"くらべられっ子”, also known as "Compared Child", is the 9th track from TUYU's "It's Raining After All" album.
Compared Child is TUYU's showpiece, garnering over 48 million views on Youtube.
It was released on 19 February 2020.
痛いの痛いの飛んでけっ Pain, pain, fly away
"Pain, pain, go away."The Japanese also have their own version of chasing pain away, being - いの痛いの飛んでけっ (itai itai no tondekette). Japanese mothers will sing this to their children to chase the pain away when their children gets hurt.
While researching on "痛いの痛いの飛んでけっ", I came across this video of how people from across the world uses "pain pain go away".
Process of Note-taking
Microsoft OneNote has been my best friend for this project.
Using the kanji lyrics I obtained from Google, I singled out unfamiliar vocabulary and grammar. With reference to romaji lyrics I found on Genius.com, I searched for the meaning of the words using Jisho.org. Along the way, I will add the unfamiliar vocabulary into my glossary. As for grammar, I made simple notes alongside the lyrics in OneNote. I made use of Japanese blogs like Tofugu, and language learning forums like HiNative and Italki to understand Japanese Grammar.
This was challenging to do as I found every other word as unfamiliar, and I had to search it up on Jishou.org for its meaning one at a time which was very tedious. I had to put my patience and discipline to the test as I am usually quite a hasty person who prefers to rush through things.
My Own English Translation
[Chorus 1]
Ahh, compared child, compared child,
I already knew it long ago
That I am more inferior than her
Don’t say it, I already know
So don’t compare, no, don’t compare,
Just leave me alone!
My left side is hurting me
I am so distressed ~
[Verse 1]
Somehow, I feel a gap between us
I am living but I keep pushing beyond
A B C D E F G
No matter which choice I choose
There’s more ways for failure
I got injured again
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Pain, pain, go away
Thoughts are meaningless things crosses my mind
Without thinking, I let go and weep
I hope whichever put an end to this and give me relief
I want to throw this all away
[Chorus 2]
Compared child, child
I already know
It is my fate that anyone will call me an idiot and stop me for cherishing anything I like
And that’s why I want to give it all up
Just leave me alone
But my dreams are coming out
Isn’t it so funny?
[Verse 2]
Only for a brief moment, just for a little while
I am facing the true me
V W and X Y Z
No matter which side I stand on
My failures merely stands out
Ah, its getting worse
[Pre-Chorus 2]
It’s dark, it’s dark, I am so afraid
I can’t even feel my body move
Mist covers the things that I love the most
The girl beside me raises her flag
It’s too dazzling
[Chorus 3]
Compared child, compared child
I am nevertheless living
I cannot produce any great results yet I am pushing forward and living
And so I breathed and close my mouth
Just leave me alone
My eyes close
It’s the end
[Bridge]
Parallel lines intersect
Hey, just leave everything outside behind
It’s impossible!
[Chorus 4]
Ahh, compared child, compared child
I already know
I understand that at the end of the day I won’t go unrewarded
So don’t care about me don’t talk to me
Just leave me alone
If only I know from the beginning
That I would hate you
Compared child, compared child
This is what I say
A conclusion I conveniently make when I can’t see anything around me
That’s why please remember, don’t forget
I really love you
You stopped breathing and hugged me
Our hands linked together
TUYU had published their own translated English lyrics accompanying the Youtube video. However, I saw that there are artists covering "Compared Child" in English using their own translation, and I was inspired to do the same.
I made use of TUYU's official English translation, as well as JubyPhonic and Rachie's lyrics to interpret the song. I also chose to take a more literal approach instead of taking liberty to make the song flow better.
Before we begin, the ever-growing fandom on social media platform like Reddit, Twitter and Instagram has given names (both canon and non-canon) for the characters appearing TUYU's music videos. For the protagonist in Compared Child, she is named "Kura", while the orange/brown/golden version of her is called "Bera". These names often came from the title of the song, seeing how both "Kura" and "Bera" most likely came from the word "Kurabereko".
Lyrics Interpretation
In the first verse, Kura-chan seems to feel a gap with someone – “何となく差を感じて”. Initially, I presumed that she meant she felt inferior to her peers, though it comes to be later on that she seems to be referring to the golden version of herself instead. Verse 1 also uses A B C D E F G, which is more commonly used for multiple-choice questions. Hence, I infer that the inferiority Kura-chan felt may be associated with her academics. Kura-chan lamented how she always gets hurt when she fails, but isn't that what failure feels like most of the time?
