バラード – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: ケツメイシ

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a journey into the world of Japanese emotions with Ketsumeishi's "Ballad." This song is a perfect entry point for language learners, offering a chance to grasp heartfelt Japanese expressions of love and sorrow. Its clear vocals and relatable theme of unfulfilled romance make the lyrics particularly impactful and easier to follow, providing a unique cultural and linguistic immersion. Discover how the Japanese language beautifully articulates complex feelings through this deeply moving and widely beloved song.

[English]

If the two of us are crying without even drying our tears

Maybe I should hold you tightly instead

Until the night breeze melts us together

I want to tell you my love in silence

That night we said goodbye, let’s go back into our dreams again

Let’s dance together as much as we want

Being alone feels too lonely

I love you more than I can help

Your scent lingering in the room

Makes my loneliness grow after you’ve gone

So I keep saying in my heart, 'Next time, at your place'

Hiding those words inside my chest

Counting the nights we can’t meet

Pouring love into this glass of longing

The only one I could ever love this much is you

When I say 'I want to see you'

If I could say that honestly

But I’m scared it might break everything

Fearful, I avert my eyes

The more I stay apart

The feelings overflow and flow like a stream

How many nights must pass without seeing you

Before I can truly send this feeling to you

The city beyond the glass is restless

On nights like this, I just want to see you

As I curl up in silence again

Chasing the lingering sweetness of your kiss

Your voice echoes beyond my memories

Fading into the distant night sky

I can't dance to this bluesy ballad of sighs

I want to send my love to you now

Instead of being alone, let's stay close together

On lonely days, I’ll call you

Even though I’m lonely, I act like I’m fine

Your farewell, so adorable

Counting the nights we can't meet

Pouring love into this glass of longing

The only one I could ever love this much is you

Ever since I met you, I’ve felt true sadness

I tremble because I want to see you

While I hold your shadow

If I hold you tight now...

I’d lose myself in you

Drunk all alone

Next to my silent phone

Counting the nights we can’t meet

Pouring love into this glass of longing

The only one I could ever love this much is you

Even now, deep in my heart

When I hang up the phone, silence falls like rain

Over and over, 'See you again' echoes into the night

Hiding my loneliness, saying nothing

That innocent voice cuts my heart

Even though I want to meet, I can't

And these feelings won’t clear up

Ah, oh God beyond the night sky,

If only you could turn back time, and if it’s true love...

[Japanese]

涙も乾かぬ　二人なら

いっそ　君を強く抱いて

夜風に二人　溶け合うまで

黙ったまま　愛を伝えたい

別れた　その夜　また夢に戻ろう

心ゆくまでも　二人で踊ろう

一人きりは寂しすぎて

どうしようもなく　君が好きで

部屋に残る　君の香りが

寂しさを増す　君去った後には

だから「次は君の家で」

なんて言葉　胸の中　秘めて

逢えない夜を数えて

切なさのグラスに愛を注いで

こんなにも愛しく想えたのは君だけ

僕が「逢いたい」と言ったら

もしも　僕がそう言っていいなら

でも　壊れてしまうの恐くて

臆病な僕はそらす目

離れれば　離れる程に

気持ちは溢れ　流れるように

逢えない夜をいくつ越えて

この気持ちは　いつ　君に届ける

ガラス越しに眠れない街並み

こんな夜は君に逢いたい

また静けさに　寄り添う程に

追いかける　甘いキスの余韻

記憶を越え　響くあの声

小さく遠く夜空に溶け

ため息まじりのバラードじゃ踊れない

君への想い　今届けたい

一人きりより　二人寄り添い

一人きりの日には　電話するよ

寂しいくせに　何食わぬ顔で

僕を見送る君が愛しくて

逢えない夜を数えて

切なさのグラスに愛を注いで

こんなにも愛しく想えたのは君だけ

君と出逢ってから僕は

本当の切なさ覚えたよ

逢いたくて震える

肩を今　押さえながら

君の影を抱きしめたなら…

一人酔いしれる

鳴らないケイタイのそば

逢えない夜を数えて

切なさのグラスに愛を注いで

こんなにも愛しく想えたのは君だけ

今も心の中で

電話を切ると静寂の雨

「またね」と何度も響く夜の果て

寂しさ隠して　何も言わず

無邪気な声には心が痛む

逢いたくても　逢えなくて

この想いは晴れなくて

あぁ　夜空の向こうの神様

時を戻して　本物の愛なら

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
涙 /なみだ/ A2	noun - tear
愛 /あい/ A2	noun - love
心 /こころ/ A2	noun - heart/mind
夜 /よる/ A1	noun - night
夢 /ゆめ/ A2	noun - dream
寂しさ /さびしさ/ B1	noun - loneliness
想い /おもい/ B1	noun - thought/feeling
抱く /だく/ B1	verb - to embrace
伝える /つたえる/ B1	verb - to convey
切なさ /せつなさ/ B2	noun - painful feeling of longing
愛しい /いとしい/ B2	adjective - dear/loved
壊れる /こわれる/ B2	verb - to break
影 /かげ/ B2	noun - shadow
静寂 /せいじゃく/ C1	noun - silence
神様 /かみさま/ C1	noun - god/deity

Key Grammar Structures

• いっそ　君を強く抱いて

  ➔ Expressing a decisive or final action using "いっそ" to indicate doing something perhaps more radically.

  ➔ Used to suggest that doing something radically or suddenly is preferable.

• 別れた　その夜　また夢に戻ろう

  ➔ Using the volitional form "戻ろう" to express the speaker's intention or suggestion to return to a dream.

  ➔ The volitional form "戻ろう" indicates the speaker's desire or suggestion to do something, here to return to a dream.

• 寂しいくせに　何食わぬ顔で

  ➔ Using "くせに" to indicate contradiction or that someone does something despite being a certain way.

  ➔ The pattern "くせに" expresses a contradiction, meaning the person acts a certain way despite having that characteristic.

• 夜空の向こうの神様

  ➔ Using "の" as a possessive or descriptive particle to connect nouns, indicating "God beyond the night sky".

  ➔ The particle "の" connects nouns to show possession or description, here linking "夜空" and "神様" to mean "God beyond the night sky."