がらくた – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 米津玄師
• Album: LOST CORNER

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of Kenshi Yonezu's "Garakuta" to explore the profound beauty of acceptance and empathy in Japanese. This emotional song, whose title means "junk," offers a unique opportunity to understand nuanced expressions of love and comfort in the language. Through its heartfelt lyrics and themes of embracing imperfection, "Garakuta" provides an authentic glimpse into how deep emotions are conveyed in Japanese, making it a powerful and special song for language learners.

[English]

No matter what, we just can't get it right

Before we know it, everything's become empty

Even if I lose, break, or have it stolen away

Nothing that won't disappear exists anywhere

Even on sleepless nights, the snooze button keeps ringing

Two people standing still at the hallway's edge

Whispering 'It’s nothing,' while holding back the pain

Humming softly, floating in the air, then vanishing

If there are thirty people, one of them is a minority

And you’re always that one

And I am two of us

Even if you’re always broken, or never come back again

It’s okay, just live by my side

Let’s go find what we’ve lost somewhere— even if it’s nowhere

Laughing, saying, 'It wasn’t there,' two people with debris

Is it okay now? Yeah, it's okay, but just a little more

Let’s walk through this long night

Pain, go away— fly away, fly away, fly away

Switch off the lights

I couldn't forgive anything at all

Always denying you

All of that

Even if you forget me or can't remember at all

Let’s meet again for the first time and fall in love

You are the moonlight that lit up my world— I won't let it make me laugh

Let's take a detour home, get lost if we must

Biting my lips, the blood from my wounds starts to flow

I hate everything, I hate it all

Even if you’re always broken, or never come back again

It's okay, just live by my side

Shall we go search for what was lost somewhere— even if it's nowhere

Laugh again, saying 'It wasn’t there,' just like before

Fumbling and singing, like the art of making something out of nothing

[Japanese]

どうしても僕らは上手くできなくて

気がつけばからっぽになってしまった

失くしても壊しても奪われたとしても

消えないものはどこにもなかった

眠れない夜でも鳴り止まないスヌーズ

踊り場で黙ったままいる二人

何でもないと呟いて噛み締める痛みと

宙に浮かんでは消える鼻歌

30人いれば一人はいるマイノリティ

いつもあなたがその一人

僕で二人

例えばあなたがずっと壊れていても　二度と戻りはしなくても

構わないから　僕のそばで生きていてよ

どこかで失くしたものを探しにいこう　どこにもなくっても

どこにもなかったねと　笑う二人はがらくた

もういいかい　もういいよ　だけどもう少し

長い夜を歩いていきましょう

痛いの痛いの飛んでいけ飛んでいけ飛んでいけ

明かりを消して

許せなかった何もかも全てを

ずっとあなたを否定してきた

その全てを

例えばあなたが僕を忘れていても　決して思い出せなくても

初めてまた会おう　そして恋をしようよ

あなたは僕を照らした月の明かりだ　笑わせるもんか

遠回りして帰ろう　迷い込んだっていいから

唇を噛んで滲んだ血が流れていく

嫌いだ全部　嫌いだ

例えばあなたがずっと壊れていても　二度と戻りはしなくても

構わないから　僕のそばで生きていてよ

どこかで失くしたものを探しにいこうか　どこにもなくっても

どこにもなかったねと　また笑ってくれよ

上手くできないままで　歌う二人はがらくた

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
上手く (umaku) /ɯmakɯ/ B1	adverb - skillfully, well, successfully
からっぽ (karappo) /kaɾappo/ B2	adjective - empty, vacant, hollow noun - emptiness
壊す (kowasu) /koɰasu/ A2	verb - to break, to destroy
奪う (ubau) /ɯbaʊ/ B2	verb - to steal, to snatch, to deprive
眠る (nemuru) /nemɯɾɯ/ A1	verb - to sleep
夜 (yoru) /joɾɯ/ A1	noun - night
踊り場 (odoriba) /odoɾiba/ B2	noun - landing (of stairs)
痛み (itami) /itami/ A2	noun - pain, ache
鼻歌 (hanauta) /hanauta/ B1	noun - humming
minority (mainoriti) /minoriti/ B2	noun - minority
そば (soba) /soba/ A2	noun - near, close, beside
生きる (ikiru) /ikiɾɯ/ A2	verb - to live, to exist
探す (sagasu) /saɡasɯ/ A2	verb - to search, to look for
笑う (warau) /waɾaɯ/ A1	verb - to laugh
がらくた (garakuta) /ɡaɾakɯta/ B2	noun - junk, garbage, trash
明かり (akari) /akaɾi/ A2	noun - light, illumination
否定 (hitei) /hitei/ B2	noun - negation, denial verb - to negate, to deny
忘れる (wasureru) /wasureɾɯ/ A2	verb - to forget
恋 (koi) /koi/ B1	noun - love, romance
月 (tsuki) /tsɯki/ A1	noun - moon
唇 (kuchibiru) /kɯt͡ɕibiɾɯ/ A2	noun - lips

Key Grammar Structures

• 気がつけばからっぽになってしまった

  ➔ Verb + てしまった used to express the completion or regret of an action

  ➔ The phrase indicates that the action has been completed possibly with a sense of regret

• 失くしても壊しても奪われたとしても

  ➔ て-form + も used in concessive clauses meaning 'even if' or 'despite'

  ➔ Indicates that even if the action of losing, breaking, or having something taken occurs, the speaker accepts it

• 長い夜を歩いていきましょう

  ➔ Verb て form + いく to indicate the continuation of an action into the future

  ➔ The phrase suggests continuing or walking through a long night, emphasizing perseverance

• 嫌いだ全部　嫌いだ

  ➔ Adjective + だ (da) used for emphasis or declaration of state there is no copula in casual speech

  ➔ Used to emphasize strong feelings or declarations, often repetitively for effect

• 歌う二人はがらくた

  ➔ Noun + は is the topic marker, and the sentence employs a subject-predicate structure

  ➔ Highlights the topic of the sentence, grouping 'the singing two people' with the metaphor 'gara-kuta' (trash or mess)

• 歌う二人はがらくた

  ➔ Noun + は is the topic marker, establishing the subject of the sentence

  ➔ Marks the sentence topic indicating that the focus is on 'the singing two people'