The title of the song is literally ‘Speech Balloon’, an English word transliterated to Japanese as Supiichi Baruun. It’s a song by Eiichi Ohtaki from his 1981 album A Long Vacation. The song is at No.7 on B Side of the album.

Note: A Long Vacation is one of my favorite Japanese Albums. I wanted to translate this for a long time but never really got around it until mid of last month when I finally decided to buckle up and start translating it right from the first song.

細い影は人文字
Your slender shadow makes a “Human” character (人 in Japanese)
海の背中に伸びている
Extending/stretching you facing the sea
君は春の客船
You are Spring’s passenger boat
冬の港 見てるだけ
Just looking at the Autumn’s port

言いそびれて 白抜きの言葉が
Words that I didn’t say, like white things on a background
風に舞うよ
Dance/flutter in the wind
音の無いスクリーンだけを
眺めてるように
As if looking at a screen without sound

吐息ひとつスピーチ・バルーン
A speech balloon of sigh/breath
声にならない飛行船
An airship that wouldn’t turn into sound
君は耳に手を当て
You have hands on your ears (trying hard to listen)
身をよじるけど何も届かない
I writhe in pain but nothing reaches you

投げた Tape 絡まり
Thrown away Tape starts
気まずさだけ伝わって
Only unpleasantness is conveyed
動き出した甲板(デッキ)は
Deck that has started moving
君の人生運び去る
Moves/carries your life

言いそびれて 白抜きの言葉が
Words that I didn’t say, like white things on a background
波に浮かぶ
Float in the waves
想い出のブラス・バンドが
The Brass Band of memories
耳元を過ぎる
Passes by close to the ears

暗い海に向かって
Facing the dark sea
ヘッドライトのパッシング
Passing of headlights
君は泣いているのか
Are you crying (I wonder)?
もう遠すぎて何も映らない
I am so far that nothing is visible