愛しいなら：なら is a bit interesting because it's basically the only "if" you can use to say "if this, then do that" in a where that comes first. ー「おかしい」のがたまらなく好きになる：I took some liberties with this one. So the literal translation would be something like "I have come to irresistibly adore 'strange things'", but I played around with it to make it sound more interesting. Also, subject is tough, but I think it's more interesting if she's speaking for both of them, even if that isn't super common in Japanese (though still allowed because she is a part of it). ー行けるトコまで行けばいいよ：The translation is pretty much on point, but the literal interpretation is "Until a place where we are able to go, we should go", with the implication that they should go as far as they possibly can. Also, I didn't really say "place" in my translation for two reasons. One, トコ is weird. It has a lot of interpretations and some are more metaphorical than others. Second, I believe the "place" is a metaphor, and them going far isn't physical, but rather in their relationship.

繰り返したのは あの夢じゃなくて 紛れもない現実の 私たち 触れてから 戻れないと知る それでいいの 誰よりも大切なあなた

Translation: This isn't just an endless repetition of that dream, but rather an undeniably "us" of reality. Since the time I've first touched you, I know that I can't return, but that's okay, because more than anybody, you my love are my most important person. ー繰り返す：To repeat/To do something again. 繰る = to reel/spin a thread, to turn (a page). 返す = to return or restore something. Could be interpreted as spinning and returning or as turning the page (i.e. progressing it) and then restoring it to how it was before, i.e. repeating. ーあの：That (over there). In this case, it's a bit more abstract, being something like "that one time". ー夢：Dream ー紛れもない：Undeniable/certain/unmistakable. 紛れる = to disappear/be lost, to be confusingly similar, to be distracted. Basically, "not be able to be lost" or "not be similar (to anything)". Look, this one is a bit more abstract, just go with it. ー現実：Reality. ー私たち：We, us. ―触れる：To feel/touch. Discussed more in "Freely Tomorrow", but basically a gentle tender touch. て form. ー戻れる：To return/go back. More abstract than 帰る, used to mean return to a state or condition rather than a destination. ー知る：To know/be aware of/have knowledge of. ーそれ：That ーいい：Good/okay/fine. ー誰：Who. In this case, 誰も means anybody, and when mixed with より means "more than anybody" or "rather than anybody". ーより：More than/rather than... Used for comparison. ―大切：Important, valuable. Notes: ー繰り返したのはあの夢じゃなくて：This line is a bit uncertain for me (and apparently for everyone, because a lot of translations don't agree), but in the end, I think the point of the line is, to disagree with the 96猫 lyrics, that it's not this repetition isn't a dream, or more specifically, "that dream". The 96猫 version says that "this dream will never repeat", which is quite different from the others which are more similar to my translation. The て then connects to the next sentence. ー紛れもない現実の私たち：There were a few ways to put this, but I thought the direct translation sounds best. Also, I feel the way the two lines are meant to connect is "it is not this, therefore it is this", which I put as "but rather". ー触れてから戻れないと知る：While から in many cases means "because", which is how many others translated it, てから means "after" or "since the time", which I translated to "Since the time I first" for poetics. Also, the と知る here is a bit interesting, since you don't usually use と with 知る (you more often use を). Used in this case, based on how と works, it means something like I know that "I can't return". What I've found is that when you do it like that, the nuance is that it's more of a casual "as you know" or "you know how" or "I know that", kinda like saying "I know you don't like cake, but I bought some anyways" to someone casually. The best way to translate it would be "I know that I can't return, but that's okay". ーそれでいいの：That's fine. It's a pretty common expression for not being in the dictionary, but それでいい means "with that, it's fine", and の is explainer. ー誰よりも大切なあなた：誰も means "anybody" (when in a positive context), and adding より between that doesn't change the meaning, but adds the definition of より, which is to say "more than anybody". After that is an implied "you", to say "my most important 'anata", and as stated earlier, あなた can be used as a term of endearment, similar to "honey" or "dear".

夜明けが来ると不安で 泣いてしまう私に 「大丈夫」と囁いた あなたも泣いていたの？

Translation: When the morning comes, while I was crying in anxiety, you whispered to me "it will be okay", but weren't you crying too? ー夜明け：Daybreak ー来る：To Come. ー不安：Anxiety/unease. 不安で basically means "out of anxiety" or "as a result of anxiety". ー泣く：To cry. 泣いてしまう means "started crying unintentionally" and 泣いていたの means "weren't you crying (earlier)". ー大丈夫：Okay ―囁く：To whisper/murmur. Notes: ー夜明けが来ると不安でないでしまう私に：Okay, this sentence is a bit wordy, so let's break it down. The technical translation would be "Towards me, who starts crying out of anxiety whenever it turns to morning" or perhaps "crying in anxiety". Another interesting thing to note is that it says 来ると, which means "if/when morning comes, then...", but the implication with と is that what follows is a guaranteed or natural action. Which implies that crying of anxiety after the act is a common or expected event. ー「大丈夫」と囁いたあなたも泣いていたの：This literally means "Wasn't the you would whispered "it will be okay" also crying".