置き手紙 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: Vaundy

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Japanese through Vaundy's 'Okitegami' offers a unique opportunity to explore poetic and emotional language. The song's central theme of immortal love and loss is expressed through beautiful and complex lyrics, such as the recurring phrase '魔法の言葉' (magic words). The narrative style of the lyrics, which tells a complete story, makes it an engaging way to learn new vocabulary and grammatical structures. The song's emotional depth, combined with its compelling story, provides a rich context for understanding the nuances of the Japanese language.

[English]

That was

Years ago

A long time ago

Let me tell you

A long story

...

I was planning to

Stop here

I didn't really mean to

Go see you

Not really

Today looks like a nice day

A clear night with no clouds

Let's go look at the stars

You smiled with that clueless look, right?

So even if our days break and fall apart

Just say it

What I want to tell you now is

Like magic words that let us understand each other

What I want to tell you now is

Magic words that drown out even cold love

That I’ll tell you tomorrow

魔法の言葉

明日こそ君に伝えにいこう

If lingering feelings don’t fade away here

And if I ever fall into an immortal sickness

That’s just a,

Relaxed, binding feeling, like a shackle

The warmth, the tide,

It would turn toward you

Today too, smile with that innocent face

Even if I choke, writhe, tremble

I’ll say it

What I want to tell you now is

Like magic words that let us understand each other

Magic words that drown out even cold love

That I’ll chant by tomorrow

Unstoppable, overflowing feelings that grow with every breath

If there’s an immortal sickness

Oh, let’s stop already

Without speaking out

‘Until we rot away, together as two’

What I want to tell you

Like magic words that let us understand each other

That drown out even cold love

Magic words

By tomorrow, I’ll have it all spoken

Feelings born from every breath

Overflowed and grew

If there’s an immortal sickness

Oh, let’s stop already

Without saying a word

‘Until we rot away, together as two’

What I want to say

Are these the words of two rotten souls

...

[Japanese]

あれは

何年前の話だ

ずいぶん

前の長い話だ

話そう

これで

やめる腹積りだったんだ

会いに行くつもりは

別になかったさ

今日は

天気がいいみたいだ

雲一つない夜だ

星を見にいこう

君は何も知らない顔で笑ってくれたよね

だから僕らの日々が、壊れ、崩れていこうとも

言っちゃいな

今伝えたいことが

僕たちが僕たちを思い合えるような

魔法の言葉

今伝えたいことが

無愛想な愛情もかき消すような

魔法の言葉

明日こそ君に伝えにいこう

『未練がここで消えずに

もしも私が不死の病にかかったら』

なんてそれは

ゆるい、金縛りみたいに絡み

暖かい、君の方に潮は

変わってた

今日も何も知らない顔で笑ってくれよね

たとえ息が詰まり、悶え、震えていようとも

言っちゃうわ

今伝えたいことが

僕たちが僕たちを思い合えるような

魔法の言葉

今伝えたいことが

無愛想な愛情もかき消すような

魔法の言葉

明日までに唱えきるよ

綴りきれない

呼吸の数だけ生えた思いは

溢れ育ってた

不死の病がもしあるなら

あぁ、もうやめよう

口に出さずに

『腐りきるまで、別てぬ二人で』

その伝えたいことは

僕たちが僕たちを思い合えるような

魔法の言葉

この伝えたいことが

無愛想な愛情もかき消すような

魔法の言葉

なんて腐りきった二人の話

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
話 /hanashi/ A2	noun - talk, story, tale
思い /omoi/ B1	noun - thought, feeling, mind
伝えたい /tsutaetai/ B2	verb - want to tell, want to convey
魔法 /mahō/ B2	noun - magic
愛情 /aijō/ B2	noun - love, affection
笑って /waratte/ A2	verb - to laugh
壊れ /koware/ B2	verb - to break, to be broken
崩れ /kuzure/ B2	verb - to collapse, to crumble
聞き /kiki/ A2	verb - to listen, to hear
見に /mi ni/ A2	verb - to see, to look at
伝える /tsutaeru/ B2	verb - to convey, to tell
信じ /shinjiru/ B1	verb - to believe
知る /shiru/ A2	verb - to know

Key Grammar Structures

• 何年前の話だ

  ➔ noun + の + noun + だ (da) as a copula to indicate a state or explanation

  ➔ Using の between nouns connects them and だ serves as the copula to state or explain the relationship.

• あれは何年前の話だ

  ➔ の + 話だ (hanashi da) to indicate a narration or story belonging to a time period

  ➔ The structure の + 話だ indicates that the preceding noun refers to a story or account related to a specific time.

• やめる腹積りだったんだ

  ➔ Verb + ため (tame) expressing purpose or intention

  ➔ The verb in its plain form followed by ため indicates an intention or purpose related to the action.

• 無愛想な愛情もかき消すような

  ➔ ような (yō na) to indicate similarity or manner

  ➔ The phrase ような is used to describe something that resembles or has the manner of the noun it modifies.

• 無愛想な愛情もかき消すような

  ➔ も (mo) to indicate 'also' or emphasis, used here to include 'cold-hearted love'

  ➔ The particle も adds emphasis or inclusiveness, suggesting that even 'cold-hearted love' can be erased or overwhelmed.

• 今日も何も知らない顔で笑ってくれよね

  ➔ も (mo) to indicate 'also' or 'even' in context with 今日 (today)

  ➔ The particle も indicates that the action or state applies even in the context of today, emphasizing continuity or persistence.