[Funeral Song] Thinking of you, sending my shadow to the distant sky [Original Song]

Blue Sky Funeral

The days I live now are surely far from the future you envisioned,
but since time cannot be turned back, I will keep my eyes fixed only on what lies ahead.

Only after our joined fingers slipped apart did I realize the strength of our bond,
and now, memories of you are scattered all throughout this town.

Just calling your name feels like a thorn piercing my chest,
burning the shadow you left in my heart into my eyes.

I am sending myself to you now, into the piercing blue sky,
carrying feelings that will never change.
The pouring blue sky has now lost its color,
and a single pure raindrop burst against my cheek.

Only after our joined fingers slipped apart did I realize the strength of our bond,
and now, memories of you are scattered all throughout this town.

Today's cloudless sky is the same clear weather as that day,
and in the endless, distant blue, I feel a little—

Embracing the sadness, I hold onto the joy of having met you,
sending a wish to the piercing blue sky: 'I hope this reaches you...'
If it could come true... I would want to laugh with you once more,
but this poem is a funeral for the sky; don't cry, just be calm.

If you are sad, then I will stop looking down,
I will look up at this sky instead,
and offer my smile like a flower.

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Lyrics, Composition, Illustration: hide_ache
Vocals: Maiha Shirayuki
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March 16th. You departed for the sky.

Yesterday was 10 years ago. A friend of mine passed away.
I received word that he had been rushed to the hospital the day before due to an acute heart attack,
and when I rushed over, he was already lying in bed, not moving a muscle,
in a state known as a vegetative state, where his heart was beating but his eyes would not open.

I had never heard of him having any particular underlying health issues, so it was a complete bolt from the blue;
in fact, we had been drinking together just a week prior,
and we had even made a casual promise to meet again, saying 'See you later.'
He had even bought a bottle of Kuro Kirishima, saying, 'Let's open this next time lol.'

Actually, he was originally a friend of my best friend.
It just so happened that when I visited my best friend's room, he was already there as a guest,
and that's where we became friends, going to cafes, karaoke, and watching plays together;
I think we covered just about every activity one could imagine doing with a friend.

And so, that means that my best friend carries a deeper emotional wound than I do.
Although they originally met at the same workplace and had both changed jobs by then,
they were still close enough that their relationship continued even after changing jobs.
They had spent a much more intense amount of time together than I had.

My best friend must have been carrying a pain incomparable to mine, as someone who hadn't known you as long.
We went to visit you together,

standing stunned before your form connected to life-support systems with wires extending all over your body,
you, who wouldn't respond no matter how many times I called your name.
My best friend sitting motionless in the room when we returned.

It was painful to watch that...

I couldn't just stand by, so I went to his workplace,
and the most I could do was take it upon myself to submit a leave request, saying,
"Please let him have the day off today."

That day was a clear, sunny day where the sunlight pierced painfully.
A cloudless sky that looked just like your cheerful smile.
The warm sunlight, as if wiping away the tears that spilled involuntarily, caressed my cheeks.

I feel like every year on this day, it is a clear, sunny day.
For the 3rd and 7th memorial services, I went to the cafe you and my best friend used to frequent,
taking his place as his companion to have a meal there.

On the way there, I catch glimpses of their memories.
They are bittersweet, yet brilliant memories. A city where they are scattered.

The dream you once spoke of was dazzling,
and though I was tempted to set quite a grand dream of my own,
I am living days that are quite far from that, as expected.
Since you were knowledgeable about entertainment,
I really wanted you to be the one to hear about my previous job.
The result isn't something to laugh about, but in the end, it was a fun world. lol

I won't forget the sadness, but even so, my best friend and I are living in the present.
To live happily for your sake as well—that is the vow I want to make to you for the rest of my life.

At the very least, let me think of you for 1/365th of the year.

This song was created to declare that.

Song Commentary

I first looked up the chords for Chopin's "Funeral March",
and first decided on the key of B-flat minor.
I built the overall structure with the intention of modulating to the most popular key of E major
toward the end.

Whether the vocalist intended it or not,
they sang with a voice that wavered and trembled only right after the modulation, which made me burst into tears.
(The part that goes "If you are sad...")

Whether they picked up on it or not,
they delivered a performance beyond my ideals, and I have been regularly telling them how moved I was by it. lol

To get into the details, I raised the third by a half-step in the interlude and made only that part B-flat major

because the recollections were only happy memories.

The vocal melody parts are in a minor key with a sad tone, but the interlude is in a major key.
After that, after the modulation, it stays in E major until the ending.
I have finished it as a strictly positive song.

Also, since I don't like ballads, I used organ tones for this song style because it is a funeral song.
I didn't place the bass drum in a standard position, creating a restless sense of impatience with its fluttering rhythm.
I also have a great deal of respect for the song "Sou" by Kαin.
(If someone who knows it listens and thinks "It's similar," then I have succeeded.)

For these lyrics, I've sealed away my usual wordplay.
I am expressing only what I want to writein a straightforward manner.

Kage-okuri (shadow sending), do you know what that is?
If you stare at your shadow on the ground for a few dozen seconds and then look up at the sky, the shadow appears projected against it.
It's something like an optical illusion.
The clearer the day, the more vividly you can perform a shadow sending.

That is the meaning behind 'I am sending you off now'.

Other than that, there are noparticular metaphors usedso
I would appreciate it if you could interpret it just as you read it.

Also,my friend's surname is just hidden in the lyrics, I suppose. Haha.

Afterword

Since this song, I haven't created any original songs of my own.
I'm still writing lyrics, though.
Composing music was just a temporary fix for me, and I can't just churn them out one after another.
Bitter smile.

Well, the fact that I started working after this is a big reason.
Now that I have some time,
I have the spirit to try again, partly for the sake of my own mental stability.

Now then, I'd like to say the next update will be on 3/19...
but I'm a bit swamped with work these next three days,
so the update will be on 3/21 (Mon).
Until then, if you could listen to this song and give me your thoughts, I would be happy.

Best regards.