Flyer for the first Sista Grrrl Riot. Photo by Honeychild Coleman, 1997.
*Exerpt taken from the article "Sista Grrrl: The Feminist Mother of Afro-punk" written by Taiwo Adebowale on the Catalyst*
"In the late 90s, Tamar Kali-Brown, Simi Stone, Honeychild Coleman, and Maya Sokora met up and created the Sista Grrrl Riots in response to the Riot Grrrl movement. Unlike the previous movement, the Sista Grrrl Riots were made by black women for black women. Many former Riot Grrrls attended sold-out shows at popular clubs such as Brownies and CBGB. The voices of the ignored were reverberated by the Sista Grrrls. Distorted guitars, bombastic drums, and the voices of female punks were amplified through the shows. This counterculture liberated black female punks from restricting their self-expression. The Sista Grrrl Riots created a community that challenged the notion that punk is reserved for those who are white. As Riot Grrrls, these women were rarely heard, but as Sista Grrrls, their sound and statement spilled out of venues and changed punk forever."
some sista grrrl riot songs or those inspired by the movement that you can check out🖤
From the translator: I translated by verse, so the lines will not always match up. Numbers in parentheses correspond with notes at the end.
Bracketed pronouns are implied. I used what made most sense to me, but the lyrics may be interpreted in 1st person, 2nd person, or even 3rd person perspective.
=================
akubi o shite nobi o shite mo
itsumo no yō ni
taikutsu ga matte iru dakeda to
atama no sumikko de wakatte irukeredo
jibun janai jibun ga
kitai shite iru nda
Even if [I] yawn and stretch
As usual, boredom is all that awaits
[I] know it in the back of [my] mind
[I’m] hoping for a [me] who is not [myself]
kawarenai koto kawatte iku koto
dochira ga ī ka nante
kotae wa kitto tabun nakute
otona ni naru hodo wakaranai mono ga
fuete iku no wa dōshitedarou
Things that change and things that don’t
Which is better, [I] wonder
There probably is no answer
Why is it that the more [I] grow up, the more the things [I] don’t know increase
kore ga jinsei to iu ehon'nara
kuraimakkusu wa
itsu yatte kuru nodeshou
mainichi rūpu shite mo nani ni mo hajimaranai
dakara hoppusuteppu
janpu! janpu! janpu!
zenbu kakimawashite iku yo
If this is a picture book called life
[I] wonder when the climax will come
Looping every day, nothing will ever begin
So hop, step,
Jump! jump! jump!
Let’s stir everything up
sutekina asu o negau yori
ima kono shunkan o
hare ni kaete ikou yo
omotai fuku mo
nugisute chatte ī yo
yokeinamono wa wasuremono ni shite
Rather than wishing for a wonderful tomorrow
Right now, in this moment
Let’s change it to a sunny day
It’s fine to take them off those heavy clothes (1)
Turn the unpleasant things into forgotten things
wakuwaku suru koto da toka
dokidoki suru mono da toka
shiawase no tane wa
sokora chū de kubara rete iru yo
nagai michi mo yori michi mo
zenbu zenbu kimi no mono dakara
hana o sakaseyou
Things that make [you] excited
Things that make [your] heart pound
The seeds of happiness spread from there
The winding roads and the detours too
They’re all yours
So let the flowers bloom
memai no suru sekai ni uchinomesa rete
namida de nani mo mienai
kawakasu taiyō mo kagette iru to
guchiru hima mo naku
Knocked down by the dizzying world
[I] can’t see anything through [my] tears
Even the fiery sun is darkening over (2)
But there’s no time to complain
machi no hitogomi ni noma re
ikitsugi mo bata ashi mo umaku ikanai
chigau susumikata o shite mo
betsuni ījan? dakara
asufaruto
kette! kette! kette!
