ファイト!
Fight!
中島 みゆき
Miyuki Nakajima
Released in May 1994, this is her 31st single. This is definitely an "応援歌 Oh-enka", a cheer-up song but the lyrics are a little complicated. This song seems like a pep-up song for your own self.
When we say "ファイト Fight!", it means to cheer up the person. It means similar to "頑張れ Gambare", "頑張って Gambatte". We are not forcing the person to win but hoping him/her to do their best.
covered by Takuro Yoshida
Any comment about this blog is highly appreciated. Requests to pick up any singer or song are always welcome!
<Lyrics>
Japanese
Japanese pronunciation
English translation
*Re-edited on 2021/12/11
あたし 中 卒 や から ね 仕事 を
Atashi chu-sotsu ya kara ne shigoto wo
"Because I'm only a middle-school graduates,
もらわれ へん の や と 書いた
moraware hen no ya to kaita
I can't get any job", she wrote,
女の子 の 手紙 の 文字 は
onnanoko no tegami no moji wa
Her handwriting
とがり ながら ふるえて いる
togari nagara furuete iru
looked so sharp yet shaky
ガキ の くせ に と
gaki no kuse ni to
"You are just a kid (Don't get ahead of yourself)", 頬 を 打たれ
hoho wo utare
they were yelled at and got slapped on the cheek
少年 たち の 眼 が 年 を とる
shonen tachi no me ga toshi wo toru
the eyes of those boys were grown to look older
悔しさ を 握り しめ すぎた
kuyashisa wo nigiri shime sugita
Clenching too tightly the frustration
こぶし の 中 爪 が 突き 刺さる
kobushi no naka tsume ga tsuki-sasaru
their fingernails poked into the fist私 本当 は 目撃 したん です
watashi hontou wa mokugeki shitan desu
"Actually, I saw the incident with my own eyes
昨日 電車 の 駅 階段 で
kinou densha no eki kaidan de
yesterday at the stairs of a train station
ころがり 落ちた 子供 と
korogari-ochita kodomo to
a child tumbled out of the stairs
つき とばした 女 の うす 笑い
tsuki-tobashita onna no usu-warai
and a woman with a thin smile who pushed the child
私 驚いて しまって
watashi odoroite shimatte
I was so shocked
助け も せず 叫び も しなかった
tasuke mo sezu sakebi mo shinakatta
I didn't call for help or shout
ただ 怖くて 逃げ ました
tada kowakute nige mashita
I just got scared and ran away
私 の 敵 は 私 です
watashi no teki wa watashi desu
My enemy is myself"ファイト！ 闘う 君 の 歌 を
Fight! tatakau kimi no uta wo
Fight! The song of you, the fighter,
闘わない 奴等 が 笑う だろう
tatakawanai yatsura ga warau darou
Those who doesn't fight may laugh at
ファイト！ 冷たい 水 の 中 を
Fight! tsumetai mizu no naka wo
Fight! against a cold stream
Fight! against a cold stream
ふるえ ながら のぼって ゆけ
furue nagara nobotte yuke
you may tremble and yet, keep on climbing up暗い 水 の 流れ に 打たれ ながら
kurai mizu no nagare ni utare nagara
Fighting against the stream of dark water
魚 たち のぼって ゆく
sakana tachi nobotte yuku
fishes were climbing up the stream
光って いる の は 傷ついて
hikatte iru no wa kizutsuite
They look shining in the water, because they were hurt
はがれ かけた 鱗 が 揺れる から
hagare kaketa uroko ga yureru kara
and their almost fallen scales were dancing in the water
いっそ 水 の 流れ に 身 を 任せ
isso mizu no nagare ni mi wo makase
Maybe letting the stream lead their way
流れ 落ちて しまえば 楽 なのに ね
nagare-ochite shimaeba raku nanoni ne
and floating down the river, it may be much easier but
やせ こけて そんな に やせ こけて
yase-kokete sonna ni yase-kokete
even though they get skinnier and thinner
魚 たち のぼって ゆく
sakana tachi nobotte yuku
fishes keep on striving to climb up the river against the stream勝つ か 負ける か それ は わから ない
katsu ka makeru ka sore wa wakara nai
They don't know if they win or lose
それ でも とにかく 闘い の
sore demo tonikaku tatakai no
