Face My Fears – English Lyrics

• By: Hikaru Utada, Skrillex

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

ねぇ どれくらい

ねぇ 笑えばいい

今伝えたいこと よそに

Let me face, let me face

Let me face my fears

Let me face, let me face

Let me face my fears

私の地図に載っていない

道に立ちたい

ねぇ 生まれつき

ねぇ 臆病な人なんていない

初めてのように歩きたい

Let me face, let me face

Let me face my fears

Let me face, let me face

Let me face my fears

私の地図に載っていない

海は遠くない

海は遠くない

Let me face, let me face

Let me face my fears

Let me face, let me face

Let me face my fears

私の知らない私に

早く会いたい

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Face /feɪs/ B1	verb - to deal with or accept a difficult situation or person
Fear /fɪər/ B1	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat
笑う /wɑˈɾaɯ/ A2	verb - to laugh; to smile
伝える /tsuˈta.e̞ɾɯ/ B1	verb - to convey; to transmit; to tell; to communicate
地図 /tɕiꜜzɯ/ A2	noun - map
載る /no̞ɾɯ/ B1	verb - to be placed on; to be recorded; to appear (e.g., in a newspaper, on a map)
道 /miꜜtɕi/ A2	noun - road; path; street; way
立つ /taꜜtsɯ/ A2	verb - to stand; to stand up
生まれつき /ɯmaɾe̞t͡sɯkʲi/ B2	noun/adverb - by nature; by birth; innate
臆病 /o̞kɯbʲo̞ː/ B2	na-adjective - cowardly; timid; faint-hearted
初めて /haꜜʑime̞te̞/ A2	noun/adverb - for the first time; first
歩く /aɾɯkɯ/ A2	verb - to walk
海 /ɯmi/ A2	noun - sea; ocean
遠い /to̞ːi/ A2	i-adjective - far; distant
知る /ɕiɾɯ/ A2	verb - to know; to be aware of
会う /aɯ/ A2	verb - to meet; to see (a person)
私 /waꜜtaɕi/ A1	noun - I; me (gender-neutral, polite)

Key Grammar Structures

• ねぇ 笑えばいい

  ➔ 〜ばいい (Conditional 'ba' + ii)

  ➔ Expresses what one *should* do, or suggests a course of action. Often implies "it would be good if..." or "the best thing to do is...". Formed by the conditional form (ba-form) of a verb + "いい". Here, 「笑えば」 is the conditional form of 「笑う」 (to laugh).

• 今伝えたいこと よそに

  ➔ 〜をよそに (Disregarding/Ignoring)

  ➔ Means "disregarding," "ignoring," or "without being affected by." It describes a situation where someone proceeds with an action despite external circumstances, others' feelings, or expectations that might contradict it. Often used with nouns or clauses ending in "こと". Here, 「伝えたいこと」 refers to "things I want to convey," and 「よそに」 indicates these are being set aside or ignored.

• 私の地図に載っていない

  ➔ 〜に載っていない (Passive/State negative)

  ➔ 「載る (noru)」 means "to be placed on," "to be listed/recorded (on something)." 「載っている」 is the te-form + 「いる」, indicating a state of being listed. The negative form 「載っていない」 means "is not listed" or "is not recorded." This structure emphasizes a state or result. Here, it describes a "path" (道) that is not on her map.

• 道に立ちたい

  ➔ 〜たい (Volitional form)

  ➔ The 「〜たい」 form expresses a speaker's desire to perform an action. It is formed by attaching 「たい」 to the masu-stem of a verb. Here, 「立ちたい」 comes from 「立つ」 (tatsu, to stand). 「道に立つ」 means "to stand on a path/road."

• ねぇ 臆病な人なんていない

  ➔ 〜なんて + Negative form (Emphasis/Dismissal)

  ➔ 「なんて」 is a particle that adds an emphatic, often dismissive, surprising, or depreciating nuance to the preceding word or phrase. When combined with a negative verb, it strongly emphasizes the non-existence or impossibility of something, meaning "there's no such thing as..." or "it's not true that...". Here, 「臆病な人なんていない」 means "there's no such thing as a timid person."

• 初めてのように歩きたい

  ➔ 〜のように (Comparison/Similarity)

  ➔ 「〜のように」 is used to express similarity or comparison, meaning "like," "as if," or "in the same way as." It can follow a noun, a plain form verb, or a plain form i-adjective/na-adjective. Here, 「初めてのように」 means "like for the first time" or "as if it's the first time."

• 私の知らない私に

  ➔ Noun + の + V-plain + Noun (Relative clause/Noun modification)

  ➔ In Japanese, a noun can be modified by a preceding clause (in its plain form), which functions similarly to a relative clause in English. Here, 「私の知らない」 (what I don't know) modifies the second 「私」 (me). The literal translation is "the me that I don't know." The first 「私」 is the subject of 「知らない」.

• 海は遠くない

  ➔ い-adjective negative form (〜くない)

  ➔ The negative form of い-adjectives is created by replacing the final 「い」 with 「くない」. 「遠い」 (tooi) means "far." Its negative form 「遠くない」 means "not far." This is a fundamental but crucial aspect of Japanese adjective conjugation.