HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: back number
• Album: MAGIC

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in the heartfelt world of Japanese rock with back number's 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY.' This melancholic yet beautiful J-Pop ballad offers a unique lens into the nuances of unrequited love, making it an excellent song for language learners. Its clear vocals and emotionally rich lyrics provide an authentic way to understand Japanese expressions of longing and sentiment. By exploring its verses, you'll not only connect with its universal theme but also deepen your grasp of colloquialisms and emotional vocabulary in Japanese.

[English]

Before I knew it, the date had changed

I wonder why we grow older

Even though I can’t grow taller anymore

I jumped up at the sound of a message, but I lost out

Thought it was you

By some mistake or error

Could you possibly like me back?

No matter where you are, without you

The air feels thin, you know

I can come up with silly stories, but

I just can’t find a reason to hold you close

Oh, I see, that’s right

Happy Birthday, to my unrequited love

...

I don’t really know what love is, but

Maybe I know the pain that comes with the word ‘love’ better

I want to tell you, but in the end

I guess I’m the one learning this

If today ends as it is and tomorrow comes

I wonder if we can close this distance that never shrinks

Exchanging words that are just games or tug-of-war

I wish I could call you by a simpler name

Nothing can really end, but

Repeating boring words,

Continuing a story that probably doesn’t even make sense

In a selfish daily life

Happy Birthday

I just want to hear you say it

I can come up with silly stories, but

I just can't find a reason to hold you close

Oh, I see, that’s right

Happy Birthday, to my unrequited love

Happy Birthday, to my unrequited love

...

[Japanese]

いつの間にやら日付は変わって

なんで年って取るんだろう

もう背は伸びないくせに

着信の音で飛び起きたけど損したな

君かと思ったのに

何かの手違いで

好きになってくれないかな

どうにも君のいない場所は

空気が薄くてさ

くだらない話は思い付くのに

君を抱き締めていい理由だけが見付からない

ああそうか そうだよな

ハッピーバースデー 片想いの俺

愛が何かは知らないけれど

好きと言う名前の痛みになら詳しいかも

君にも教えてあげたいけれど結局

教わるのは俺だろう

このまま今日が終わり明日が来れば

いつになっても縮まらないこの距離を

駆け引きにも綱引きにもならないやり取りを

もっと単純な名前で呼んであげられるよ

何ひとつ終われないけど

つまらない言葉の繰り返しで

つじつまもきっと合ってない物語の続きに

ひとりよがりの毎日に

ハッピーバースデー

君に言って欲しいだけ

くだらない話は思い付くのに

君を抱き締めていい理由だけが見付からない

ああそうか そうだよな

ハッピーバースデー 片想いの俺

ハッピーバースデー 片想いの俺

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
日付 /ひづけ/ A2	noun - date
年 /ねん/ A1	noun - year
背 /せ/ B1	noun - height
音 /おと/ A1	noun - sound
君 /きみ/ A2	noun - you (informal)
手違い /てちがい/ B2	noun - mistake
理由 /りゆう/ B1	noun - reason
愛 /あい/ A2	noun - love
痛み /いたみ/ B1	noun - pain
距離 /きょり/ B2	noun - distance
物語 /ものがたり/ B2	noun - story
毎日 /まいにち/ A1	noun - every day
話 /はなし/ A1	noun - talk, story
言葉 /ことば/ A2	noun - word, language
片想い /かたおもい/ B2	noun - unrequited love

Key Grammar Structures

• なんで年って取るんだろう

  ➔ Why do we '...' (question form using んだろう)

  ➔ The sentence uses the question form with んだろう to express curiosity or speculation.

• 好きになってくれないかな

  ➔ I wonder if you '...' (asking for a favor or hope using くれないかな)

  ➔ This sentence uses the form くれないかな to express hoping or wondering if someone can do something for the speaker.

• ～は思い付くのに

  ➔ Although I '...' (contrast between thoughts and action)

  ➔ The phrase ～は思い付くのに is used to contrast thinking or ideas with actual actions or outcomes.

• このまま今日が終わり明日が来れば

  ➔ If '...' (conditional clause using ば)

  ➔ The phrase uses the conditional form ば to describe a hypothetical situation where if today ends and tomorrow comes, then something follows.

• もっと単純な名前で呼んであげられるよ

  ➔ Can call you by a more simple name (potential form)

  ➔ The phrase uses the potential form 〜あげられる to express the ability or possibility of calling someone by a simpler name.

• ひとりよがりの毎日に

  ➔ In an overly self-centered '...' (possessive and noun + の)

  ➔ The phrase uses の to connect a noun describing an attitude ('ひとりよがり') with '毎日', indicating a possessive or attributive relationship.

• 何ひとつ終われないけど

  ➔ Cannot '...' at all (negative potential form)

  ➔ This phrase uses the negative potential form わない to express inability to do something at all.