Here’s a sad, sweet song, one of my favorites for a long time. Some of the lyrics are represented by numbers; this is a trick of the Japanese language. Each number has a few ways of being pronounced, and you can often spell out meaningful words using just numbers. In the song we have 4649 (yon roku shi ku “yoroshiku”), 1818 (ichi ya ichi ya “iya iya”), and 1414 (ichi yon ichi yon “iyo iyo”). This trick is often used to make businesses’ phone numbers more memorable by turning them into some cute phrase.
| Japanese | Karaoke | English |
| 便箋歌 | binsenka | Stationery-Song |
| 今日はあなたに手紙を書きます あなたを見てきたわたしなりに ひどく照れくさいけどやってみます うまくいくかな？ どうぞ４６４９ね |
kyou wa anata ni tegami wo kakimasu anata wo mitekita watashi nari ni hidoku terekusai kedo yatte mimasu umaku iku ka na? douzo yo-ro-shi-ku ne |
Today I am writing you a letter As I, who have been watching you This is terribly awkward, but I’ll try I wonder how it will go? Please take it well |
| あなたはほんとにダメダメなひとね モタモタして遅刻してイライラして びくびくしてるくせになんとなく笑って いつまでもモヤモヤ抱えています |
anata wa honto ni dame dame na hito ne mota mota shite chikoku shite ira ira shite biku biku shiteru kuse ni nan to naku waratte itsu made mo moya moya kakaeteimasu |
You really are a hopeless person Lazy, late, and irritable Even though you’re scared, you somehow smile Always carrying around hazy doubts |
| そんなあなたでいてほしくない 願うわたしを忘れないで そんなあなたも好きでいたい この声は聞こえてますか？ |
sonna anata de ite hoshikunai, negau watashi wo wasurenaide sonna anata mo suki de itai, kono koe wa kikoetemasu ka? |
I don’t want you to be like that, don’t forget my wishes I want to like you as you are, can you hear this voice? |
| 昔のあなたを思い出してみましょう ブラバンの部長や学級委員長 人には言えない恥ずかしいエピソード かっこ悪いフラれかたもありましたね |
mukashi no anata wo omoidashite mimashou buraban no buchou ya gakkyuu iinchou hito ni wa ienai hazukashii episoodo kakkowarui furarekata mo arimashita ne |
Let’s try remembering the old you Head of the brass band, class representative The embarrassing episode you couldn’t tell anyone And then there was the humiliating way you got rejected |
| どんなあなたも受けとめたい 願うわたしを忘れないで どんなあなたも嫌いじゃない この声は届いていますか？ |
donna anata mo uketometai, negau watashi wo wasurenaide donna anata mo kirai ja nai, kono koe wa todoiteimasu ka? |
I want to accept you the way you are, don’t forget my wishes However you are I won’t hate you, is this voice reaching? |
| 「さて、あなたは、あいかわらずダメダメなひとね。 ハラハラさせられっぱなしで・・・困ったもんです。 マイペースとか、マイワールドとか・・・ それってきっと・・・うん、変われない自分への言い訳です。」 |
“sate, anata wa, aikawarazu dame dame na hito ne. hara hara saserareppanashi de… komatta mon desu. mai peesu to ka, mai waarudo to ka… sorette kitto… un, kawarenai jibun e no iiwake desu” |
“All right, you are, as always, a hopeless person. Always making my heart flutter… What a bother. My pace, my world, and so on… That’s probably… yeah, just an excuse to a self who can’t change” |
| 「とは言え、そんなあなたも、なかなかやっています。 まだ見ぬあなたに・・・期待しています。 あらゆることが、わたしたちをまっています。 ・・・・・はい、そろそろ腹をくくってみませんか？」 |
“to wa ie, sonna anata mo, naka naka yatteimasu. mada minu anata ni… kitai shiteimasu. arayuru koto ga, watashitachi wo matteimasu. ….. hai, soro soro hara wo kukutte mimasen ka?” |
“Even so, you are doing all right for yourself. I am looking forward to… the you I haven’t yet seen. Every last thing, is waiting for us. ….. yes, isn’t it about time we prepared ourselves?” |
| １８１８、ようやくここまで来たところです まだまだ、問題は山積みのままです １４１４、すべては始まったばかり まぁ、無駄なことなんてきっとないのでしょう こんな調子でなんとかやってゆきましょう それより早く子猫を飼いましょうよ |
iya iya, youyaku koko made kita tokoro desu mada mada, mondai wa yamadzumi no mama desu iyo iyo, subete wa hajimatta bakari maa, muda na koto nante kitto nai no deshou konna choushi de nan to ka yatte yukimashou sore yori hayaku koneko wo kaimashou yo |
No no, we’ve finally made it this far And still there are heaps of problems left Indeed, everything has just begun Well, I’m sure there won’t be anything we can’t handle Let’s just keep on going this way In fact, let’s hurry up, and get ourselves, a little kitten |