せんせ || Professor

Album art.

せんせ
sense
Professor

Vocals: 初音ミク (Hatsune Miku)
Lyrics: てにをは (Teniwoha)
Composed by: てにをは (Teniwoha)
Album: 女学生探偵物語 (Schoolgirl Detective Stories)
Artist: てにをは (Teniwoha)
Release date: 26 October 2016

Requested by: Tempera
Watch the official video on YouTube!

We don’t see the usual detective references and double meanings in this song, but we do see a lot of wordplay and onomatopoeia.


歌詞

イーっだ! いつも偏屈
ベーっだ! 別にいんだもん
なんだかんだ云ったってもうあたしは名探偵

さあいい加減起きてください もうそろそろお昼ですよ
今日は締め切りなんでしょう? 担当さんが来ちゃいます
そんな顔で睨んだって怖くなんてありません
ほら淹れたての珈琲です……ってどうしてほっぺを引っ張るの
せんせ

けんぱけんけんぱ
乙女の密室気になるの?
じゃんけんじゃんけんほい
タネも仕掛けもございません
せんせ せんせ
今度の原稿どうですか?
せんせ せんせったら
まだ終わらないの

くるくるくるまわってニャンコの目
せんせとあたしじゃ歩幅が違うから
前に前に走る前へもっと推理推理推理
じゃんけんぽん 置いてっちゃヤですよ
チヨコレイト

イーっだ! いつも偏屈
ベーっだ! 別にいんだもん
なんだかんだ云ったってもう事件は起きてる
ふんだ! もう大人ですよーだ! 笑わないで!
そーだ! 外に出ましょう 図書館行きましょ

珈琲お代わりどうですか? まだまだ原稿真っ白ですねえ
それ! と駆け出しすってんころりん 推理間違え大慌て
ガキじゃガキじゃとおっしゃいますが ガキが探偵するもんですか
オッチョコチョイノチョイ だからどうしておさげを引っ張るの!
せんせ!

ね うし とら うー
はじめチョロチョロ中パッパ
たつ み……なんだっけ?
雲雀鳴いてもフタ取るな
せんせ せんせ
いつになったら出かけるの?
せんせ せんせったらねぇ
まったくもう

ワンツースリーでまたまた難事件
せんせとあたしで残らず解決
前に前に泳ぐ前へもっとスイムスイム&睡眠
あっちむいてほい ほらあたしの勝ちです
こっちむいてほい

わんつさんしー
いつ む なな や

くるくるくるまわってニャンコの目
せんせとあたしじゃ歩幅が違うから
前に前に走る前へもっと推理推理推理
じゃんけんぽん 置いてっちゃヤですよ
チヨコレイト

ワンツースリーでまたまた難事件
せんせとあたしで残らず解決
前に前に泳ぐ前へもっとスイムスイムスイミング
原稿に夢中になってるその間に
レディになるの

今に見ててね

Romanisation

ii da! itsumo henkutsu
bee da! betsu ni inda mon
nanda kanda itta tte mou atashi wa meitantei

saa ii kagen okite kudasai mou soro soro o-hiru desuyo
kyou wa shimekiri nandeshou? tantou-san ga kicha imasu
sonna kao de niranda tte kowaku nante arimasen
hora iretate no koohii desu… tte doushite hoppe o hipparu no
sense

kenpa kenkenpa
otome no misshitsu ki ni naru no?
jan ken jan ken hoi
tane mo shikake mo gozaimasen
sense sense
kondo no genkou dou desuka?
sense sense ttara
mada owaranai no

kuru kuru kuru mawatte nyanko no me
sense to atashi ja hohaba ga chigau kara
mae ni mae ni hashiru mae e motto suiri suiri suiri
jan ken pon oite ccha ya desu yo
chokoreito

ii da! itsumo henkutsu
bee da! betsu ni inda mon
nanda kanda itta tte mou jiken wa okiteru
fun da! mou otona desuyoo da! warawanaide!
soo da! soto ni demashou toshokan ikimasho

koohii okawari dou desuka? mada mada genkou masshiro desunee
sore! to kakedashi sutten kororin suiri machigae ooawate
gaki ja gaki ja to osshaimasu ga gaki ga tantei suru mon desuka
occhoko choi no choi dakara doushite osage o hipparu no!
sense!

ne ushi tora uu
hajime choro choro chuu pappa
tatsu mi… nan dakke?
hibari naitemo futa toru na
sense sense
itsu ni nattara dekakeru no?
sense sense ttara nee
mattaku mou

wan tsuu surii de mata mata nanjiken
sense to atashi de nokorazu kaiketsu
mae ni mae ni oyogu mae e motto suimu suimu & suimin
acchi muite hoi hora atashi no kachi desu
kocchi muite hoi

wan tsu san shii
itsu mu nana ya

kuru kuru kuru mawatte nyanko no me
sense to atashi ja hohaba ga chigau kara
mae ni mae ni hashiru mae e motto suiri suiri suiri
jan ken pon oite ccha ya desu yo
chokoreito

wan tsuu surii de mata mata nanjiken
sense to atashi de nokorazu kaiketsu
mae ni mae ni oyogu mae e motto suimu suimu suimingu
genkou ni muchuu ni natteru sono aida ni
redi ni naru no

ima ni mitete ne

Translation

I hate it! He’s always perverse.
Bleh! Not like I care anyway. (1)
Even if he says this and that, I don’t care! I’m a famous detective.

