THE ANSWER – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: Hiroyuki Sawano, Laco
• Album: TVアニメ『８６―エイティシックス―』オリジナル・サウンドトラック

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic way to immerse yourself, and "THE ANSWER" by Hiroyuki Sawano and Laco offers a unique opportunity. Sung entirely in English, it allows you to connect with the powerful emotions and storyline of the acclaimed anime "86-EIGHTY-SIX" without a language barrier. This song is special because it encapsulates a pivotal, emotionally charged moment in the series, making the lyrics about resilience and the fight for humanity all the more impactful.

[English]

We've spent our lives in shadows

Good people off the radar

I see you now as the pressure builds

The doubts I had, looking back

I didn't understand your reason

You always asked me every season

When all the madness is over

What is... Your answer?

Where do we go? No need to know

Just keep moving, can we go back?

I'll cover you, you cover me

Pick it up! Keep your head up, pick it up!

You talk to me, I talk to you

It's gonna be our Xanadu!

Where do we go? Is it with you?

Your answer?

Yes, they lied to us

But I don't want to lay in the dirt

Yes, they lied to us

We still have a lot of work to do

First, we must defeat the legion

Then, show the world we're human

First, we must defeat the legion

Show the world we like it tough

So many dreams have been shattered

You saved us when it mattered

We still can't see how this story ends

When will you tell me your name?

I didn't understand your reason

You always asked me every season

When all the madness is over

What is... Your answer?

Where do we go? No need to know

Just keep moving, can we go back?

I'll cover you, you cover me

Pick it up! Keep your head up, pick it up!

You talk to me, I talk to you

It's gonna be our Xanadu!

Where do we go? Is it with you?

Your answer?

Yes, they lied to us

But I don't want to lay in the dirt

Yes, they lied to us

We still have a lot of work to do

First, we must defeat the legion

Then, show the world we're human

First, we must defeat the legion

Show the world we like it rough

Enough! Enough! Enough! Enough!

Enough! Enough! Enough! We're tough enough!

Enough! Enough! Enough! Enough!

Enough! Enough!

Your answer?

Where do we go? No need to know

Just keep moving, can we go back?

I'll cover you, you cover me

Pick it up! Keep your head up, pick it up!

You talk to me, I talk to you

It's gonna be our Xanadu!

Where do we go? Is it with you?

Your answer?

Yes, they lied to us

But I don't want to lay in the dirt

Yes, they lied to us

We still have a lot of work to do

First, we must defeat the legion

Then, show the world we're human

First, we must defeat the legion

Show the world we like it rough

...

[Japanese]

We've spent our lives in shadows

Good people off the radar

I see you now as the pressure builds

The doubts I had, looking back

I didn't understand your reason

You always asked me every season

When all the madness is all over

What is... Your answer?

Where do we go? Don't need to know

Just keep flow, can we go back?

I'll cover you, you cover me

Pick it up! Keep your head, pick it up!

You talk to me, I talk to you

It's gon' be our Xanadu!

Where do we go? Is it with you?

Your answer?

Yes, they lied to us

But I don't wanna nap in the dirt

Yes, they lied to us

We still got a lot of work

First, we must beat the legion

Then, show the world we're human

First, we must beat the legion

Show the world, we like it rough

So many dreams were shattered

You saved us when it mattered

We still can't see how this story ends

When shall you tell me your name?

I didn't understand your reason

You always asked me every season

When all the madness is all over

What is... Your answer?

Where do we go? Don't need to know

Just keep flow, can we go back?

I'll cover you, you cover me

Pick it up! Keep your head, pick it up!

You talk to me, I talk to you

It's gon' be our Xanadu!

Where do we go? Is it with you?

Your answer?

Yes, they lied to us

But I don't wanna nap in the dirt

Yes, they lied to us

We still got a lot of work

First, we must beat the legion

Then, show the world we're human

First, we must beat the legion

Show the world, we like it rough

Enough! Enough! Enough! Enough!

Enough! Enough! Enough! We're tough enough!

Enough! Enough! Enough! Enough!

Enough! Enough!

Your answer?

Where do we go? Don't need to know

Just keep flow, can we go back?

I'll cover you, you cover me

Pick it up! Keep your head, pick it up!

You talk to me, I talk to you

It's gon' be our Xanadu!

Where do we go? Is it with you?

Your answer?

Yes, they lied to us

But I don't wanna nap in the dirt

Yes, they lied to us

We still got a lot of work

First, we must beat the legion

Then, show the world we're human

First, we must beat the legion

Show the world, we like it rough

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shadow /ˈʃædoʊ/ B1	noun - a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface
pressure /ˈprɛʃər/ B2	noun - the continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it
madness /ˈmædnəs/ B2	noun - the state of being mentally ill, extremely foolish behavior
answer /ˈænsər/ A2	noun - a response to a question or situation
cover /ˈkʌvər/ B1	verb - to place something over or upon, to protect or conceal
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
work /wɜrk/ A1	noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result
human /ˈhjuːmən/ A2	noun - a person
legion /ˈliːdʒən/ C1	noun - a large group of soldiers or a large number of people
tough /tʌf/ B2	adjective - strong enough to withstand adverse conditions or rough handling
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or set of words by which a person or thing is known
season /ˈsiːzən/ A2	noun - a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight
back /bæk/ A1	adverb - to or toward the rear; in the opposite direction
pick /pɪk/ A1	verb - to choose or select
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to speak in order to give information or express ideas or feelings
see /siː/ A1	verb - to perceive with the eyes

Key Grammar Structures

• We've spent our lives in shadows

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ The phrase "We've spent" uses the **present perfect** to describe an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past and continues to have relevance now.

• Good people off the radar

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ The phrase "off the radar" is a **prepositional phrase** indicating that these good people are out of sight or not easily noticed or tracked.

• The doubts I had, looking back

  ➔ Participial phrase

  ➔ The phrase "looking back" is a **participial phrase** that provides additional information about reflecting on past events.

• You always asked me every season

  ➔ Adverbial phrase of frequency

  ➔ The phrase "You always asked" uses an **adverb of frequency** to indicate that the action of asking happened repeatedly and regularly.

• When all the madness is all over

  ➔ Temporal clause

  ➔ The phrase "When all the madness is all over" is a **temporal clause** indicating the time at which something will happen, i.e., after the chaos ends.

• I'll cover you, you cover me

  ➔ Future simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "I'll cover" uses **future simple tense** with "will" to express a promise or intended action in the future.

• First, we must beat the legion

  ➔ Modal verb + base verb

  ➔ The phrase "we must beat" uses the **modal verb "must"** followed by the base form of the verb to express necessity or obligation.

• Show the world we're human

  ➔ Contraction with subject and verb

  ➔ The phrase "we're" is a **contraction** of "we are", combining the subject and the verb into a shorter form.