Nonetheless, of a battle
出場 通知 を 抱き しめて
syutsujyou tsuuchi wo daki-shimete
the entry application, he grasped it tightly
あいつ は 海 に なり ました
aitsu wa umi ni nari mashita
he became the ocean**Interpretation:
He entered into the race (become a member of the society)
He stood at the starting point(he was born)
ファイト！ 闘う 君 の 歌 を
Fight! tatakau kimi no uta wo
Fight! The song of you, the fighter, 闘わない 奴等 が 笑う だろう
tatakawanai yatsura ga warau darou
Those who doesn't fight may laugh atファイト！ 冷たい 水 の 中 を
Fight! tsumetai mizu no naka wo
Fight! against a cold stream
Fight! against a cold stream
ふるえ ながら のぼって ゆけ
furue nagara nobotte yuke
you may tremble and yet, keep on climbing up薄情 もん が 田舎 の 町 に
hakujyou-mon ga inaka no machi ni
"You are so cold-hearted to do such things to your hometown
あと 足 で 砂 ば かける* って 言われて さ
ato-ashi de suna ba kakeru tte iwarete sa
Are you trying to throw sands on your rear foot?", so I was told
出て いく なら お前 の
dete iku nara omae no
"If you are leaving,
身内 も 住めん よう に しちゃる って 言われて さ
miuchi mo sumen you ni shicharu tte iwarete sa
I will make your relative to leave the town, too", so I was told
うっかり 燃やした こと に して
ukkari moyashita koto ni shite
I old others that I accidentally burned the ticket
やっぱり 燃やせん かった この 切符
yappari moyasen katta kono kippu
but I couldn't do it anyhow
あんた に 送る けん 持っとって よ
anta ni okuru ken mottotte yo
I will send it to you so please keep it"
滲んだ 文字 東京 ゆき
nijinda moji toukyou yuki
the letter on a ticket to Tokyo was blurred (with tears)*Interpretation:
The one who first bought the ticket to Tokyo gave up going. She told others that she burned the ticket accidentally. But actually she kept it in secret and gave it to then one who she can trust.
ファイト！ 闘う 君 の 歌 を
Fight! tatakau kimi no uta wo
Fight! The song of you, the fighter, 闘わない 奴等 が 笑う だろう
tatakawanai yatsura ga warau darou
Those who doesn't fight may laugh atファイト！ 冷たい 水 の 中 を
Fight! tsumetai mizu no naka wo
Fight! against a cold stream
Fight! against a cold stream
ふるえ ながら のぼって ゆけ
furue nagara nobotte yuke
you may tremble and yet, keep on climbing upあたし 男 だったら よかった わ
atashi otoko dattara yokatta wa
"I wish if I were a boy
力 ずく で 男 の 思う まま に
chikara zuku de otoko no omou mama ni
If so, I would have been able to
ならず に すんだ かも しれない だけ
narazu ni sunda kamo shirenai dake
hold myself without being forced by men
あたし 男 に 生まれれば よかった わ
atashi otoko ni umarereba yokatta wa
I wish if I were born as a boy"ああ 小魚 たち の 群れ きらきら と
Ah kozakana tachi no mure kirakira to
Ah, the group of small fishes look glittering
海 の 中 の 国境 を 越えて ゆく
umi no naka no kokkyou wo koete yuku
and swim across the borders in the ocean
諦め と いう 名 の 鎖 を
akirame to iu na no kusari wo
The chain called "surrender"
身 を よじって ほどいて ゆく
mi wo yojitte hodoite yuku
they shake it off by moving their bodies
ファイト！ 闘う 君 の 歌 を
Fight! tatakau kimi no uta wo
Fight! The song of you, the fighter, 闘わない 奴等 が 笑う だろう
tatakawanai yatsura ga warau darou
Those who doesn't fight may laugh atファイト！ 冷たい 水 の 中 を
Fight! tsumetai mizu no naka wo
Fight! against a cold stream
Fight! against a cold stream
ふるえ ながら のぼって ゆけ
furue nagara nobotte yuke
you may tremble and yet, keep on climbing up
*あと足で砂ばかける*
ato-ashi de suna ba kakeru
Doing something bad when you are leaving
Any comment about this blog is highly appreciated. Requests to pick up any singer or song are always welcome!
