なにも知らない – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: PUNPEE

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical world of PUNPEE, a Japanese hip-hop artist known for his clever wordplay and relatable themes. While there isn't a song explicitly titled 'なにも知らない' (Nani mo Shiranai), exploring his tracks like 'Operation: Multiverse of Love' offers a fantastic opportunity to grasp subtle nuances of Japanese, including casual phrases like '知らんけど' (shiran kedo - 'I don't know, but...'). His unique blend of humor, introspection, and pop culture references makes his music a special way to connect with contemporary Japanese expression.

[English]

Why we cross paths,

we know nothing at all.

When we will meet,

we never truly know.

Where have you been? How have you lived?

Beneath a distant sky,

two separate stories.

The vertical thread is you,

the horizontal thread is me.

The fabric we weave might someday

warm someone.

Why we go on living,

the lingering sting from days we wandered.

Running, chasing after dreams,

the lingering sting from days we stumbled.

What will these threads become?

Feeling so unsure,

trembling in the wind.

The vertical thread is you,

the horizontal thread is me.

The fabric we weave might someday

mend someone's wounds.

The vertical thread is you,

the horizontal thread is me.

To finally meet the threads we were meant to,

people call that happiness.

[Japanese]

なぜめぐり逢うのかを

私たちはなにも知らない

いつめぐり逢うのかを

私たちはいつも知らない

どこにいたの生きてきたの

遠い空の下

二つの物語

縦の糸はあなた

横の糸は私

織りなす布はいつか誰かを

暖めるかもしれない

なぜ生きてゆくのかを

迷った日の跡のささくれ

夢追いかけ走って

転んだ日の跡のささくれ

こんな糸がなんになるの

心許なくて

ふるえてた風の中

縦の糸はあなた

横の糸は私

織りなす布はいつか誰かの

傷をかばうかもしれない

縦の糸はあなた

横の糸は私

逢うべき糸に出逢えることを

人は仕合わせと呼びます

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
糸 /ito/ A2	noun - thread, string, yarn
めぐり逢う /meɡuɾiau/ B1	verb - to meet by chance, to encounter (especially by fate or destiny)
知る /ɕiɾu/ A1	verb - to know, to be aware of, to understand
生きる /ikiɾu/ A1	verb - to live, to exist, to survive
織りなす /oɾinasu/ B1	verb - to weave, to interweave, to compose, to form (something complex)
布 /nuno/ A2	noun - cloth, fabric, textile
物語 /monoɡataɾi/ A2	noun - story, tale, narrative, legend
遠い /toːi/ A1	adjective - far, distant, remote
空 /soɾa/ A1	noun - sky, heavens, atmosphere
夢 /jume/ A1	noun - dream, aspiration, vision
ささくれ /sasakuɾe/ B1	noun - splinter, fray, hangnail
心許ない /kokoɾomoto nai/ B2	adjective - uneasy, anxious, unreliable, precarious, uncertain
傷 /kizu/ A2	noun - wound, injury, scratch, flaw, damage
仕合わせ /ɕiawase/ B1	noun - happiness, good fortune, destiny, luck (often in a traditional or literary context, synonymous with 幸せ)
縦 /tate/ A2	noun - vertical, length, height
横 /joko/ A2	noun - horizontal, width, side
暖める /atatamɛɾu/ A2	verb - to warm (up), to heat (up)
かばう /kabaɯ/ B1	verb - to protect, to cover, to shield, to defend
人 /hito/ A1	noun - person, human being, people
呼ぶ /jobu/ A1	verb - to call, to summon, to invite, to name

Key Grammar Structures

• なぜめぐり逢うのかを

  ➔ V-のかを (Nominalization of a question for object)

  ➔ The structure 「V-のか」 is used to embed a question as a noun clause. The particle 「を」 marks this noun clause as the direct object of the verb that follows (e.g., 「知らない」). This structure makes the question itself the object of knowledge or inquiry. Highlight: 「なぜめぐり逢う**のかを**」

• どこにいたの生きてきたの

  ➔ V-たの (Informal, reflective question ending) & V-てきた (Continuation/Accumulation of action over time)

  ➔ The particle 「の」 at the end of a sentence makes it a softer, more reflective or inquisitive question, often used when talking to oneself or expressing wonder. 「V-てきた」 indicates an action that started in the past and has continued up to the present, or an accumulation of experiences. Highlight: 「どこにいた**の**生きてき**たの**」

• 織りなす布はいつか誰かを暖めるかもしれない

  ➔ V-るかもしれない (Expressing possibility) & Verb-modifying Noun (連体修飾)

  ➔ 「V-るかもしれない」 means 'might/may V' or 'it is possible that V.' It expresses a degree of uncertainty. 「織りなす布」 demonstrates a verb (織りなす) directly modifying a noun (布) to describe its characteristic or action, a common structure for relative clauses. Highlight: 「暖める**かもしれない**」 and 「**織りなす**布」

• なぜ生きてゆくのかを

  ➔ V-てゆく (Progression into the future / Gradual change)

  ➔ 「V-てゆく (V-te iku)」 indicates that an action or state is continuing into the future, moving away from the speaker, or describes a gradual change or development over time. Highlight: 「生きて**ゆく**のかを」

• 迷った日の跡のささくれ

  ➔ V-た N (Verb modifying Noun in past tense) & NのNのN (Multiple genitive particles)

  ➔ 「V-た N」 is a common structure where the past tense form of a verb directly modifies a noun, describing a noun that has undergone the action. The repeated use of 「の」 (NのNのN) creates a complex noun phrase by linking several nouns, showing possession or relationship. Highlight: 「**迷った**日」 and 「日の**跡の**ささくれ」

• 夢追いかけ走って

  ➔ 連用形接続 (Continuative form connection)

  ➔ 「追いかけ」 is the continuative form (連用形) of the verb 「追いかける」. This form can directly precede another verb (like 「走って」), indicating sequential actions, means, or even a nuanced poetic connection, often found in literary or formal contexts where the 「て」 particle might be omitted for conciseness or stylistic effect. Highlight: 「追いかけ**走って**」

• 心許なくて

  ➔ Adj-くて (Te-form of i-adjective for cause/reason or sequential state)

  ➔ The 「-くて」 form of an i-adjective connects it to a following clause, often indicating a reason/cause or a sequential state. Here, it means 'because [one's heart was] unreliable/vulnerable...' or 'being unreliable/vulnerable, and then...' Highlight: 「心許な**くて**」

• 逢うべき糸に出逢えることを 人は仕合わせと呼びます

  ➔ V-べき (Expressing obligation/appropriateness) & V-れる (Potential form) & V-こと (Nominalization) & XをYと呼ぶ (Calling X Y)

  ➔ 「V-べき」 means 'should V' or 'ought to V,' indicating something that is proper, necessary, or expected. 「V-れる」 is the potential form, meaning 'can V' or 'be able to V.' 「V-こと」 nominalizes the verb phrase, turning 'to be able to meet' into 'the act of being able to meet.' 「XをYと呼ぶ」 is a common pattern meaning 'to call X Y.' Highlight: 「逢う**べき**」, 「出逢え**ることを**」, 「仕合わせ**と呼びます**」