There are two versions of this song. The first can be found on the Crescent album, and the other one on The Seventh Night ~unplugged~ album. Last Song is a song about a breakup and a man lamenting the loss of a loved one. We do not know why they broke up, but it appears that the woman ended the relationship. Although it many not appear so at first glance, the whole song is actually connected from line to line, verse to verse. Once again, we can see Gackt’s talents in song-writing through this song!

Since Last Song is a song from the Crescent album, it can be assumed that it is related to the Moon Project as well. Of course, the song can be enjoyed purely in its entirety, without connecting it to the Moon story. I shall talk about the possible connection to Moon story only briefly in this analysis. I will also separate the PV analysis from the lyrics analysis.

Atemonaku hitori samayoi aruki tsuzuketa

(I continued wandering aimlessly alone)

Kasukana toiki wo tada shiroku somete

(my faint breath turning white)

Utsuri kawari yuku kisetsu no sono hakanasani

(The fleeting, ever-changing season)

Wakemonaku namida ga koboreta

(makes my tears fall for no reason)

“Ima mo aishiteiru…”

(“Even now I still love you…”)

Furitsuzuku kanashimi wa

(The continuously falling sadness)

Masshiro na yuki ni kawaru

(turns into pure white snow)

Zutto sora wo miageteta

((I) kept looking at the sky (above))

Kono karada ga kieru mae ni

(Before this body disappears)

Ima negai ga todoku no nara

(if my thoughts can reach you now)

Mou ichido tsuyoku dakishimete

(hold me tight once more)

Wakariaenakute nandomo kizutsuketeita

(We couldn’t understand each other and hurt (each other) over and over again)

Sonna toki demo itsumo yasashikute

(But even so, (you) were always kind (to me))

Fui ni watasareta yubiwa ni kizamareteita

(Engraved on the ring you gave back to me suddenly)

Futari no yakusoku wa kanawanai mama ni

(is the promise we made left unfulfilled)

“Ima mo oboeteiru…”

(“Even now I still remember…”)

Toozakaru omoide wa itsumademo mabushisugite

(The fading memories are always too bright)

Motto soba ni itakatta

(I wanted to be by your side a while more)

Mou nidotto aenai kedo

(Even though we will never see each other again)

Itsumo soba de sasaete kureta

(you were always with me, supporting me)

Anata dake wa kawaranaide ite

(Don’t ever change the way you are)

Saigo ni miseta namida ga kesenakute

(I could not forget the tears you showed me last)

Kono shiroi yuki tachi to isshouni kieteshimattemo

(Even if I disappear along with this white snow)

Anata no kokoro no naka ni zutto saiteitai kara

(I still want to live in your heart forever)

Yorisotte dakiatta nukumori wa wasurenaide ne

(Don’t forget the warmth (of our bodies) holding each other close and making love)

Chigau dareka wo aishitemo

(even if you fall in love with someone else)

Saigo ni kiita anata no koe wo kono mama zutto hanasanai mama

(I will never forget the words you said to me last)

Fukaku nemuri ni ochitai

(I want to fall into a deep sleep (with those words in mind))

Furitsuzuku kanashimi wa

(The continuously falling sadness)

Masshiro na yuki ni kawaru

(turns into white snow)

Zutto sora wo miageteta

((I) kept looking at the sky)

Kono karada ga kieru mae ni

(Before this body disappears)

Ima negai ga todoku no nara

(if my thoughts can reach you now)

Mou ichido tsuyoku dakishimete

(hold me tight once more)

“Mou ichido tsuyoku dakishimete…”

(“Hold me tight once more…”)

Song Analysis

(I continued wandering aimlessly alone)
(my faint breath turning white)
(The fleeting, ever-changing season)
(makes my tears fall for no reason)
(“Even now I still love you…”)

It is winter. A man wanders aimlessly on the street, trying hard to contain his pain and grief. That’s the first image that comes to mind. From the line “My faint breath turning white” and the word snow repeated throughout the song, we can tell that it is winter.

