黒い猫の歌 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: back number
• Album: アンコール

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartfelt message of back number's “黒い猫の歌,” a song that delves into the search for identity and self-acceptance. Learn about Japanese culture and language through its touching lyrics and relatable themes, perfect for those exploring themes of identity and belonging.

[English]

It's inconvenient to live as I was born,

dyed by countless things and people.

Even the fact that my original color can't be seen

is repeated so many times that I forget.

Where is my true self?

What color is truly me?

The mixed color created by adding and mixing

may not be beautiful, but

...

Even if I climb to the roof of that house,

I can only see as far as the next town.

Do I need to climb higher to see?

Can't I get one thing at a time?

Where is my true self?

With a scowling face, I'm still searching

after a long time, but

is someone hiding it from me?

Ugly memories and times I don't want to forget

are not just painted with the same colors,

but somehow similar.

...

The idea of being myself

comes and goes, and I've been searching

and walking, leaving footprints

that tell my story.

My true self is here

overlapping my past and future,

red, yellow, blue, and all

mixed to create my one-of-a-kind color

...

[Japanese]

生まれたままじゃ生きてくのに不便で

数えきれない物や人に染まってゆく

もともとの色が見えなくなった事も

忘れるくらい何度も繰り返し

本当の自分はどこにいるんだ

僕らしいって何色なんだ

足して混ぜて出来たものが

綺麗な色じゃなくても

あの家の屋根に登ったところで

見渡せるのはせいぜい隣町くらいで

もっと高いとこに登らなきゃ見えないのかな

一人ひとつずつもらえるわけじゃないのか

本当の自分はどこにいるんだ

しかめっ面で迷いながら

長い事探してるけど

誰かが隠しているのかい

格好悪い思い出と忘れたくない時間

同じ絵の具で描いているだけじゃなく

どこか似てるよ

自分らしさなんてきっと

思いついたり流されたり

探し続けて歩いたその

足跡の話だから

本当の自分はここにいるんだ

今までにこれからを重ねて

赤も黄色も青も全部

混ぜて僕だけの色を

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
生まれた /umareta/ B1	verb - born
不便 /fuben/ B2	adjective - inconvenient
色 /iro/ A1	noun - color
探す /sagasu/ B1	verb - to search
思い出 /omoide/ B2	noun - memory
綺麗 /kirei/ B1	adjective - beautiful
登る /noboru/ B1	verb - to climb
高い /takai/ A2	adjective - high
時間 /jikan/ A1	noun - time
話 /hanashi/ A2	noun - story
自分 /jibun/ A1	noun - oneself
混ぜる /mazeru/ B1	verb - to mix
探し続ける /sagashitsuzukeru/ C1	verb - to continue searching
思いつく /omoitsuku/ B2	verb - to come up with

Key Grammar Structures

• 生まれたままじゃ生きてくのに不便で

  ➔ じゃ (ja) - Contraction of では, used for negative means or conditions (here, 'if' or 'without doing something').

  ➔ The particle 'じゃ' is used as a colloquial contraction of 'では', often to indicate a condition or state, especially in spoken language.

• 本当の自分はどこにいるんだ

  ➔ んだ (nda) - Sentence-ending explanatory particle used to emphasize or seek clarification.

  ➔ The ending 'んだ' (or its formal 'のだ') is used to provide explanations, seek clarification, or emphasize a statement.

• 何色なんだ

  ➔ なんだ (nanda) - Contraction of なのだ, used for emphasis or seeking clarification, often at the end of a question.

  ➔ The form 'なんだ' is a contracted form of 'なのだ', often used at the end of questions or statements for emphasis or clarification.

• 足して混ぜて出来たものが

  ➔ 足して (ashite) - te-form of 足す (to add), linking to another verb or phrase.

  ➔ The te-form '足して' allows connecting multiple verbs or actions smoothly, often translated as 'adding' or 'mixing' in context.

• 僕らしいって何色なんだ

  ➔ って (tte) - colloquial quoting particle, used to mark what someone thinks or says.

  ➔ The particle 'って' is used in casual speech to quote or indicate what someone has said or thought.

• 混ぜて僕だけの色を

  ➔ だけ (dake) - only, emphasizes exclusivity of 'mine'.

  ➔ The particle 'だけ' emphasizes exclusivity, meaning 'only' or 'just', here used to highlight 'my own color'.