In the pre-chorus 1, 痛いの痛いの飛んでけっ was used, perhaps to show how Kura-chan is trying to soothe her inner child.
In Chorus 2, Kura-chan realized she had dreams she wants to achieve, and yet she wants to give up her life which she finds ironic.
In verse 2, ありのままで向き合っていた (facing the truth) was used right after Kura-chan was shown with a golden-version of her “Bera-chan”. Perhaps her golden self is the true her?
In pre-chorus 2, 蓋して 好きなことも霞むから hints that her feelings of inferiority had made Kura-chan lost interests in the things she love. Losing interests is typically a symptom of depression. When Kura-chan referred to the girl next to her as “眩しすぎるわ”, it seems to meant that she felt inferior to the girl.
A screenshot from the music video with lyrics: "抱きしめて" meaning 'embrace, hug or hold in arms'.
In the last chorus, Bera-chanw as communicating to Kura-chan. From 周りが何にも見えなくなって勝手に決めつけてるよ, Kura-chan realised that her being inferior is the not the truth, rather something she assumed when she feels anxious or overwhelmed. Bera-chan also tells Kura-chan how much she love her and it was a moment of acceptance. As Bera-chan appears to be a different colour of Kura-chan, perhaps it was more of a moment of self-acceptance.
Visuals Interpretation
The chosen colour for the music video is a cool pastel blue, usually associated with sadness and hence conveyed the depressing theme behind the song lyrics pretty well. The chosen background are commonly associated with academics, such as grided paper and circles typically used in mathematics. Kura-chan also wears a sailor uniform, commonly associated with Japanese school girls.
A black cat appeared several times throughout the music video. Although black cats are usually considered unlucky, in Japan, it is the opposite. In Japan, black cats are considered good luck and is a talisman against bad luck. We'll explore this more in the Culture section below.
A golden-colored version of Kura-chan appeared later in the music video. Just like how in English we call a promising and talented young child the “golden child”, it could be that Bera-chan symbolises the 金の卵of Kura-chan. Kura-chan may felt compared to the best potential of herself and felt that she could not achieve her best self she had in mind. In the music video, we can also see the two blocking each other’s mouth, as if trying to symbolise that they are each hindering each other.
Towards the end, Bera-chan told Kura-chan she loves her very much and accepts her for who she is. Bera-chan’s warmer color consisting of brown, gold and red convey the warmth in these words, whilst Kura-chan’s cooler colors consisting of blue, white and navy blue conveys the despair she felt. In the color wheel, blue is the opposite of orange/yellow (which is also known as complimenting color). This perhaps signifies how Kura-chan and Bera-chan are the opposite of each other, and yet they compliment each other well.
A screenshot from the music video with lyrics: "本当は大好きだって" meaning "I really like/love you".
In Japan, black cats are considered good luck and is a talisman against bad luck. Black maneki-neko was meant to ward off evil spirits and ward off misfortune. Originally, maneki-neko were white, but over the years different color variations came about. One of its' paw is raised up in a beckoning gesture, and hence is said to be "beckoning in good luck" or "beckoning customers into the shop". As such, itis typically placed near the entrance of a house or a shop.
White maneki-neko is said to bring its owner good luck, fortune and prosperity.
Black maneki-neko is to ward off evil, red is for good health, yellow or gold is for wealth, and pink is for romance.
I remembered the first TUYU song I resonated was this song. A song about the constant feeling of inferiority. No matter what Kura-chan do, she feels that she will always fail.
I used to be a straight A student, but now sometimes I am struggling to pass a subject. I always feel that I am never enough as compared to my past self. The emotional “無理だよ” conveyed how impossible it is to accept myself as enough.
A screenshot from the music video with lyrics: "無理だよ" meaning "it's impossible".
Kura-chan was not comparing herself to her peers. Instead, she was comparing herself to the best version of herself. She had high expectations, and when she doesn’t reach them, she felt hurt. In the end, she understood that her efforts will not go unrewarded. Even when she didn't achieve her goal, she had gathered rewards along the way like new experiences and lessons learnt.
When one is overwhelmed, it is easy to get carried away and think that we're a failure. Hence, it is always important to remind ourselves that these thoughts are not true, and we should always learn to accept and love ourselves.