The next sentence then mentions the ever changing season. The man in the song remembers with sadness the woman that he once loved and still loves. “Hakanasa” describes something that is fleeting; transient; momentary; empty; or ephemeral. A possible interpretation of the word season used here is the passing of time. Perhaps the season reminds the man of the time that has passed since they broke up, or of how time still continues to move even if it feels as if his whole world has changed. The word season could also be used as a metaphor for feelings. Humans’ feelings change eventually. We fall in love and we fall out of love. Sadness overwhelms him when he thinks that the woman no longer loves him. Even though he still loves her…

(The continuously falling sadness)
(turns into pure white snow)
((I) kept looking at the sky (above))
(Before this body disappears)
(if my thoughts can reach you now)
(hold me tight once more)

It might be weird to read “the falling sadness turns into pure white snow”, but it will make a lot more sense if you replace “sadness” with “tears” from the line “makes my tears fall for no reason” in the last verse. The tears keep falling and it slowly turns into white snow as it touches the ground. It is also possible that Gackt is trying to present to us the image of winter and snow as a time of grief and sorrow. So the man is filled with melancholy as he watches the snow fall from the sky.

“Before this body disappears” is possibly one of the key phrases of this song. What does Gackt mean by “before this body disappears”? Is it literally death? Perhaps “die of grief”? Definitely possible, but I think the answer will come more readily if you link it to the story of Moon. It is worth noting that Gackt used the words “this body disappears” and not “I died” in this sentence. As you know, when vampires die, their bodies turn to ash. They quite literally disappear from this earth. Hence, based on this reasoning, we could assume that the man is actually a vampire and that he is about to “die”.

I translated the fifth line of the chorus as “If my thoughts can reach you now”, but the literal translation of it is “if my wish reaches you now”. The emphasis on the word “ima” (now) indicates a lot about the man’s current situation. Adding the word “now” shows that the man is about to disappear soon. It’s not happening some time in the distant future, but in the very near future, if not at that exact moment.

(We couldn’t understand each other and hurt (each other) over and over again)
(But even so, (you) were always kind (to me))
(Engraved on the ring you gave back to me suddenly)
(is the promise we made left unfulfilled)
(“Even now I still remember…”)

In the verse after the first chorus, the song briefly mentions the couple’s past and hints at the possible reason for their breakup. One can imagine that theirs is a passionate and intense kind of love. However, the man obviously wasn’t expecting the woman to leave, as he is simply devastated by his loss. We can also tell that their relationship is a lot deeper than just normal dating, because of the ring mentioned in the song. Perhaps it’s an engagement ring or even a wedding ring. Whatever it is, it shows that the two were committed to this relationship and were about to take it one step further.

(The fading memories are always too bright)
(I wanted to be by your side a while more)
(Even though we will never see each other again)
(you were always with me, supporting me)
(Don’t ever change the way you are)

There are two possible ways of interpreting the line “The fading memories are too bright” from the next verse. It could refer to past memories, which would be an indication of the time that has passed since they broke up, or it could literally mean fading memories that he can’t quite recall anymore. The word “too bright” could also refer to the pain it causes to remember the past, the fading memories. When someone is sad, they often feel as if the whole world should mourn along with them; that the sun should not rise and the world should be plunged into darkness. In this case, the bright, happy memories of them together are a painful reminder of what he has lost.

The next three lines may sound confusing at first, but what it is saying essentially is “Even though we will never see each other again, I hope you, who always supported me (in the past), will always remain the same.”

(I could not forget the tears you showed me last)

(Even if I disappear along with this white snow)
(I still want to live in your heart forever)

To understand the meaning of the line “Even if I disappear along with this white snow”, we need to bring in our Moon reference again. A vampire only “disappears” when he is exposed to the sun. The same thing applies to snow; it melts when the sun rises. Thus, the man is saying that even though he will disappear along with the melting of the white snow when the sun rises, he still wants to remain in the woman’s heart.

