本能 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 椎名林檎

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the raw power of Japanese rock with Shiina Ringo's "Honnou." This song offers a fantastic opportunity to learn Japanese through its direct and emotionally charged lyrics, which explore themes of instinct and desire. The poetic yet straightforward language provides a great entry point for learners to engage with expressive and philosophical concepts in Japanese. What makes "Honnou" special is its unapologetic energy and Shiina Ringo's unique artistic vision, which has made it an enduring classic in Japanese music.

[English]

I just want to be with you tonight

I know that you want to be my babe

I don't need any promises

I absolutely hate unfulfilled things

I want to be tied together forever

I'm longing for a window where morning never comes

Why did words come to exist on top of history?

Sun, oxygen, sea, wind

It should have been enough already

We're both lonely, after all

The wounds we lick together correctly

No one can blame anything

Untangle it, likening it to life

Please forgive my whims

Don't think it's too late, just hurry up

Come deeper inside

Drive my impulses

...

I want to say that everything is irrelevant

Like the moonlight that seems to say so

Inferiority complex, categorize

Let's try to forget about that

In the end, I'll be alone anyway

At this point, it's better to push through the false truth

I like that sharp gaze of yours

鋭い其の目線が好き

I don't need any promises

I absolutely hate unfulfilled things

I want to be tied together forever

I'm longing for a window where morning never comes

Please forgive my whims

Don't think it's too late, just hurry up

Come deeper inside

Drive my impulses

I just want to be with you tonight

I know that you want to be my babe

I just want to be with you tonight

I know that you want to be my babe

...

[Japanese]

I just want to be with you tonight

I know that you want to be my babe

約束は 要らないわ

果たされないことなど 大嫌いなの

ずっと繋がれて 居たいわ

朝が来ない窓辺を 求めているの

どうして 歴史の上に言葉が生まれたのか

太陽 酸素 海 風

もう充分だった筈でしょう

淋しいのはお互い様で

正しく舐め合う傷は

誰も何も 咎められない

紐解いて 生命に擬う

気紛れを許して

今更なんて思わずに急かしてよ

もっと中迄入って

私の衝動を突き動かしてよ

全部どうでもいいと

云っていたい様な月の灯

劣等感 カテゴライズ

そういうの 忘れてみましょう

終わりにはどうせ独りだし

此の際嘘の真実を

押し通して絶えてゆくのが良い

鋭い其の目線が好き

約束は要らないわ

果たされないことなど大嫌いなの

ずっと繋がれて居たいわ

朝が来ない窓辺を求めているの

気紛れを許して

今更なんて思わずに急かしてよ

もっと中迄入って

あたしの衝動を突き動かしてよ

I just want to be with you tonight

I know that you want to be my babe

I just want to be with you tonight

I know that you want to be my babe

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
約束 /やくそく/ B1	noun - promise
大嫌い /だいきらい/ B2	adjective - hate
傷 /きず/ B1	noun - wound
生命 /せいめい/ B2	noun - life
衝動 /しょうどう/ B2	noun - impulse
気紛れ /きまぐれ/ B2	noun - caprice
独り /ひとり/ B1	adverb - alone
月 /つき/ A2	noun - moon
太陽 /たいよう/ A2	noun - sun
風 /かぜ/ A2	noun - wind
海 /うみ/ A2	noun - sea
酸素 /さんそ/ B2	noun - oxygen
言葉 /ことば/ B1	noun - word
歴史 /れきし/ B2	noun - history
灯 /あかり/ B2	noun - light

Key Grammar Structures

• ずっと繋がれて居たいわ

  ➔ Expressing a continuous desire using the te-form and いたい

  ➔ The structure "繋がれて居たい" combines the passive form of "繋ぐ" (to connect) with "いたい" to express wanting to be connected continuously.

• 気紛れを許して

  ➔ Using the causative form with permit or allow

  ➔ “許して” is the causative form of "許す", meaning "to allow" or "to forgive", used here to imply granting permission for one's whim or changing mood.

• 終わりにはどうせ独りだし

  ➔ Using 『〜には』 to specify a point in time and 『どうせ』 for an inevitable outcome

  ➔ The phrase "終わりには" specifies a certain point in time (at the end), and "どうせ" expresses a sense of inevitability or resignation that the outcome will be loneliness.

• 果たされないことなど 大嫌いなの

  ➔ Using 『〜など』 to list trivial or negative items, and the adjective 大嫌い for intense dislike

  ➔ The particle "など" is used to list trivial or undesirable things, implying they are unimportant or disliked, while "大嫌い" means "hated" or "really dislike".

• 私の衝動を突き動かしてよ

  ➔ Using causative form "突き動かす" to indicate making or causing someone’s impulse to move

  ➔ The verb "突き動かす" in causative form means "to make move" or "to incite", here implying to actively energize or provoke one's own impulses.

• もう充分だった筈でしょう

  ➔ Using "筈だ" to express expectation or assumption that something should have been enough

  ➔ The phrase "筈だ" indicates that the speaker expects, believes, or assumes that something should have been the case based on previous context.