Somethings like

😷 A raw and honest J-Pop ballad about the masks we wear and the courage to show our true selves. For everyone who's ever hidden pain behind a smile.

LYRICS: (Japanese)

また　うまく笑えた気がする
鏡の中の僕は　きっと優等生だ
「元気そうだね」って　誰かが言うたび
胸の奥のざらつきが　そっと黙り込む

本当の気持ちなんて　言わないのが大人だって
誰が決めたんだろう

微笑みの仮面をかぶって
今日もまた　うまく生きてるふりをしてる
痛みを知られたくなくて
強がってる僕を　君は見抜いてたね

すれ違う人の目を　避けながら歩く
「大丈夫です」って　繰り返す防衛本能
優しさは時に　刃より鋭くて
心の奥の柔らかいとこ　切り裂いてく

泣きたくなる夜ほど　誰にも会いたくなくて
誰かを求めてる

微笑みの仮面がひび割れ
隠してた涙が　頬を伝っていく
壊れることを恐れて
壊れかけた僕を　君が救ってくれた

何も言わず　ただ隣にいてくれた
その沈黙が　本当の声に聞こえた

もう仮面なんか　いらない
素顔の僕を　君に見せたいんだ
たとえ　不器用な表情でも
笑える日が来ると　信じてみたいから

誰もがきっと　何かを隠してる
その優しさに　今日も救われている

---

(English Translation)

On the day I pretended not to notice,
your voice wavered like a trembling flame.
I searched for the right words,
but they slipped through my fingers like grains of sand.

The sky was too bright to look up at,
so I kept my gaze on the asphalt instead.
The truth hid behind a smile,
a mask I couldn’t take off.

The mask of a smile—
it’s worn so well, even I start to believe it.
Even the sadness deep in my chest
becomes something I show no one.

The clock’s ticking sounds cruel
in a room without you.
The more I try to fill the emptiness,
the more it echoes in the dark.

We were chasing the same dream once,
running without looking back.
But somewhere along the way,
our paths began to fade apart.

The mask of a smile—
so no one will notice the cracks.
If I could bare my heart just once,
would you still stay by my side?

Even if the night steals away the colors,
I’ll keep a small light alive inside.
Someday, when I can face myself,
I’ll take off this mask and call your name.

The mask of a smile—
today, it’s still on my face.
But if your hand reaches out to me,
I might find the courage to remove it.

Until that day comes,
I’ll keep walking with this mask of a smile.

---

Sometimes we all wear masks to protect ourselves, but true connection happens when we find the courage to be vulnerable. This song is for anyone ready to take off their mask.

#AuthenticSelf #SaturdayReflection #JapaneseMusic

Behind the Smile

Take Me Back

Unbreakable

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Hypocrisy – the highest virtue on Planet Hypokrit // Listing Darkness Mix
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lyrics written and narration provided
by fictionalive

music 'Listing Darkness' written, produced and license provided
by mobygratis

artwork illustration by Peter Uertz, Düsseldorf / Germany

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fusion of it all
fictionalive with the popoems series and the hyper media reports
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dropped
Friday, August 22, 2025
Time - 9:30 pm

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Hypocrisy – the highest virtue on Planet Hypokrit // Listing Darkness Mix

This is another cover of an oldies tune, 'Another Saturday Night*', written by the great Sam Cooke (he wrote the song while staying in a hotel where no female guests were allowed). But this version is a cover of another cover - Cat Steven's version of the song. Cat's version is more upbeat, with a bit of a Latin feel to it. Being a fan of both versions, I threw in a sample of Cooke's original at the very end, and the voices from the studio recording at the very beginning, including a count off by Cooke himself, just for fun. I REALLY enjoyed doing this one, and hope it shows in the recording. Thanks for listening.

All instruments played by me on keyboard:
-organ
-acoustic guitar
-flute
-trumpets
-alto & tenor sax
-piano
-bass
-percussion
-drums
-lead & backing vocals

*Song written by Sam Cooke

(apologies for my absence from Soundcloud lately; work & some recent vacation time keep getting in the way. how dare they!)

Another Saturday Night (Cat's cover)

Last in the 'i still really miss you' project, I think

feel like glass

Kasai

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All Returns To Nothingness /// 全ては無に還る// an alternate take
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music is the song 'All Returns To Nothingness // 全ては無に還る' 
by our fellow creator from Japan - BOUYA BO-YA !!! 
explore his amazing music and passion here:  BOUYA BO-YA on SoundCloud @hpcnw-902952

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original japanese lyrics by BOUYA BO-YA
adaptation lyrics written and narration provided by fictionalive

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a troubadours handshake united collab

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fusion of it all - fictionalive with the popoems series and the hyper media reports

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All Returns to Nothingness // 
目覚めのコーラス

(Verse 1) 
Right now, vague anxieties in this world 
Come at us like a swirling noise. 
What lies beneath this silent storm?
 Is it sadness, anger, or fear? No— 
It’s loneliness that strikes without a form, 
A sudden shadow no one can avoid.

(Chorus) 
Loneliness—the quiet, sudden guest, 
Haunting every searching chest.
 Even with love, friends, and family near, 
Loneliness still whispers here. 
In this world, I stand alone— 
The only one who truly knows my own.

(Verse 2) 
But face this loneliness with truthful eyes, 
Wake to others’ silent cries.
 It’s here empathy blooms in space,
 A voice for those without a face. 
When the noise of the world fades away, 
Consciousness remains to light the way.

(Bridge) 
Yet the world is fleeting, life shall end, 
To nothingness we all must wend. 
What we leave behind is not of weight, 
But a quiet void where all is fate. 
Everything, world and self, returns— I
nto the nothingness that softly burns.

(Outro) 
Embraced gently, strong and brave, 
The void’s a peaceful, tender wave. 
Cheerful, calm, with courage bright,
 We rest within the endless night. 
All returns to nothing— 
A quiet truth softly humming.

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目覚めのコーラス

（ヴァース１）
今、この世界に漂う曖昧な不安が
渦巻くノイズのように僕らに迫る
この静かな嵐の下に隠れているものは何？
悲しみか、怒りか、それとも恐怖か？ いいや―
それは形なき孤独、
誰もが避けられない突然の影

（コーラス）
孤独――静かに、突然やってくる客
探し続ける胸を彷徨わせる
愛や友情、家族に囲まれていても
孤独は今もここで囁く
この世界で、僕は一人きり――
本当に自分を知るのは自分だけ

（ヴァース２）
でも正直な瞳でその孤独と向き合い
他人の静かな泣き声に気づこう
この場所で咲くのは共感
顔なき誰かのための声
世界のノイズが消えていくとき
意識だけが道を照らす

（ブリッジ）
それでもこの世界は儚く、命も終わりを迎える
僕たちは皆、無へと歩み出す
残すものに重きはなく
運命だけが静かな虚無にある
すべては――世界も自分も――還る
そっと燃える無の中へ

（アウトロ）
優しく、強く、勇敢に抱かれて
虚無は安らぎと優しさの波
明るく穏やか、勇気に満ちて
僕たちは永遠の夜に休む
すべては無に還る――
静かに響く真実

All Returns To Nothingness //  全ては無に還る // an alternate take

As always, produced & mastered by BotNikStudio2, Bottna, Sweden.

Take Me Back

A.I.O.U.