Song Appreciations : 1000 Words

Song Appreciations : 1000 Words by Jade


         English may be the medium language of the modern world today, but contrary to popular belief, that doesn't mean that the language therefore has the power to convey all that humans could ever dream of conveying. Despite the power and influence that the language has on the world, as well as all aspects that are directly linked to the use of the language, it doesn't change the little fact that some things are better understood and conveyed through the language that which it was originally from. This of course, refers to items that have had to endure translation into English before the rest of the world could give a damn about it.
         However, on rare occasions, there have been instances when the power of emotion and words transcended the barrier of language and managed to convey the message within the message of those items. One such instance was the English version of Sen No Kotoba (1000 Words), which was originally sung by Koda Kumi for the videogame Final Fantasy X-2 in both Japanese and a very literal translation of English. Later on, to coincide with the release of the english version of the game, the song was revised and reworded into a more grammatically correct version, which was then sung by the singer, Jade. Due to the obvious importance of English and grammar, revised translations such as the revised translation of Neon Genesis Evangelion's Zankoku Tenshi No TE-ZE (Cruel Angel's Thesis), put the ability to correctly follow the beat is put into the forefront, rather than the goal of conveying the original message of the song.
         Fortunately, 1000 Words did not follow the same fate. The songwriters took the time to dissect and study the idea of the song, and managed to write an almost exact translation with minor alterations to better follow the beat. The result was a song that not only did the original song justice, but also managed to keep the feel and heart of the song intact. And it is a beautiful song indeed.
         1000 Words is about a woman who reflects on the day the man she loved, walked out the door and left to deal with his own issues. * It is important to understand that the character in the song does not view the departure as a break-up. *  The singer describes how the person she loves has gone away and left her behind, off to deal with something on his own, and promising to return, but not telling her when. In a sense, the pain here is in the idea that the person you love is going through a hard time, and despite how much you want to help them, they won't let you in, instead burrowing further away inside their own little holes, refusing your help. Within time, it becomes a constant fear that someday, without you even knowing, they could disappear, and you would never really have had a chance to stop that from happening, because you never had the chance to ask what it was that they were running from.
         The singer also adds in snippets of her own feelings at that time, describing how she felt both angry and hurt at the man's actions, claiming that he is almost insulting her by trying to act like she was too fragile to deal with his problems; using kind words and gentle actions to ease the 'pain', all the while not giving her the chance to show how she was more than willing to stand with him. She wonders if she had raised her voice, and yelled all her frustrations at him, if that would have been the solution to the mess that they were in. If she had told him outright that she was not going to let him go, that the truth was, she couldn't possibly wait for him forever. Still, she keeps it all inside, hiding the pain and doubt. Telling herself it would be okay; killing herself to do so.
         But now, realising that she can overstep those boundaries, she decides that if she can't fight with him, then she will fight for him. That instead of falling to her knees, regretting her inability to keep him by her side, she can stand up and prove that she can stand by his side. She is strong enough to slap him and say,"I'm not leaving."
         She realises, that those words she left unsaid, don't need to be silent. She could send them to the person she loved, opening her heart and letting him know that she was with him no matter what. She now has the strength to hold him, love him and let him realise that she would always be there, no matter how far he goes. She still relives the days when he did let her in, and she understands deep inside that in so many ways, she never really left. She'll always be with him, and not even he can change that.
         The song just goes to show the stereotypical idea of the woman who simply sits down and waits for the man she loves to come home, all the while only hoping that in the end he will still love her; can be radically overturned. The singer's character is a woman who, though she understands that the man only wants to protect her by going away and leaving her behind, is willing to stand up, look him in the eye and tell him straight that she WANTS to stay with him, flames or not. That his idea of protecting her by leaving her, is an insult to her choice to stay in the first place. She knows that there is danger, that there is pain, but she swallowed all that the moment she said she loved him. And it was not going to change anytime soon. Her vows were to be there for better or worse, and by God, she was going to uphold that.
         And if he tries to argue that the problem is his, and his alone to deal with, then he should think again. Whether by being there physically or mentally, or emotionally; she was fighting with him. And he should understand that that is her own choice, not his mistake.
         1000 Words is truly a wonderful song, and it should be part of everyone's life. If anyone needs a song to justify whether they should fight or wait; this is the song. Love is pain, no more no less. If you truly love each other, you should take it and embrace it; because that is all there is.