There are some interesting alternate readings and double meanings here and there, and I even got an excuse to rant about one misuse of quotation marks in English. The timing gets interesting here too. It starts out slow, then jumps into action after the first line, and the rhythm on several lines get tricky. I'm not sure I've ever managed to sing kimi wa hikari no tenshi quite right. No really, it's hard!
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Vocals, Lyrics: Composition, Arrangement: |
水樹奈々 上松範康 |
Nana Mizuki Noriyasu Agematsu |
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| Japanese | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 遥か天空1響いている 祈りは奇跡に | Haruka sora1 hibiite ru inori wa kiseki ni | Prayers resounding through the distant heavens1 become miracles. |
| Interlude ~12 seconds | ||
| 黒天2の蒼に溶けて流れてく涙の粒 迷いなく包み込む温もりに出逢った 真っ白な雪のようにどこまでも素直なコトバ 鉄の羽根纏った 僕を動かしてく |
Mayonaka2 no ao ni tokete nagarete ku namida no tsubu Mayoi naku tsutsumikomu nukumori ni deatta Masshiro na yuki no you ni doko made mo sunao na KOTOBA Tetsu no hane matotta boku wo ugokashite ku |
Melting into the deep blue of midnight2, flowing teardrops Met a warmth that enveloped without hesitation. Endlessly honest words like pure white snow Set me into motion, clad in iron wings. |
| 傷つくたびに 優しくなれる 君のその笑顔だけ守り抜きたい 願いはひとつ |
Kizutsuku tabi ni yasashiku nareru Kimi no sono egao dake mamori nukitai Negai wa hitotsu |
Each time we're hurt, we can grow kinder. I want to protect that smile of yours to the bitter end, My desire is but one. |
| 時空3を越え刻まれた悲しみの記憶 まっすぐに受け止める君は光の女神4 あの日胸に灯った永遠の炎 深い闇解き放って 自由のトビラ開いてく 強く果てない未来へ |
Toki3 wo koe kizamareta kanashimi no kioku Massugu ni uketomeru kimi wa hikari no tenshi4 Ano hi mune ni tomotta eien no honoo Fukai yami tokihanatte jiyuu no TOBIRA hiraite ku Tsuyoku hatenai mirai e |
You who cross time and space3 to accept my deeply etched memories of sadness head-on are an angel4 of light. The eternal blaze5 you lit in my heart that day Liberates me from deep darkness, opening a door of freedom Strongly, to a boundless future. |
| Interlude ~8 seconds | ||
| 冷たい緑の月に映し出すココロの夜6 淋し気に呟いた『君のそばにいたい』 真実と向き合うこと教えてくれた勇気は 僕を駆け巡って希望7に目覚めていく |
Tsumetai midori no tsuki ni utsushidasu KOKORO no kage6 Sabishige ni tsubuyaita "kimi no soba ni itai" Shinjitsu to mukiau koto oshiete kureta yuuki wa Boku wo kakemegutte yume7 ni mezamete iku |
The cold green moon reflected the shadowy night6 of my heart. You whispered into my loneliness, "I want to be by your side." The courage that taught me to face the truth Runs through me, and I awaken to a dream of hope7. |
| 触れ合う気持ち 離れないように しっかりと抱きしめて 確かな想い貫いてゆく |
Fureau kimochi hanarenai you ni Shikkari to dakishimete Tashika na omoi tsuranuite yuku |
Our feelings connent, and to keep them from parting, I cling tight to them, As the certainty in my mind pierces through. |
| 銀の海に隠した空白のページ 君だけが知っている『本当』を僕に見せて 吹き荒れる切なさに生まれゆく誓い もう何も恐くはないよ結んだ視線そらさずに 大切な『今』始める |
Gin no umi ni kakushita kuuhaku no PEEJI Kimi dake ga shitte iru "hontou" wo boku ni misete Fukiareru setsunasa ni umare yuku chikai Mou nani mo kowaku wa nai yo musunda shisen sorasazu ni Taisetsu na "ima" hajimeru |
A blank page hidden in the silver sea, Show me the truth only you know. A vow is born into tempestuous suffering, And nothing is scary any more. Without averting our linked gazes, A precious now begins. |
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The terms set off in the Japanese—本当 (hontou, truth) and 今 (ima, now)—are being highlighted. The 『』 symbols that set them off are generally explained as a Japanese equivalent to quotation marks, but, as is often the case, the parallel is imperfect. |
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| Interlude ~25 seconds | ||
| 君が君でいられる場所 悪夢8にさらわれぬように 消えない雨の苦しみも 鍵を壊してぶつけてよ 隣にいるから すべてを信じて |