Thanks !
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Please check out her other songs, too!
DeleteThis is the first time i find a post of this song with the sufficient information. You certainly spent some time on your research and while rewriting the whole song to romaji and then the translation, putting all together one line at a time, thank you very much! Although i would differ a little in the meaning of "tatakau no kimi uta", since this is not only a scream of effort and hope as a "song for the fighter within you"; but also, a song to fight ourselves in a sense of self improvement.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Yes, I agree with you that this is also a fighting song to overcome your weakness. There are many other songs of her that will move your heart, maybe you know already. (’-’*)♪
ReplyDeletehi man , i donno why but i still can't understand the lyrics ... its like telling about handwriter woman , and there part where the song telling about the singer has watched a kid pushed by woman on the stairs , then ... there is a part where talked about fish???? what the image that swiming fish could conveying?
ReplyDeletei hope if someone explane to me simply what the phrases meant in any part , and what the link between the deffrent parts?
i hope tho , its hard for me to underatand songs , so i need helping hand , cuase when i get the lyrics i can listen to song even better than befor , althought , i am so used to japanese song
Thank you for leaving your comment.
DeleteThere can be many interpretations of ths lyrics, but let me share my understanding. I think Miyuki Nakajima tries to bring a light on anonimous girls and boys who struggles in a society.
She used to host a very popular midnight radio show so she might have heard many episodes from her listeners.
Some girl suffered from a complex about her educational background. Some boy was bullied at work. Some experienced gender inequality or possibly sexal harrassment.
So this song is not merely a cheer-up song but encourages listeners to fight against the inner-self by saying 'My enemy is myself.' Don't give in to the reality but let's fight!
Each story is a tale of a fighter who lives in the world full of absurdities like a fish running up the stream.
As for fish, I think it is a metaphor of people who strive to achieve a goal of their life.
It is a well-known seasonal event to see salmons running up rivers in Hokkaido. Miyuki Nakajima grew up in Hokkaido so she might had that image in mind. Salmon is said to use all the energy they have to swim against the streams to reach their destination and they will end up in fullblown wounds.
Also in Chinese legend, carp climbed up the waterfall became a dragon. Japanese custom to hang 鯉のぼり, Koi-nobori, or carp streamer high up in the sky in May came from this tale. Parents hope for their children to grow healthy and strog like a carp.
i heared this song from "Little Glee Monster" cover,
ReplyDeletethey did a great job making this song even more brilliant for someone who used to their uniqe vocals, just like me.
the song is gives heavy emotion, and has long terms that making you curious about the lyrics.
thats why i am here searching deffrent sites, hopefully find someone translated for us,
and seems i just found one.
but sir, the translate is really confuse, that its hard for me to link the paragraph sentencies, i am not sure if you didn't translate it well, or my english is still not enough as i've started learning english justh this year, tho....
i did read about the comment above me that has the same problome as me, i felt like i am not the only one, but i looked to the replay there and still not really into the lyrics, the replay is like giving informations behind the song writing, and leaves the lyrics behind,
i would ask for recap points that telling how the lyrics meaning goes.
but overall, thanks for the great effort, and sorry that my mind is slow.
Thank you for leaving your comment. I'm sorry that my translation was incomplete. Upon your request, I re-edited my translation. I also added my interpretation. Please note that there may be many other interpretations and different translations as well. They are still not perfect but I hope it can be of any help to you!
Delete