海のまにまに – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: YOASOBI

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Japanese through 'Umi no Manimani' by YOASOBI offers a unique opportunity to explore lyrical storytelling. The song's narrative, about finding hope in despair, is expressed through evocative imagery of the sea and fireworks. By studying the lyrics, learners can grasp nuanced emotional expressions and descriptive language that beautifully captures a story of personal transformation. The connection to a modern Japanese novel also provides a deeper cultural and literary context.

[English]

Weaving through the gaps of night

Swaying inside the running train

Alone, watching the scenery flow backward

I sat and watched, I watched

The afternoon sunlight

Drenched in the orange hue of sunset

Being crushed by the indigo sky

As if to cherish that last light

What I chased with my eyes was

Goodbye today, that's why

I fled to abandon tomorrow

Going as far as a one-way ticket can take me

Leaving me, who has no place to belong, just like this

Left behind in the night, left behind

Suddenly, the view from the window turned dark

I realized, yes, it must be the night sea

Pulled by a whim, I got off at the seaside town

Walking as if guided by the sound of the waves

As if someone was calling me

I approached the shore of the sea

Here, I am alone

Thinking I might as well leave my body here

Suddenly, you appeared before me

Under the moonlight

With pale skin

In a white dress

白のワンピース

“What are you doing here?”

You suddenly asked

Stumbling over my words

“To see the sea”

You took something out

It was a slightly old firework set

That’s when I noticed

She was barefoot

Because I decided to end everything today

Surely, it was because I got closer to that world

I could see, I met you

With you, like that

We opened the fireworks

Bringing the flame close to the fireworks that wouldn’t light

なかなか点かない花火に火を近付けながら

You guessed the reason I came here

And told me seriously to stop many times

But

だけど

In that moment, light burst at the tip of my hand

We both instinctively shouted, “It lit!”

The sparkling fireworks that shone so brightly

Their sharp sound echoed, echoed

Without even a moment to slowly gaze, the brilliance faded away

I chased it until the very last moment, feeling it was a waste

From the train window, I saw

As if to cherish the last sun

I chased after it

After all, I

Hey, when dawn breaks, will you

Disappearing somewhere?

Breaking out of the night’s curtain

I woke up to the morning light

When I looked beside me, as if it were natural

There you were, sleeping

...

[Japanese]

夜の合間を縫うように

走る電車の中ゆらり

後ろ向きに流れる景色をひとり

座って 見ていた 見ていた

昼下がりの陽射しは

夕陽のオレンジ色に染まって

藍色の空に押し潰されていく

その最後の光を惜しむように

目で追いかけたのは

今日で バイバイ だから

明日を捨てる為に飛び出した逃避行

片道分の切符で行けるとこまで行くの

どこにも居場所なんて無い私をこのまま

夜に置いてって 置いてって

不意に窓から見えた景色が暗闇に

気付いたあれはそうだきっと夜の海

出来心に手を引かれて降りた海辺の町

波の音にただ導かれるように歩く

誰かに呼ばれるように

近付いた海のほとり

ここにはひとり

もうこのままいっそ体をここに

なんて考えていた私の前に

突然現れた君は

月明かりの下

青白い肌

白のワンピース

「こんなとこで何しているの？」

なんて急に尋ねるから

言葉に詰まりながら

「海を、見に」

君は何かを取り出した

それは少し古い花火セット

そこで気付いた

彼女はコンクリートの上

裸足だった

今日で全部終わりにすると決めたから

きっと私があの世界に近付いたから

視えてしまった出会ってしまった

そんな君と二人で

花火の封を切った

なかなか点かない花火に火を近付けながら

私がここに来た理由を君は当ててみせた

そして何度もやめなよって

真剣な眼差しで言った

だけど

その瞬間この手の先で光が弾けた

思わず「点いた！」と二人で揃えて叫んでた

これでもかと輝く火花の

鋭い音が響いた 響いた

ゆっくり眺める暇もなく消えていく輝きを

もったいなくて最後の一瞬まで追いかけた

電車の窓から見えた

最後の太陽を惜しんだように

追いかけた

やっぱり 私

ねえ夜が明けたら君は

どこかへ消えてしまうのかな

夜の帳を抜け出して

朝の光で目が覚めた

隣を見ると当たり前のように眠る

君の姿

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
夜 /や/ A1	noun - night
海 /うみ/ A1	noun - sea
光 /ひかり/ A2	noun - light
景色 /けしき/ B1	noun - scenery
走る /はしる/ A2	verb - to run
町 /まち/ A2	noun - town
花火 /はなび/ B1	noun - fireworks
音 /おと/ A2	noun - sound
瞬間 /しゅんかん/ B2	noun - moment
決める /きめる/ B1	verb - to decide
姿 /すがた/ B2	noun - figure, appearance
明ける /あける/ B1	verb - to dawn, to break (day)
消える /きえる/ B1	verb - to disappear
追いかける /おいかける/ B1	verb - to chase, to pursue
思う /おもう/ A2	verb - to think

Key Grammar Structures

• 気付いたあれはそうだきっと夜の海

  ➔ Use of 〜だろう to express inference or assumption

  ➔ The phrase そうだきっと indicates the speaker's inference that 'that is probably the night sea'.

• 見る前に失うこともある

  ➔ Use of causative passive form 〜れる to indicate potential or possibility

  ➔ The phrase 見る前に失うこともある shows that 'before seeing, you might also lose'.

• 今日で全部終わりにすると決めたから

  ➔ Use of 〜にする to indicate decision or resolve

  ➔ The phrase 今日で全部終わりにすると決めたから expresses that 'because I decided to end everything today'.

• 体をここに なんて考えていた私の前に

  ➔ Use of 〜ていた to indicate a continuous past action or state

  ➔ The phrase なんて考えていた indicates that 'I was thinking such a thing'.

• やっぱり 私 ねえ夜が明けたら君は

  ➔ Use of やっぱり to express expectation or confirmation, and 〜たら to indicate conditional

  ➔ The phrase やっぱり 私 indicates the speaker's reaffirmation, and 〜たら sets a conditional clause that 'if the night dawns'.

• 光が弾けた

  ➔ Use of 〜た to indicate past tense of a verb

  ➔ The verb 弾けた is the past tense of 弾ける (to burst, to sparkle), indicating the fireworks exploded.