In the original lyrics, Gackt wrote “I want to bloom/blossom in your heart forever”. I replaced “bloom” with “live” in the above translation. Flowers only “live” for as long as they bloom, so the state of a flower in bloom can be referred to as life. Then they wither eventually, which can also be used as a metaphor for death. It is interesting to note that Gackt used “saiteitai” here, taking the teiru form, which is used to describe (a flower) in bloom. So the man in the song is not just saying that he wants to bloom in her heart, but to always be in bloom. Always living, never going through the phase of death.

(Don’t forget the warmth (of our bodies) holding each other close and making love)
(even if you fall in love with someone else)
(I will never forget the words you said to me last)
(I want to fall into a deep sleep (with those words in mind))

Some people may be appalled at my translation of “dakiau” to “making love”, but I like to imagine their relationship as one that is mature, passionate and very intense. To bring out that stronger image, I chose the word “making love”. The more common translation of “yorisotte dakiatta” would be snuggled and held each other close.

To fall into a deep sleep in this case is, of course, to pass away. He knows that he is dying or disappearing soon, but even then he still remembers the woman’s voice and he passes away with that voice in his mind. It is also possible that the word voice used here refers to the words that she spoke to him last, instead of just literally a voice. So the man keeps replaying those last words she said to him, even as death is about to claim him.

You might also notice that there is a great change in the man’s emotions since the beginning of the song. At first, he seems overwhelmed with grief and sorrow over losing her. But as the song continues, he gradually comes to term with it and even acknowledged the possibility of her falling in love with someone else, albeit with a tinge of sadness. This verse is mainly about him saying goodbye and hoping that the woman will not forget him or the love they shared. And then, as the song comes to an end and the voice trails away, he finally disappeared completely.

“Ima mo aishiteiru… (Even now I still love you…)”
“Ima mo oboeteiru… (Even now I still remember…)”
“Mou ichido daikishimete… (Please hold me tight once more…)”

Some of you may already have realized, but there are actually three real dialogues in the whole song, which I like to think as the real message from the character in the story. But I will leave it to you to think further on it and come up with your own thoughts about it. ^^

PV analysis

After analyzing the little nuances and the meanings of each sentence in the lyrics, I watched the PV again and it suddenly became clear to me why this song is called “Last Song”. But if it hasn’t come to you yet, perhaps the meaning of this title will be even clearer after taking a closer look at the PV.

A street musician appears frequently throughout the PV. He may seem unimportant at first, but he is actually a key figure to understanding the different time phases of the PV. First, it is important to note that this PV shows three different time phases: the present and two different time phases in the past. The start of the PV shows the “present time”, where you see the singer singing in front of a large crowd in daylight and earning a lot of money from it. As the song continues, you see him thinking about the past. This is the first past, the “current past”. There are also times when the PV shows an older memory, another past (old past, as I shall call it for easier reference) which is actually memories of the couple and shows the moments leading to the couple’s breakup.

As the PV brings us back to the past, we see that it is night time. A woman walks out of the house, carrying her bags. Suddenly the scene cuts to the singer again. But there is obviously something different about him. He is still a poor and unknown singer at this time. His guitar case lies open, with just a few coins in it. A man (Gackt) stands in front of him and throws a few pieces of paper into the case. The man then walks away, ignoring the singer’s calls to come back and take his papers. This turns out to be the music sheet for “Last Song” as we find out later in the PV.

The PV then moves to scenes of a dilapidated, messy and littered room. The light from a lamp casts an eerie glow on the peeling paint on the wall. There is a piece of shirt hanging on the wall, still dripping wet. Pieces of broken vase lay on the floor; the mirror above it cracked as well. These images are all connected to the scenes that we will see later in the PV.

Next we see a man sitting alone in a room. We can tell that the man is working on a song, with crumpled papers littering the floor all around him. He is having difficulty writing the song, and he seems frustrated with himself and his lack of progress. The scene suddenly cuts to the past again, where we see the man throwing the vase towards the mirror in anger, shattering both.

The story of the song becomes clearer as the PV moves to the scene that shows the man and the woman quarrelling angrily. The woman succumbs to tears as they continued fighting. She also sports a different hairstyle here as compared to when we first saw her at the beginning of the PV. If you take a look at the scene closely, you will also notice that it is raining. This tells us why there is a wet shirt hanging on the wall at the beginning of the PV.

