escalate – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: Aimer
• Album: 21st Single 「escalate」

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with Aimer's "escalate"! This powerful song, known as the opening theme for "NieR:Automata Ver1.1a," is a masterclass in conveying deep emotions through its profound Japanese lyrics. By exploring its rich vocabulary and evocative phrases, you can gain insight into expressions of pain, longing, and resilience, making it a captivating way to deepen your understanding of Japanese language and its nuanced emotional landscape.

[English]

Who sings this song about our pain and sorrow?

Reflecting a cycle of shame, pretending I've moved on, I kept staring

Repeated pain, dreams I haven't yet known

The weight of my sins pins me down, even when I scratch at it

Is it the future falling? Feels like idol worship

The faint sound of anxiety, the footfalls of despair

Emptiness follows you here, in this never-ending war

Let's rewind to the future I want to believe in

Can't forgive it, escalate, escalate

I need someone to look away

Pray in my name, praying to the ancient times, mending what breaks

Again and again, like a spiral, one thing

Why do we keep fighting? Is there something we can't let go of?

Is it a fleeting hope or a certain one? The needle that touches

Searching for the truth, there’s no tomorrow

Pretending to understand this unending dream, I was looking for it

The same vision repeats itself, an almost-collapsing paradise

The outcome of resisting me

I must be close to breaking down, release me, I’m in pain

Rewrite the world where we trust each other, now

Can't be stained, escalate, escalate

I can live and die for the sky

Give me a name, give it a voice, the shout I’ve drawn out

Again and again, like a storm’s cycle, one thing

Are you still fighting? What’s burned into your eyelids?

Flickering shadows, leaking light, or remnants

Can't forgive it, escalate, escalate

I need someone to look away

Pray in my name, praying to the ancient times, mending what breaks

Again and again, like a spiral, one thing

Why do we keep fighting? Is there something we can't let go of?

Is it a fleeting hope or a sure one? The needle that touches

Pray in my name

[Japanese]

Who sings this song about us pain and sorrow?

鏡映しの業を　済ましたふり繕って　見つめてた

繰り返す痛み　未だ知らぬ憧れ

The weight of my sin nails me down　足搔いても

Is it the future falling　偶像崇拝みたいだ

微かな不安の足音を　Despair of all

Emptiness follows you here　This never-ending war

信じたい未来へ　巻き戻して

赦せなくて　escalateして　escalateして

I need someone to 目を伏せ

Pray in my name　太古へ祈って　折れては繋いで

Again and again and again　螺旋のよう　one thing

何故戦い続けるの？　まだ捨てきれない物は

仮初めか確かな希望か　ふれる針

Searching to find the truth there’s no tomorrow

醒めない夢模様を　悟ったふうにあしらって　探してた

Same vision repeats itself　崩壊寸前の楽園

抗った果ての結末を　Resisting me

I must be near to break down　Release me I’m in pain

信じ合う世界へ　書き換える　今

染まれなくて　escalateして　escalateして

I can live and die for　 天空(そら)を駆け

Give me a name　名前を付けて　絞りだした声は

Again and again and again　嵐の業　always

まだ抗い続けるの？　瞼に焼き付く物は

漏れ出す光か残骸か　揺れる影

赦せなくて　escalateして　escalateして

I need someone to　目を伏せ

Pray in my name　太古へ祈って　折れては繋いで

Again and again and again　螺旋のよう　one thing

何故戦い続けるの？　まだ捨てきれない物は

仮初めか確かな希望か　ふれる針

Pray in my name

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
escalate /ˈɛskəleɪt/ B2	verb - to increase or intensify
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort
sorrow /ˈsɔːroʊ/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep distress caused by loss or disappointment
future /ˈfjuːtʃər/ A2	noun - the time yet to come
hope /hoʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being in accordance with fact or reality
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
war /wɔːr/ A2	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country
despair /dɪˈspɛr/ B2	noun - the complete loss or absence of hope
shadow /ˈʃædoʊ/ B1	noun - a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word by which a person or thing is known
hope /hoʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
search /sɜːrtʃ/ B1	verb - to try to find something
resist /rɪˈzɪst/ B2	verb - to withstand the action or effect of

Key Grammar Structures

• 信じたい未来へ

  ➔ Desire + に + a noun indicating direction or goal

  ➔ '信じたい' is the verb 'to want to believe', and 'へ' marks the direction towards the 'future'

• 赦せなくて

  ➔ Te-form of verb + なくて, indicating reason or cause

  ➔ '赦せなくて' is the te-form of '赦す' (to forgive) in negative, used here to express the reason for not forgiving

• I need someone to 目を伏せ

  ➔ Verb in the base form + ことが必要だ / 目を伏せる (to lower one's eyes)

  ➔ '目を伏せ' is the verb phrase meaning 'to lower one's gaze or eyes'. Here, it is used as a complement indicating the action someone needs to do.

• Again and again and again 螺旋のよう

  ➔ Repetition + 何度も + と + たとえ / like a spiral

  ➔ 'Again and again and again' indicates repeated action, and '螺旋のよう' means 'like a spiral', used here metaphorically to describe ongoing cycles.

• 何故戦い続けるの？

  ➔ Question word + 何故 + verb in continuative form + る + の？ (why continue to do something?)

  ➔ '何故' means 'why', and combined with the verb '戦い続ける' in its continued form, it asks 'why do you continue to fight?'

• 名前を付けて

  ➔ Verb の + て form + ください / imperative to request to do something (e.g., 'name it')

  ➔ '名前を付けて' is the te-form of '付ける' (to assign or give a name) used here as a request or command to 'name it'.