mokutekichi nakute mo hashitte iku yo
Swallowed up by the city crowds
[I] can’t breathe easy or be light on [my] feet
Taking a different way forward
Is fine, isn’t it? So
Kick! kick! kick! the asphalt
[I’ll] keep running even without a destination
ano hito sono hito ni mo
hitotsu dake no ashita ga atte
kazu aru shippai ni mo
machigai to wa kagiranai mono mo aru
korondara taoretara
sonomama nekoronde
ato de mata oitsukeba ī yo
son'na hi mo daiji ni shiyou
To this person and that person too
There is only a single tomorrow
Even failing many times
Is not necessarily a mistake
If [you] trip, if [you] fall down
Just lie down there
All [you] need to do is catch up later
So cherish those days too
tsumetaku natta kinō mo
atatame tsurete ikōyo
sora wo miagete
For yesterday which has turned cold
Let’s warm it up and take it with us
Looking up at the sky
sutekina asu o negau yori
ima kono shunkan o
hare ni kaete ikou yo
omotai fuku wa mō iranaidesho
hontōni aitai jibun de are
Rather than wishing for a wonderful tomorrow
Right now, in this moment
Let’s change it to a sunny day
Those heavy clothes aren’t needed anymore, right?
Be the [you] that [you] truly wanted to meet
ōkiku mune hatte
ima kono shunkan o
hare ni kaete ikou yo
kagayaka sete ike
mabushi sugiru hodo
megakuramu kurai datte chōdo ī
Puff out [your] chest
Right now, in this moment
Let’s change it to a sunny day
Let it shine
So dazzling that
it makes [me] dizzy, but that’s perfect (3)
wakuwaku suru kotoda toka
dokidoki suru monoda toka
shiawasenotane wa
sokora chū de kubara rete iru yo
nagai michi mo yori michi mo
zenbu zenbu kimi no monodakara
hana o sakaseyou
Things that make [you] excited
Things that make [your] heart pound
The seeds of happiness spread from there
The winding roads and the detours too
They’re all yours
So let the flowers bloom
hana o sakaseyou
Let the flowers bloom
---------- Translation notes ----------
(1) I would guess that the 'heavy clothes' are a metaphor for the burdens we carry, or the outward appearances we get tired of putting on all the time.
(2) A more direct translation would be ‘the dehydrating sun’ but it sounded weird. The idea is that the sun is not shining enough to dry his tears.
(3) The phrase “chōdo ī” literally means ‘just right’ but the connotation is like an enthusiastic ‘Bring it on!’
=================
I was going to include the original Japanese lyrics too, but it added soooo much extra text that I gave up. Please let me know if you find any mistakes.
(Edited 11/3/22 for romaji and formatting glitches.)
Featured in the last collage is Sista Grrrl Riots, a punk band featuring Tamar Kali-Brown, Simi Stone, Honeychild Coleman, and Maya Sokora. Sista Grrrl was created in response to the dominance of whiteness within the Riot Grrrl scene. They amplified the voices of black women, contributed greatly to the Afro-punk scene, and made space for the inclusion of marginalized coloured women within this scene.
In terms of representation online (visually), there is little to be found on Sista Grrrl Riots, in comparison to the Riot Grrrl movement which appears to generate endless content online...
This is representative of how white-washed the early days of feminism were -- who received the most attention, and who is still revered as revolutionary for women's liberation to this day.
I know you. You know me 耳を塞いでおりゃす通り
君が知ってる俺はその都度したい事をする
先の先はねぇ未来予想図
I know you. You know meこれでも理解してるつもり
君は友達と比べて違いをそう言う
世間体みてぇなもん以外をFor You
欲しいの?あの指輪?
豪邸とかはおりゃまだ無理だ
面目ねぇつーかなんつーかね…
5回踏んでんだけどランプがねぇしな
俺の車にブレーキはねぇがココも幸せっていう駅じゃね?
只の紙切れ押すハンコ
以上お前のそばに居るよちゃんと
お前までソレ言うかね…
その御託に今 頷けないな
俺だって今日朝起きて
昨日の続きを終わらせてたんだ
Baby Listen up その答えなら
もしかしたらそう 言葉じゃ無いもん
Baby Listen up その答えなら
もしかしたらそう 言葉じゃ無いもん
--
Omae made sore iu ka ne
sono gotaku ni ima unazukenai na
ore datte kyou asa okite
kinou no tsuzuki o owarasetetanda
Baby Listen up, sono kotae nara
moshikashitara sou kotoba ja nai mon
Baby Listen up, sono kotae nara
moshikashitara sou kotoba ja nai mon
I Know You You Know Me, iroiro otagai ikanai risou toori
sorya sunao ni wa ienai I’m sorry
mada tochuu no mama ni shitetai sutoorii
saki nobashi jikan ga hoshii
kuui no naka ni chuunyuu shita feelings
zurui yo ne tte kimi no omoi mo sokora naka ni pukapuka ukanderu
I Know You You Know Me, kimi no warawase kata wa hyaku doori
kanashimase kata naraba sukunai shi fuyashitai tomo omowanai
dakara kyou wa mou sotto shitokou yo
sore wa mada kondo de nokoshi tokou yo
ima ja nai tte kagi kaketa doa
lock muri ni koji aketa no socchi no hou daro
Omae made sore iu ka ne
sono gotaku ni ima unazukenai na
ore datte kyou asa okite
kinou no tsuzuki o owarasetetanda
Baby Listen up, sono kotae nara
moshikashitara sou kotoba ja nai mon
Baby Listen up, sono kotae nara
moshikashitara sou kotoba ja nai mon
Kinou no yoru nara kudamaite
futsuka yoi de mata atama itee
tanomu yo baby nee nakanai de
omae no mune ni mo ana aiteru
tsukande nozoita kawaita doonatsu
ore tte inai hou ga?
