02 June 2016

Lyrics translation. 'suki to ka ja nakute' by Fujitani Miki

Original

太陽が眩しくて
瞬きしてただけなのにばかね
ウインクされたようで
ドキドキが消えない この胸から

「元気かよ」と背中めがけ
君の声が聞こえた時思わず

「見ればわかるじゃないのよ」なんてね
こんな時に言っちゃうのよ どうして
チャンス今日も見逃してゆく 夢の中でもないのに
別に好きとかじゃなくて あなたのことが
なぜか気になって仕方ないのよ

ラブレターくれた人は
君じゃないってこと知っているわ
残酷なほど クール に
「付き合えないわよ」と断ったの

「かわいそうじゃん、付き合いなよ」
君の声が聞こえた時 思ず

涙あふれてきたのよ 不思議ね
強いはずの私だと思って
君がおろおろして見ていた 影がのびてく歩道で
別に好きとかじゃなくて あなたのことが
なぜか気になって仕方ないのよ

涙あふれてきたのよ 不思議ね
強いはずの私だと思って
君がおろおろして見ていた 影がのびてく歩道で
別に好きとかじゃなくて あなたのことが
なぜか気になって仕方ないのよ

Translation

Since the sun was so bright
You just blinked, I know
But for a moment I felt like it was a wink
And my heartbeat won’t calm down

You call me from behind – ‘how are you?’
And when I hear your voice, unintentionally

‘As you can see, I’m okay’
Why do I say it in a moment like this?
I lose my chance today again, though I’m not inside a dream
It’s not that I love you, but
For some reason I can’t stop thinking about you

The person who sent me a love letter –
I know it’s not you, I do
So coolly that it’s almost cruel
‘I can’t date you’, I refused

‘I feel sorry for him, why don’t you give him a chance?’
When I heard your words, suddenly

Tears flowed down my face, I wonder why
You probably believed I was strong
So you became became worried, in a sidewalk where shadows grow taller
It’s not that I love you, but
For some reason I can’t stop thinking about you

Tears flowed down my face, I wonder why
You probably thought I was strong
And became worried, in a sidewalk where shadows grow taller
It’s not that I love you, but
For some reason I can’t stop thinking about you
_____
The reason why I love this song must be obvious - Kaoru is one of my favourite heroines among all anime heroines I've seen. However, I've heard many songs of good heroines that weren't anything special. In this case, the song itself is very attractive too. The lyrics create a very precise description of a situation, and I love how, though it is usual for Japanese songs, allegories make us imagine the story as seen by the author, for example in 'where shadows grow'.