Come on now—wake up, please. It’ll be lunchtime soon.
Isn’t today the deadline? The manager’s coming here.
It doesn’t matter if you glare at me like that. I’m not scared.
Look, you left your coffee after making it… huh? Why are you pulling on my cheek?
Professor!

Detecting, det-det-detecting. (2)
Are you interested in the maiden’s locked room?
Rock, paper, rock, paper, scissors!
There aren’t any tricks or gadgets.
Professor, professor,
how’s the manuscript looking this time?
Professor, come on professor!
You’re still not finished…

The cat’s eye spins round and round and round.
The length of my stride is different to the Professor’s
so we race ahead, taking our reasoning even further.
Rock, paper, scissors. I hate it when he leaves me behind!
Chocolate.

I hate it! He’s always perverse.
Bleh! Not like I care anyway.
Even if he says this and that, I don’t care. An incident is happening.
Hmph! I’m an adult, you know. Don’t laugh!
That’s right! Let’s head out. Let’s go the library.

Would you like another coffee? You haven’t even started your manuscript yet…
“That’s it!” You start to run off but fall over. Your haste led to an error in deduction.
You state that I am a child, but would a child be a detective?
You’re such a skittery scatterbrain, so why are you pulling on my braids?
Professor!

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare—
Start at a simmer, then flare up the flames. (3)
Dragon, Serpent… what comes next? (4)
The skylark may cry, but don’t take off the lid.
Professor, Professor!
When can we leave?
Professor, come on Professor!
Seriously, I’ve had enough.

One, two, three… dangerous incidents pop up again and again
but the Professor and I will solve them all!
We’ll swim on and on and swim ahead and sleep.
Look that way—yeah! See, it’s my victory.
Look this way—yeah!

One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight!

The cat’s eye spins round and round and round.
The length of my stride is different to the Professor’s
so we race ahead, taking our reasoning even further.
Rock, paper, scissors. I hate it when he leaves me behind!
Chocolate.

One, two, three… dangerous incidents pop up again and again.
The Professor and I will solve them all!
We’ll swim on and on and go swimming ahead.
While you’re engrossed in your manuscript,
I’ll become a lady.

Just you wait and see.


Translator’s notes

(1) ベーっだ! (bee da!) is what people say when performing the ‘akanbe’ gesture (sticking out your tongue and pulling down your eyelid).

(2) けんけんぱ (kenkenpa) means ‘hopscotch’ by itself, but it is likely that the word is used here as a play on けんぱ (kenpa, detecting i.e. using radio waves).

(3) This line is part of a traditional song used to assist in boiling rice. The full version is discussed here (link in Japanese).

(4) The first and third lines of this stanza refer to the animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Comments

3 responses to “せんせ || Professor”

  1. Saryu Avatar
    Saryu

    The skylark part is almost certainly about Hibari, considering the video, that they’re both pronounced the same and that Teniwoha already used that metaphor in Plum Blossom Profusion (an album song); so I guess the song is calling Hibari a little kid. It’s funny, but also a little weird since it’s supposed to be from her perspective.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Tempera Avatar
    Tempera

    Thank you for the translation! Although it’s different from previous songs, it’s a cute song! I think this is supposed to be more illustrative of their relationship, instead of a more plot heavy mystery. The PV definitely paints a good picture with the cat and bird (skylark?). Maybe Hibari has a crush on the Professor? Personally, I think she seems to be a nice kid to be around.

    It sounds like Hibari and the Professor both mutually annoy and bother each other (not in a bad way), given their personalities (earnest vs lazy). I guess the PV starting at 3:27 (their facial expressions) shows that despite their differences, their core personalities are (mostly) the same.

    Does the image at 2:45 (rabbit detectives and frogs?) have any cultural or literary reference? It’s a crime scene investigation and related to the series’ mystery theme, but I don’t know if there was a special reference missed by Western viewers. I also had a question about the line “The skylark may cry, but don’t take off the lid.” Is it just Teniwoha’s follow up to the rice song or does it mean something else?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. releska Avatar

      I get the impression that for the amount of abuse they hurl at each other, they both have a really good relationship, which is kind of cute to watch!

      As for that image at 2:45, I’m fairly sure it’s a parody of the Choju-Jinbutsu-Giga (https://www.suntory.com/sma/exhibition/2007_04/) Studio Ghibli even animated some of them! (https://youtu.be/KmGNrSDxE5Q)

      As for the skylark part, that’s the part of the old rice song that finishes it off – ‘skylark’ is replaced with 赤子 (akago – baby) in the traditional saying. Basically, “Even if your baby starts crying, keep the lid on the rice!” In other words, the steam cooks the rice.

      Like


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