ore ga sara demo araou ka?
toka itte miki nee mon o tada hoo baru
I know you. You know me, mimi o fusaide oryasu toori
kimi ga shitteru ore wa sono tsudo shitai koto o suru
saki no saki wa nee, mirai yosouzu
I know you. You know me, kore demo rikai shiteru tsumori
kimi wa tomodachi to kurabete chigai o sou iu
seken mitee na mon igai o for you
hoshii no? ano yubiwa?
goutei toka wa orya mada muri da
menboku nee tsuuka nan tsuuka nee
go-kai fundenda kedo ranpu ga nee shi na
ore no kuruma ni bureeki wa nee ga koko mo shiawase tte iu wake ja ne?
tada no kami kire osu hanko
ijou omae no soba ni iru yo chanto
Omae made sore iu ka ne
sono gotaku ni ima unazukenai na
ore datte kyou asa okite
kinou no tsuzuki o owarasetetanda
Baby Listen up, sono kotae nara
moshikashitara sou kotoba ja nai mon
Baby Listen up, sono kotae nara
moshikashitara sou kotoba ja nai mon
--
To think even you would say that to me…
I can’t agree with the shit you’re telling me
I woke up this morning,
needing to end what we started yesterday
Baby listen up, I think your real answer
is clear from the way you’re acting
Baby listen up, I think your real answer
is clear from the way you’re acting
I Know You You Know Me, a lot of things won’t go the way we imagine
But I can’t tell you that straight up, I’m sorry
A story I want to forever leave unfinished
Gotta put it off, I need more time
Our feelings hang heavy in the air between us
Your distrust of me is bubbling up to the surface, too
I Know You You Know Me, there’s 100 ways to make you laugh
There’s not many ways to make you sad, and I’m not tryna find more
So let’s take things slow for today
Let’s put this aside for another time
You’re the one who said “Not right now”
and left me uselessly trying to pry open the locked door
To think even you would say that to me…
I can’t agree with the shit you’re telling me
I woke up this morning,
needing to end what we started yesterday
Baby listen up, I think your real answer
is clear from the way you’re acting
Baby listen up, I think your real answer
is clear from the way you’re acting
I mutter nonsense about what happened last night
My head still hurts from the hangover
Please, baby, don’t cry
There’s an empty space in your heart too
I pick up and look at the dried-out donuts
Would you like it better if I wasn’t here?
Would you like it if I washed the dishes?
I stuff my face instead of saying pointless words
I know you. You know me, I’ll go off and do my thing
when you stop listening to me; you know that’s how I am
This thing won’t last, it’s not in my future plans
I know you. You know me, I thought you’d already know this much
I’m different with you than my friends, ‘cause
everything we do privately is for you
Do you want that ring?
Though I can’t buy a mansion for us or anything
I dunno if you could say I’m ashamed of that…
I’ve hit the gas 5 times, but I’ve got no ramp to take off from
There’s no brakes in my ride, but this can be fun too, can’t it?
