1. 「はい喜んで」 / 「はい謹んで」

Romaji: “Hai yorokonde” / “Hai tsutsushinde”

Cultural Nuance: Accepting a request with "Yes, with pleasure!" (Yorokonde) and further responding with "Humbly and respectfully" (Tsutsushinde).

🗣 Japanese Insight: These phrases symbolize the "self-sacrificing devotion" often praised as a virtue in Japanese hospitality and business scenes.

Specifically, "Tsutsushinde" (謹んで) means to show the utmost respect toward another while maintaining a disciplined and humble attitude. Repeating these lyrics portrays the "over-adaptation" of modern people who suppress their own emotions to serve others. Beneath the polite surface, there is a sharp irony regarding the psychological strain this causes.

2. 差し伸びてきた手 さながら正義仕立て

Romaji: Sashinobite kita te sanagara seigi jitate

Cultural Nuance: That hand reaching out is dressed up as if it were "Justice" itself.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Sanagara" (さながら) is an elegant, archaic word meaning "just like" or "as if."

"Seigi-jitate" (正義仕立て) refers to a state where one forces themselves to serve others under the guise of "justice," or where another person's well-intentioned help feels like an overbearing "righteousness." It depicts the frustration of needing help while feeling imprisoned by the very "justice" that is supposed to be correct.

3. 嫌嫌で生き延びて わからずやに盾

Romaji: Iyaiya de ikinobite wakarazuya ni tate

Cultural Nuance: Surviving reluctantly while holding up a shield (Tate) against those who refuse to understand reason (Wakarazuya).

🗣 Japanese Insight: A "Wakarazuya" (わからずや) is a stubborn person who refuses to listen to reason or understand circumstances no matter how much you explain.

In society, encountering such people is inevitable. The lyrics convey empathy for the "survival strategy" of holding up a mental shield against unreasonable people and dragging oneself through the day, even when one is "Iyaiya" (hating every second of it).

4. 奈落音頭奏でろ

Romaji: Naraku ondo kanadero

Cultural Nuance: In the depths of rock bottom (Naraku), play the festival music (Ondo) and dance anyway.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Naraku" (奈落) is a Buddhist-derived term meaning hell or a dead end where there is no way out. "Ondo" (音頭) is a traditional Japanese folk dance style where many people dance together in a circle.

To take a hopeless situation (Naraku) and intentionally turn it into a lively festival (Ondo) creates a powerful sense of irony and self-salvation. It represents the "Girigiri" (on the edge) exhilaration of turning a tragedy into a comedy to survive.

5. 鳴らせ君の3〜6マス 「・・・ーーー・・・」

Romaji: Narase kimi no san-roku masu (ton ton ton tsuu tsuu tsuu ton ton ton)

Cultural Nuance: While your heart is still beating in its normal rhythm (the 3–6 grids on an ECG), sound your SOS signal.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "3–6 grids" refers to the normal width of a heartbeat waveform on an electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. The Morse code "Ton-ton-ton Tsuu-tsuu-tsuu Ton-ton-ton" is the universal distress signal, "SOS."

Based on the artist's experience with depression, this is a vital message: "Please ask for help while your heart is still beating normally, before it stops completely." Using this signal within a song is the final and greatest weapon for self-preservation.

6. ギリギリダンス ギリギリダンス (踊れ)

Romaji: Girigiri dansu girigiri dansu (odore)

Cultural Nuance: Keep dancing desperately while you are at your absolute limit.

🗣 Japanese Insight: "Girigiri" (ギリギリ) means a state with no margin or room to spare—being on the limit. It also functions as an onomatopoeia for the sound of grinding one's teeth.

The image of dancing intensely (living) while at one's physical and mental limit resonated deeply with listeners who felt the same way. It has become a strange yet powerful anthem for every modern person who is "barely holding on."

7. さぁ!奏でろハクナマタタな音は「・・・ーーー・・・」

Romaji: Saa! Kanadero hakuna matata na oto wa (ton ton ton tsuu tsuu tsuu ton ton ton)

Cultural Nuance: Come on! Play the SOS signal, which is our "No worries" (Hakuna Matata) sound.

🗣 Japanese Insight: This line directly links the Swahili phrase "Hakuna Matata" (no worries/no problem) with the SOS signal.

In this song, the ultimate salvation is not pretending to be fine, but realizing that sending an SOS is the "first step to having no worries." By playing the distress signal as a positive rhythm (a "Hakuna Matata" sound), the lyrics express a determination to end the lonely struggle and move toward a state where one can truly be okay.

🎤 Emotional Summary

"Hai Yorokonde" is a song of liberation for those of us living in the "sick town" of modern society behind a mask of smiles. It encourages us to finally take off that mask and scream for help.

The "SOS" presented by Kocchi no Kento is never a sign of weakness. Recognizing your own "Girigiri" limit and sending a signal while your heart is still beating normally—this song teaches us through its intense dance beat how courageous that act is. If you feel you are at your limit, try sounding the Morse code along with this song. It will surely become the sound of hope as you head toward the day you can truly say, "Hakuna Matata.