みなと – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: スピッツ
• Album: 41st single 『みなと』

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the gentle beauty of the Japanese language with Spitz's *Minato*. This poignant song, rich with evocative imagery and heartfelt emotion, offers a glimpse into the nuances of Japanese expression. Learn how the simple word for "harbor" can carry profound meaning as you explore themes of longing and hope through Spitz's signature melodic style.

[English]

I'm not boarding a ship, but I'm at the port

I stop in a gap filled with strangers

Gathering words I want to send to you, who has set off far away

Carrying a song stitched together

Even the dirty stray cats will eventually find kindness in the universe

I remember the mysterious light we gazed at together that day at dusk

It's a song I made to meet you once more

Today I sing at the rusty port

...

There are times when I lack courage, yet I'm at the port

I ponder the meaning of the fading cotton clouds

The evidence of you, who has traveled far, is gradually starting to blur

Closing my eyes, I start over from zero to a hundred

The passing smiles made me believe I could become like that too

The morning glow dyed the two of us in a cheap way, yawning and starting to run

It's an important song to meet you once more

Today I sing alone at the port

...

Even the dirty stray cats will eventually find kindness in the universe

I remember the mysterious light we gazed at together that day at dusk

It's a song I made to meet you once more

Today I sing at the rusty port, at the port, at the port

...

[Japanese]

船に乗るわけじゃなく だけど僕は港にいる

知らない人だらけの隙間で 立ち止まる

遠くに旅立った君に 届けたい言葉集めて

縫い合わせてできた歌ひとつ 携えて

汚れてる野良猫にも いつしか優しくなるユニバース

黄昏にあの日二人で 眺めた謎の光思い出す

君ともう一度会うために作った歌さ

今日も歌う 錆びた港で

勇気が出ない時もあり そして僕は港にいる

消えそうな綿雲の意味を 考える

遠くに旅立った君の 証拠も徐々にぼやけ始めて

目を閉じてゼロから百まで やり直す

すれ違う微笑たち 己もああなれると信じてた

朝焼けがちゃちな二人を染めてた あくびして走り出す

君ともう一度会うための大事な歌さ

今日も歌う 一人港で

汚れてる野良猫にも いつしか優しくなるユニバース

黄昏にあの日二人で 眺めた謎の光思い出す

君ともう一度会うために作った歌さ

今日も歌う 錆びた港で 港で 港で

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
港 /みなと/ A2	noun - port
歌 /うた/ A1	noun - song
君 /きみ/ A2	noun - you (informal)
旅立つ /たびだつ/ B1	verb - to depart on a journey
思い出す /おもいだす/ B1	verb - to remember
優しい /やさしい/ A2	adjective - kind
光 /ひかり/ A2	noun - light
証拠 /しょうこ/ B2	noun - evidence
微笑 /びしょう/ B2	noun - smile
勇気 /ゆうき/ B1	noun - courage
時 /とき/ A1	noun - time
大事 /だいじ/ B1	adjective - important
走る /はしる/ A2	verb - to run
考える /かんがえる/ B1	verb - to think
立ち止まる /たちどまる/ B2	verb - to stop (in one's tracks)
汚れる /よごれる/ B1	verb - to get dirty

Key Grammar Structures

• だけど僕は港にいる

  ➔ Conjunction だけど (da kedo) meaning "but" or "however".

  ➔ Used to contrast previous statement, expressing a contradiction.

• 遠くに旅立った君に

  ➔ The verb 旅立った is in past tense, indicating "departed".

  ➔ The verb 旅立つ (tabidatsu) means "to depart" or "to set out," here in past tense.

• 縫い合わせてできた歌

  ➔ The verb 縫い合わせて is in te-form, indicating a continuing or connecting action, meaning "sewn together".

  ➔ The te-form of 縫う (nuu) combined with て indicates linking actions or the result of sewing.

• 汚れてる野良猫にも いつしか優しくなるユニバース

  ➔ The phrase いつしか is a temporal adverb meaning "eventually" or "sooner or later."

  ➔ Indicates something happening after a period, meaning "eventually".

• 目を閉じてゼロから百まで やり直す

  ➔ The verb やり直す (yarinaosu) means "to redo" or "to start over."

  ➔ Yarinaosu is a compound verb meaning "to do again" or "to restart".

• すれ違う微笑たち 己もああなれると信じてた

  ➔ The verb 信じてた is the colloquial past form of 信じていた, meaning "believed".

  ➔ 信じてた is a contraction of 信じていた, meaning "believed" or "trusted".

• 港で 港で

  ➔ Repeated noun with で indicating the location where an action occurs.

  ➔ The particle で marks the location where the singing takes place, repeated for emphasis.