Just put the little stamp on this scrap of paper,
and I swear I’ll be by your side forever
To think even you would say that to me…
I can’t agree with the shit you’re telling me
I woke up this morning,
needing to end what we started yesterday
Baby listen up, I think your real answer
is clear from the way you’re acting
Baby listen up, I think your real answer
is clear from the way you’re acting
Kanpeki na kotoba wa iranai
Nakenashi no mono wo tsumuide
Hyakunen ga hantoshi maitoshi ga maiyo
Tsutawaru taion de wakaru yume janai to
Koko wa atsumeta hoshikuzu ni kachi wa nai
Ima no bokura ni wa mizu sae arigatai
Mukau heiten magiwa haiki sunzen no bentou
Shiawase no shakudo wa toiro
I don’t need words of perfection
Spinning an almost null amount
A hundred year is half a year, every year is every evening
I know from the transmitted temperature it is not a dream
The stardust gathered here has no worth
Even the water is grateful to us now
Going towards a closing shop for a bento just about to be discarded
The *ten colors are the measure of happiness
Asu mo ikiru kedo mainichi ga shokuryōnan
Ikidzurakute mo ikiru sokutō sa
Kyō wa teiji kawaiteru sora
Kiro ni tsukinagara aogu no wa ōzora
Mō sukoshi da nanimo kawaranai
Keshiki kawaredo kawaranai
Kaeru basho ga aru
Ao no kanata kara okubyōna kimi ga matteru rokujōma
I will also live tomorrow but everyday is a shortage of provisions
I will live even if it’s hard to, that is my immediate reply
Today is the scheduled arid skies
The sky you look up to while on your way back
Just a little more, an unchanging scenery
A place you can return to where
Everything has changed and hasn’t
From the blue horizon, a six-tatami mat room where you’re timidly waiting
Tōzen futari ga omotte iru yori yuruku
Dakedo sekai wa shinpuru ni natte iku
Akekure no okite hitori toshikoshite
Fumidzuki ni kogare shizuku otoshiteru
Nani mo nai yo demo kimi ga ite
Asu mo asatte mo tonari ni kimi ga ite
Kaerimichi ni sora ni ita koro wo omoidashite sawareru hagoromo
Of course it turned out to be gentler than we think
But the world has become simple
The law of morning and evening, alone at the end of the year
Yearning for July, a single drop falls
Nothing’s here but you are with me
Here beside me tomorrow and the next
Remembering I was in the sky on the way home, touched by an angel’s raiment
失った永遠は
明日の幸せに続くかな
もう戻れない
星屑の海 掌の温もり
Ushinatta eien wa
Asu no shiawase ni tsudzuku ka na
Mō modorenai
Hoshikuzu no umi tenohira no nukumori
Will the eternity lost
Continue in tomorrow’s happiness
We can’t turn back any longer
The sea of stardust, the warmth of my palm
Sokora ni mannen suru popyurizumu kara
Nukedasu tame tsukutta sekai
Demo mata mitsukenda yo popyurisuto
Kekkyoku hana kara nukedasenai
Futari de daradara sugoshita weekend
Isshūkan to wa chidjimeta jinsei
Kutabire nagara mukaeru getsuyōbi
Torawareteru tetsugōshi
A world created to escape
From the populism everywhere
But found again anyway by the populist
Can’t get out in the end after all
A weekend slowly passing for the both of us
Life shortened to a week
Advancing to a Monday all worn out
The iron bars in which I am imprisoned to
Subete wo wasurete doko ka he ikou
Demo kimi no ryōte wa tsubasa janai
Marude tobikomu no wo osoreta pengin
Sunao na kimi wa kore utagawanai?
Sou shigarami kara nukedasu tame no risuku wa shōchi
Futari de norikoete
Cheerz!
Terebi de miru A5 ranku no suteiki yori kimi ga tsukuru shisso na furanchi
Forget about everything and go somewhere
But your hands aren’t wings
Quite like a penguin afraid to jump in
The earnest you have doubts on this?
The risk to be freed from these shackles, yes, I understand
We overcame them together. Cheerz!
