記念撮影 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: BUMP OF CHICKEN

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the nostalgic world of BUMP OF CHICKEN's 記念撮影 (Kinen Satsuei), a song that beautifully captures the bittersweet essence of youth and friendship. By exploring its heartfelt lyrics, you'll gain insight into Japanese expressions of nostalgia, memory, and the passage of time, all while enjoying a captivating J-POP rock melody.

[English]

Breaking out from the chatter of purpose and reason

Into a place of time that can't be named

Fumbling and flying like a paper airplane

Watching as the sky's color changes

...

Heard a distant howl and a brake sound

Sat down with a bottle of Coke in between

Talk as much as you want, be silent as much as you like

Mimicking a vague melody together

It’s not that I don’t want to do what I like

I thought that was the case

When I try to remember, it's mostly smiles and sighs

Surely, they’re probably all I think about

It’s okay to remain lost

I believe we can go anywhere

You knew, I realized too

That I was caught in a disappearing magic

...

Repeating days similar to yesterday, just ordinary

Slowly, secretly, time was shaved off

Beyond blinking, there are many things

Overlooked or pretending to overlook

So close, yet I couldn’t touch it

Jokes and the silence hiding something

In my pocket, keys and crumpled receipts

Hiding awkward feelings buried inside

Frozen in wait, the shutter clicks

Line up before the lens

It’s so fun, sneaky, and then so bright

It was awfully dazzling, and now

Standing in a future that’s not just a dream

Still hurt the same as before

From the unmovable scenery on my palm

We’re watching ourselves

...

Surrounded by the noise of purpose and reason

Remembering, getting used to it, doing my best

I felt like I heard the distant howling and brake sounds again

Mimicking a vague melody alone

All that I can’t put into words

Like a paper airplane

Back then, we gazed at each other

And threw it into the world beyond the lens

Standing in a future that’s not just a dream

Even if my own yesterday piles up

From the unchanged scenery beneath that yesterday

It’s all connected to here

It’s okay to remain lost, I believe we can go anywhere

You were smiling, I was too

Towards the magic that ends

Towards the future I am in now

...

[Japanese]

目的や理由の ざわめきからはみ出した

名付けようのない 時間の場所に

紙飛行機みたいに ふらふら飛び込んで

空の色が 変わるのを見ていた

遠くに聞こえた 遠吠えとブレーキ

一本のコーラを 挟んで座った

好きなだけ喋って 好きなだけ黙って

曖昧なメロディー 一緒になぞった

やりたいことがない わけじゃない

はずだったと思うけど

思い出そうとしたら 笑顔と

ため息の事ばかり ねぇきっと

迷子のままでも大丈夫

僕らはどこへでも行けると思う

君は知っていた 僕も気付いていた

終わる魔法の中にいた事

昨日と似たような 繰り返しの普通に

少しずつこっそり 時間削られた

瞬きの向こうに いろいろいくつも

見落としたり 見落としたふりしたり

あれほど近くて だけど触れなかった

冗談と沈黙の奥の何か

ポケットには鍵と 丸めたレシートと

面倒な本音を つっこんで隠してた

固まって待った シャッター

レンズの前で並んで

とても楽しくて ずるくて

あまりに眩しかった そして今

想像じゃない未来に立って

相変わらず同じ怪我をしたよ

掌の上の 動かない景色の中から

僕らが僕を見ている

目的や理由の ざわめきに囲まれて

覚えて慣れて ベストを尽くして

聞こえた気がした 遠吠えとブレーキ

曖昧なメロディー 一人でなぞった

言葉に直せない 全てを

紙飛行機みたいに

あの時二人で 見つめた

レンズの向こうの世界へ 投げたんだ

想像じゃない未来に立って

僕だけの昨日が積み重なっても

その昨日の下の 変わらない景色の中から

ここまで繋がっている

迷子のままでも大丈夫 僕らはどこへでもいけると思う

君は笑っていた 僕だってそうだった

終わる魔法の外に向けて

今僕がいる未来に向けて

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
目的(mokuteki) /mokɯteki/ B2	noun - purpose, aim, goal, objective
理由(riyū) /ɾijɯː/ A2	noun - reason, cause
時間(jikan) /d͡ʑikaɴ/ A1	noun - time
場所(basho) /baʃo/ A2	noun - place, location
色(iro) /iɾo/ A1	noun - color
遠吠え(tōboe) /toːboe/ B2	noun - howl (of a dog, wolf, etc.)
笑顔(egao) /eɡao/ A2	noun - smiling face, smile
魔法(mahō) /mahoː/ B1	noun - magic, witchcraft, sorcery
昨日(kinō) /kinoː/ A1	noun - yesterday
普通(futsū) /ɸɯtsɯː/ A2	adjective - ordinary, normal, usual
本音(honne) /honne/ B2	noun - real intention, true motive
未来(mirai) /miɾai/ A2	noun - future
景色(keshiki) /keʃiki/ B1	noun - scenery, view
世界(sekai) /sekai/ A2	noun - world
繋がる(tsunagaru) /t͡sɯnaɡaɾɯ/ B1	verb - to be tied together; to be connected

Key Grammar Structures

• からはみ出した

  ➔ Expressing 'to protrude from' or 'to extend beyond' using 'から' + verb in the dictionary form + 'はみ出した'

  ➔ 'から' indicates the starting point or origin, and when combined with a verb in its dictionary form + 'はみ出した', it shows something protruding or crossing beyond a boundary.

• 見ていた

  ➔ Past continuous tense formed by the te-form + 'いた' to indicate an ongoing action in the past.

  ➔ '見ていた' uses the te-form + 'いた' to describe an action that was ongoing or continued in the past.

• 願っている

  ➔ Present continuous form of '願う' (to wish), expressed as '願っている', indicating ongoing wishing or desire.

  ➔ '願っている' uses the te-form of '願う' plus 'いる' to express a state of wishing that continues in the present.

• 見落としたり

  ➔ Use of the verb '見落とす' (to overlook) in the past tense + 'たり' to list multiple actions or states, implying non-exhaustiveness.

  ➔ '見落としたり' uses the past tense of '見落とす' plus 'たり' to enumerate actions that happened or could happen, indicating a non-complete list.

• 向けて

  ➔ Expresses the purpose or direction 'towards' something, using the particle '向けて' after a noun or verb.

  ➔ '向けて' is used to indicate the direction, goal, or purpose of an action, following a noun or verb.

• 投げたんだ

  ➔ Past tense of '投げる' (to throw) + the explanatory particle 'んだ' (短縮形 of 'のだ'), used to give reason or emphasis.

  ➔ '投げたんだ' combines the past tense of '投げる' with 'んだ' to emphasize the reason or background for the action, often in explanatory contexts.

• 僕らは僕を見ている

  ➔ Use of the pronoun '僕' (I, me) with the topic particle 'は' and the verb '見ている' (am watching), forming a sentence indicating 'We are watching myself.'

  ➔ '僕らは僕を見ている' uses '僕' with 'は' to mark the topic, and '見ている' as the present continuous form of 'to see/watch,' indicating self-reflective observation.