Kimi ga kimi de irareru basho Maboroshi8 ni sarawarenu you ni Kienai ame no kurushimi mo Kagi wo kowashite butsukete yo tonari ni iru kara Subete wo shinjite |
To keep the place where you can be you From being swept away by nightmarish phantasms8, Even in the anguish of unfading rain, Destroy the lock and break through. I'm by your side, So believe in everything. |
| 時空3を越え刻まれた悲しみの記憶 まっすぐに受け止める君は光の女神4 あの日胸に灯った永遠の炎 深い闇解き放って 自由のトビラ開いてく 強く果てない未来へ |
Toki3 wo koe kizamareta kanashimi no kioku Massugu ni uketomeru kimi wa hikari no tenshi4 Ano hi mune ni tomotta eien no honoo Fukai yami tokihanatte jiyuu no TOBIRA hiraite ku Tsuyoku hatenai mirai e |
You who cross time and space3 to accept my deeply etched memories of sadness head-on are an angel4 of light. The eternal blaze5 you lit in my heart that day Liberates me from deep darkness, opening a door of freedom Strongly, to a boundless future. |
| Interlude ~9 seconds | ||
| そう、きっとここから始まる・・・ | Sou, kitto koko kara hajimaru . . . | Yes, this is surely just the beginning . . . |
| (end of song) | ||
1 The kanji 天空 (tenkuu, skies, heavens) are given the reading そら (sora, sky).
2 The kanji 黒天 (kokuten, black skies, black heavens) are given the reading 真夜中 (mayonaka, midnight, the dead of night).
3 The kanji 時空 (jikuu, timespace) are given the reading とき (toki, time).
4 The kanji 女神 (megami, goddess) are given the reading てんし (tenshi, angel).
5 I would normally translate 永遠の炎 (eien no honoo) as "eternal flame", but taking the song title into account...
6 The kanji 夜 (yoru, night) is given the reading かげ (kage, shadow).
7 The kanji 希望 (kibou, hope) are given the reading ゆめ (yume, dream).
8 The kanji 悪夢 (akumu, nightmare) are given the reading まぼろし (maboroshi, illusion).
<rant>English quotation marks cannot emphasize or highlight words as the Japanese symbols 『』 do above. So what would it mean if I had used quotes there, by writing, "Show me the 'truth' only you know," for example? Quotation marks often set off direct quotations (hence the name) and certain types of titles, but neither makes any sense here. They're also used when referring to a word itself rather than the meaning, such as stating that "the" is a very common word, but that doesn't work either, unless perhaps the song is trying to say only you know the word "truth", which is sheer nonsense.
Another use is as shorthand for "so-called", which indicates skepticism or outright rejection of the validity of the term. If I were investigating someone I suspect of being a quack, I might ask to be told about this "doctor". The quotes here would indicate that I don't believe this person is really a doctor at all. Similarly, if I'm working with the Good Guys and am less than impressed with their strategy, I might comment on my disappoinment that their "master plan" is to hope the Bad Guys all have heart attacks. Here, the quotes simply mean that I don't feel that the plan is worthy of that term. It's also possible to use quotes like this in a way that doesn't cast suspicion on the accuracy of the term, but this is largely limited to introducing a previously unfamiliar name for something, like in Chrono Trigger when Lucca dubs the time portal a "Gate".
The only other grammatically possible usage is to indicate a sarcastic usage of a word. I might remark that the strategy the Good Guys came up with in the above paragraph is a "great" idea. Here, what I actually mean is that it's most certainly not a great idea, and is in fact a terrible idea.
So writing, "Show me the 'truth' only you know," could either mean that this is something that is called "truth", but that I (the song's "I") don't agree that calling it "truth" is accurate, or that I'm calling something "truth" that clearly isn't the truth, to be ironic. Neither one fits, as both imply that your (the song's "you") truth is actually a lie. This truth really is a truth, and the intended meaning is to make the term stand out, not cast doubt on its accuracy.</rant>