Rather than the A5 steak seen on TV
I prefer the simple franch you made yourself
解けた星座と魔法 途絶えた道標
天に手を伸ばし
もがいてみたりして
夏風がさらさらと通り過ぎていく
Hodoketa seiza to mahō todaeta michishirube
Ten ni te wo nobashi
Mogaite mitarishite
Natsu kaze ga sarasara to tōrisugite iku
A lost guidepost, the constellation and magic unravelled
Reaching out my hands to the heavens
Trying, struggling
The summer breeze rustles and passes by
あんなに恋い焦がれた
今日も現実は残酷さ こんな私を
貴方は今も見守ってくれてるかな
An'na ni koikogareta
Kyō mo genjitsu wa zankoku sa konna watashi wo
Anata wa ima mo mimamotte kureteru ka na
I yearned so much for (you)
Reality is also cruel today
Are you still watching over me right now
Dore dake no iro
Marude mizube de yureru hotaru da
Negai atsumeta hoshizora ga
Tsunageta no yume no taba wo kitsuku musunde
Kirakira to matataku you ni
By how much color…
Quite like flickering fireflies by a riverbank
The starry sky, wherein wishes are gathered,
Bind strongly a tight bundle of dreams
Glittering and twinkling
君に会えるよ 1年後の夏
いつも君を想ってる。
Kimi ni aeru yo 1-nen-go no natsu
Itsumo kimi wo omotteru
I’ll meet you, on a summer after a year
I am always thinking of you
Once upon a time
踏み出した一歩目の先はまだまだ見えないけど
記憶の中の温もりですら
今は優しいけど
Fumidashita ippo me no saki wa mada mada mienai kedo
Kioku no naka no nukumori de sura
Ima wa yasashii kedo
The first step I took ahead cannot be seen yet but
The warmth inside my memories is tender even now
あの日失った永遠は
明日の幸せに続いてく
もう戻れない
星屑の海 掌の温もり
Ano hi ushinatta eien wa
Asu no shiawase ni tsudzuiteku
Mō modorenai
Hoshikuzu no umi tenohira no nukumori
The eternity lost that day
Will continue in tomorrow’s happiness
We can’t turn back any longer
The sea of stardust, the warmth of my palm
-----
* toiro – I assumed it is from the jp idiom “juunin toiro” which literally means “ten people, ten colors”
Yōkoso ore no pātī he,
Kyō no shuyaku wa omae dake,
Kira kira hikaru koin datte saratteke
Hoshī no wa soro soro love sign
Demo māsutā kī ni wa ganchū nai nda,
I want you, saijōkyū ni ore no heart
Tsundere kei omae ni kubittake
Yobarete tanoshī pāri nai,
No tsumori nanoni sore kanchigai,
Ore no te kamawazu sawagashī kurai
Sokora jū ga minna raibaru,
Demo ore ga kurya soko wa kānibaru,
Kakugo shina ore no tāminaru,
Only one no puraido datte
Kitto iu yo honne wa “hold me now”!
Tōtei oyobanai nda
Ore ja nai dareka nante,
Dandan afurete kuru
Kono omoi ni wa katenai!
I'm just crazy for you!
I'm just crazy for you!
I'm just crazy for you!
Yōkoso ore no pātī he,
Kyō no shuyaku wa omae dake,
Kira kira hikaru neon yori arittake
Hoshī no wa soro soro love sign
Demo māsutā kī ni wa ganchū nai nda,
I need you hai hīru nugisutete
Tsuite koyo so cute, na my love!
Minna de tanoshī pāri nai,
No tsumori desu ka sore kanchigai,
Ore no te kamawazu sawagashī kurai
Sokora jū ga minna raibaru,
Demo ore ga kurya soko wa kānibaru,
Kakugo shina ore no anbishasu,
Only one no puraido datte
Kitto iu yo honne wa “hold me now”!
I'm just crazy for you!
I'm just crazy for you!
I'm just crazy for you!
Takaku maiagare kanata
Doko made datte ī
Kanarazu mukae ni ikukara!
I'm just crazy for you!
Yōkoso ore no pātī he,
Kyō no shuyaku wa omae dake,
Kira kira hikaru koin datte saratteke
Hoshī no wa soro soro love sign
Demo māsutā kī ni wa ganchū nai nda,
I need you hai hīru nugisutete,
Tsuite koyo so cute, na my love!
Yobarete tanoshī pāri nai,
No tsumori nanoni sore kanchigai,
Ore no te kamawazu sawagashī kurai
Sokora jū ga minna raibaru,
Demo ore ga kurya soko wa kānibaru,
Kakugo shina ore no tāminaru,
Only one no puraido datte
Kitto iu yo honne wa “hold me now”!
My piece(s) for the Les Mis Halloween Exchange 2019 for @sokora-ni-iru <3 Autumn palette inspired moodboards for Jehan and Feuilly! I also started writing two fics and a drawing (cuz I couldn’t pick just one idea) but they were obviously too ambitious for the amount of time I had, (I might post them one of these days tho).