PLAYERS – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: YOASOBI

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the electrifying world of YOASOBI's "PLAYERS," a song that masterfully blends the thrill of video games with a powerful message of resilience. Through its J-pop sound and game-inspired lyrics, you can explore everyday Japanese phrases related to overcoming challenges and finding new beginnings. The song's energetic chants and relatable themes make it a unique and engaging way to experience the language while celebrating the universal joy of play and personal growth.

[English]

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy! Yeah!

Today, I hang my head, now that it’s begun

Every day feels predictable, I’ve known it all along

Just going through the motions

It’s not like I could do it from the start

Deep in my memories, it’s ingrained

Still captivated by the hero who saved the world

I remain under their spell

Fate divided by a split-second decision

My grip is sweaty

I kept staring intently at the map I’d spread out

Those days

One more time, one more time

If only we could start over from the beginning

One more time, one more time

We’re still the same as when we last saved

One more time, one more time

I let go of my grip and grew up

Just one more time, that’s all I need

Enter a new name

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on my legacy! Yeah!

...

Dreams, love, hope

You were always

Right there

Teaching me

Unfairness, despair

Ah, we’ve overcome them with you

Countless times

One more time, one more time

If only we could redo it from the start

One more time, one more time

We could do something even greater than now

But you know, you’d never say that

One more time, one more time, come on

Choose to continue

選ぶコンテニュー

真のエンドロールまで

One more time, one more time

Choose me, no one else

One more time, one more time

Now, save this moment and connect it to tomorrow

One more time, one more time

We’re the heroes, bravely moving forward

Just one more time, that’s all I need

Believe in this name

Dreams, love, hope

Joy, always

I’ve chosen them with my own hands

At the end of the journey

Unfairness, despair

Even this worry

Thinking of you

I can overcome it

The days of adventure we’ve loved

Will always be with us

Let’s keep going

Now, let’s continue the story

...

[Japanese]

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy! Yeah!

起動した今日に俯いた

いつからか分かりきった毎日を

こなしている

はじめからなんて出来ない

記憶の奥染み付いた

世界を救い出したヒーローに

今も魅せられたままでいる

一瞬の判断が分つ運命に

握る手が汗ばむ

広げた地図を 真剣に見つめ続けていた

あの日々よ

もう一回 もう一回

はじめから始められたら

もう一回 もう一回

あの時セーブしたままの僕らは

もう一回 もう一回

握る手を離し 大人になった

もう一回 もう一回だけでいいから

新しい名前を入れて

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on the legacy!

Play on! You and me!

Set on my legacy! Yeah!

夢も愛も希望も

いつも君が

そこにいた君が

教えてくれた

理不尽も絶望も

嗚呼 僕らは何度も君と

乗り越えてきた

もう一回 もう一回

はじめからやり直せたら

もう一回 もう一回

今よりずっと凄いこと出来るって

でもね 絶対に

君ならきっとそんなこと言わない

もう一回 もう一回 ほら

選ぶコンテニュー

真のエンドロールまで

もう一回 もう一回

誰でもない僕を選んで

もう一回 もう一回

さあ 今をセーブして明日へと繋げ

もう一回 もう一回

勇ましく進む僕らがヒーロー

もう一回 もう一回だけでいいから

この名前を信じて

夢も愛も希望も

喜びもいつも

この手で選んできた

旅路の先にあった

理不尽も絶望も

この憂いもきっと

君を想えば

乗り越えられる

僕らが愛してきた

冒険の日々は

ずっと共にある

さあ つづきを行こう

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in an activity for enjoyment noun - an activity engaged in for enjoyment
legacy /ˈleɡəsi/ B2	noun - something left or handed down from a predecessor
today /təˈdeɪ/ A1	noun - the present day
hero /ˈhɪərəʊ/ B1	noun - a person admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal verb - to experience dreams during sleep
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection.
hope /həʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to verb - to give a name to
journey /ˈdʒɜːrni/ B1	noun - an act of traveling from one place to another
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth and all of its countries and people
end /end/ A2	noun - a final point in time or space
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of 24 hours
me /miː/ A1	pronoun - used by a speaker to refer to himself or herself as the object of a verb or preposition.
you /juː/ A1	pronoun - used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is addressing.
future /ˈfjuːtʃər/ A2	noun - the time or a period of time following the moment of speaking or writing; the time yet to come.
now /naʊ/ A1	adverb - at the present time or moment.

Key Grammar Structures

• 起動した今日に俯いた

  ➔ Past Tense (した) with に indicating time

  ➔ The verb 起動した (kidou shita - started up/booted) is in the past tense, indicating an action that already happened. に marks the time 'today (今日)' when the action of 俯いた (utsumuita - looked down) occurred. Literally 'On the today that started up, I looked down.'

• はじめからなんて出来ない

  ➔ なんて (nante) - expressing something is not possible/unexpected

  ➔ なんて emphasizes the impossibility or disbelief of being able to do something 'from the beginning (はじめから)'. It adds a nuance of 'how could anyone possibly...' or 'it's impossible to...'.

• 記憶の奥染み付いた

  ➔ Adjective + 付いた (tsuita): verb 'tsuku' in past form, expressing something stuck to something (literally or figuratively)

  ➔ 染み付いた (shimi tsuita) means 'stained' or 'ingrained'. Here, it describes something that has deeply ingrained itself in the depths of memory (記憶の奥 - kioku no oku).

• 一瞬の判断が分つ運命に

  ➔ が (ga) used to indicate the subject of a clause

  ➔ 一瞬の判断が (isshun no handan ga) - 'An instant's judgement' is the subject performing the action of 分つ (wakatsu - divides/separates) the destiny (運命 - unmei). The が particle marks 判断 (handan - judgement) as the subject of this part of the sentence.

• 握る手を離し 大人になった

  ➔ Verb (連用形 - ren'youkei) + ～し (shi) – Listing reasons or performing actions in sequence

  ➔ 離し (hanashi - released) is the ren'youkei (continuative form) of the verb 離す (hanasu - to release). The ～し connects this action ('released the hand that was holding') with the next action ('became an adult'), showing they happened sequentially or are related reasons.

• 誰でもない僕を選んで

  ➔ ない (nai) - negation of verb/adj

  ➔ 誰でもない (daredemo nai) - literally 'not anyone', implying 'no one else' or 'someone unique', 'not just anybody'. The て(te) form connects this idea to the verb 選んで (erande - choose/select).