銀の龍の背に乗って – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 中岛美雪

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and emotional journey with Miyuki Nakajima's "Gin no Ryū no Se ni Notte" (Riding on the Silver Dragon's Back). This deeply moving song, famous as the theme for "Dr. Koto's Clinic," offers a unique window into Japanese culture and the nuances of the language. Its poignant lyrics, emphasizing empathy and resilience, are beautifully crafted and rich in meaning, making it an excellent piece to explore poetic Japanese expressions and understand how emotions are conveyed through song. Dive into its gentle yet powerful melody and discover the heartfelt message that resonates with listeners, providing both language learners and music enthusiasts a special connection to Japanese artistry.

[English]

Beyond that pale sea

Someone is hurting right now

Like fledglings that can't yet fly

I lament my helplessness

Hurry, sorrow, become wings

Hurry, scar, become a compass

Like fledglings that can't yet fly

I lament my helplessness

Until a dream comes to welcome me

Yesterday I was just trembling and waiting

Tomorrow, I head to the dragon's feet

I'll climb the cliff and shout, "Come on, let's go."

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Let's head to deliver it to the desert of life

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Let's carry the vortex of rain clouds

Even after losing everything that could be lost

People still cling to someone else's finger

The reason we only have soft skin is

that people listen to each other's pain

Even wings that look like cotton

Hurry, sorrow, become wings

Hurry, scar, become a compass

Like fledglings that can't yet fly

I lament my helplessness

Even wings that look like cotton

Even unreliable claws like tree buds

Tomorrow, I head to the dragon's feet

I'll climb the cliff and shout, "Come on, let's go."

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Let's head to deliver it to the desert of life

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Let's carry the vortex of rain clouds

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Let's carry the vortex of rain clouds

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

[Japanese]

あの蒼ざめた海の彼方で

今まさに誰かが 傷んでいる

まだ飛べない雛たちみたいに

僕はこの非力を嘆いている

急げ悲しみ 翼に変われ

急げ傷跡 羅針盤になれ

まだ飛べない雛たちみたいに

僕はこの非力を嘆いている

夢が迎えに来てくれるまで

震えて待ってるだけだった昨日

明日 僕は龍の足元へ

崖を登り呼ぶよ「さあ行こうぜ」

銀の龍の背に乗って

届けに行こう 命の砂漠へ

銀の龍の背に乗って

運んで行こう 雨雲の渦を

失うものさえ失ってなお

人はまだ 誰かの指にすがる

柔らかな皮膚しかない理由は

人が人の傷みを聴くためだ

わたボコリみたいな翼でも

急げ悲しみ 翼に変われ

急げ傷跡 羅針盤になれ

まだ飛べない雛たちみたいに

僕はこの非力を嘆いている

わたボコリみたいな翼でも

木の芽みたいな頼りない爪でも

明日 僕は龍の足元へ

崖を登り呼ぶよ「さあ行こうぜ」

銀の龍の背に乗って

届けに行こう 命の砂漠へ

銀の龍の背に乗って

運んで行こう 雨雲の渦を

銀の龍の背に乗って

運んで行こう 雨雲の渦を

銀の龍の背に乗って

銀の龍の背に乗って

銀の龍の背に乗って

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
海 /umi/ A1	noun - sea, ocean
彼方 /kanata/ B2	noun - beyond, the other side
誰か /dareka/ A1	pronoun - someone, somebody
傷 /kizu/ A2	noun - wound, injury, scar
飛べ /tobe/ A1	verb - fly
雛 /hina/ B1	noun - chick, nestling, fledgling
非力 /hiryoku/ B2	noun - lack of strength, weakness
嘆 /nageki/ B1	verb - grieve, lament
悲しみ /kanashimi/ A2	noun - sadness, sorrow
翼 /tsubasa/ A2	noun - wing
傷跡 /kizuato/ B1	noun - scar, trace of a wound
羅針盤 /rashinban/ B2	noun - compass
夢 /yume/ A1	noun - dream
明日 /ashita/ A1	noun - tomorrow
龍 /ryuu/ A2	noun - dragon
崖 /gake/ B1	noun - cliff
砂漠 /sabaku/ B1	noun - desert
雨雲 /amakumo/ B1	noun - rain cloud
渦 /uzumaki/ B2	noun - whirlpool, vortex, swirl
皮膚 /hifu/ B2	noun - skin
理由 /riyuu/ A2	noun - reason
爪 /tsume/ A2	noun - claw, nail

Key Grammar Structures

• あの蒼ざめた海の彼方で

  ➔ Use of the particle で (de) to indicate location

  ➔ The particle 「で」 is used to indicate the location where the action takes place, here 'beyond the pale sea'.

• 今まさに誰かが 傷んでいる

  ➔ Use of the te-iru form (傷んでいる) to express a current state

  ➔ The te-iru form 「傷んでいる」 is used to describe a current state of being injured or in pain.

• 急げ悲しみ 翼に変われ

  ➔ Use of the imperative form (急げ) and volitional form (変われ)

  ➔ The imperative form 「急げ」 commands urgency, while the volitional form 「変われ」 expresses a strong desire for change.

• 夢が迎えに来てくれるまで

  ➔ Use of the te-kureru form (来てくれる) to express an action done for the speaker

  ➔ The te-kureru form 「来てくれる」 indicates that the dream is coming to meet the speaker, showing a favor or benefit to the speaker.

• 銀の龍の背に乗って

  ➔ Use of the ni-noru form (乗って) to express riding on something

  ➔ The ni-noru form 「乗って」 is used to express the action of riding on the back of the silver dragon.

• 人はまだ 誰かの指にすがる

  ➔ Use of the ni-sugaru form (すがる) to express clinging to something

  ➔ The ni-sugaru form 「すがる」 is used to express the action of clinging to someone's finger, symbolizing dependence.

• 柔らかな皮膚しかない理由は

  ➔ Use of the shika nai form (しかない) to express limitation

  ➔ The shika nai form 「しかない」 is used to express that there is only soft skin, indicating a limitation or lack of something else.

• わたボコリみたいな翼でも

  ➔ Use of the mite mo form (みたいな) for comparison

  ➔ The mite mo form 「みたいな」 is used to compare the wings to cotton crumbs, emphasizing their smallness or insignificance.