In the next scene, we see the woman standing in front of the mirror and cutting her hair short with great reluctance and sadness. As the song continues, we see the man shouting and singing in anguish. The PV cuts between scenes of the man singing alone and scenes of their breakup. The woman is obviously getting more agitated and upset whereas the man seems resigned to the fact that he is going to lose her. He held her close before she finally pushes away reluctantly and walks away. Although he is clearly heart-broken, he does nothing to try to hold her back.

Then we move forward to the current past, where we see the man throwing a ten dollar bill into the singer’s guitar case along with his music sheet. On it is written “Last Song”. It is unknown whether the singer and the man know each other, but it seems unlikely. It looks as if he just happened to come across the singer and decided to give his music to a fellow musician. [did you notice that the singer is sitting in the spot where the breakup took place? I recognized it by the little rainbow design on the wall behind him. ^^]

The PV then flashes back to the man’s old memories of his time together with the woman. Of the two of them playing the piano together, bathing and enjoying their time, blissfully in love with each other. The PV manages to capture and bring out the image of their love well. We feel the man’s acute pain of losing the woman he loves. Here we also see the PV focus momentarily on the vase of flower that the man broke eventually. Perhaps this vase is a sort of symbol of their relationship.

Another important point to note is that the scenes in which he is recalling the two of them together here are all in broad daylight. We can see the light filtering in from the windows and the sunlight reflecting on the waters. Compare this to the scenes we have seen before this. So far, we have only seen the man at night time or the window showing that it is dark outside. This shows that they were still human and that the two of them met and fell in love before he became a vampire. It was sometime between the old past and the current past that he was turned into a vampire.

As he sings the last line “Mou ichido dakishimete”, the PV cuts back to the scene of the two of them together as she leans forward and they nuzzled. And then the camera shows the man kneeling alone on the floor and slowly zooms in on his face as tears roll down his cheeks.

Finally, we see a single shot of a crow as the song fades away. A crow is usually thought to be a symbol of death in Europe. Interestingly though, it is not a negative omen in Japan. However, for the sake of consistency with the plot, I shall take the first interpretation. If you can also recall, the half end of Moon story is based in Europe, so it is possible that Gackt chose a crow as an omen of death based on the setting of the story. As has been discussed in the lyrics analysis, the main character of the song is about to die/disappear. We can assume that the same applies to the PV, and putting the crow at the end is perhaps an indication that the man has passed away or is about to pass away.

The last scene shows the singer again as he returns to the present time. He is staring at the sky, his open guitar case brimming with money. From this we can tell that the singer ended up using the music he received from the man. We can also assume that the man has passed away by this time. But even so, his “last song” goes on to influence and touch other people’s hearts. The word “song” in the title isn’t just referring to a song about him or a song that he made, but this song is actually his last message, his last words.

Conclusion

A very aptly titled “Last Song” indeed. At first glance, it seemed as if the song is just about a man who is feeling sad over a breakup and lamenting his loss. But looking at the lyrics closer, you will find that this song is more than just that.

This PV is rather unique in a few ways. Firstly, everything is showed in reverse order. You see the future at the beginning and then scenes after the breakup as the man struggles to write the song. After the chorus, the PV shows the actual breakup and only after that did the PV show how they fell in love with each other.

Another interesting point is the introduction of a totally unrelated character, which is a style that Gackt seems to favour. He manages to weave this entirely new character into the story seamlessly. In this PV, it actually seems as if the musician is the main character, and that he is remembering someone else’s past. But we know that the two characters are completely unrelated and that this song is really the man’s story, not the musician’s. The reason why the musician is thinking about the past is possibly because he is amazed that a total stranger would give him his music and that he would gain such popularity from it. The two probably never met again, and that only fuelled the musician’s curiosity. Even now he still wonders why the man gave him the song and what happened to him. Who is this man? Where did he come from?

I recommend that you listen to the song again, and then watch the PV while taking note of the meaning of the lyrics. I think that will help you understand the story of “Last Song” better.

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