匿名希望の東京都在住 【Bravery】 English translation

once upon a time when I was like 13 or something this was the first song in japanese that I ever listened to on a road trip to eastern washington and back. I only remember that the name of the artist looked very intimidating to me at the time: 匿名希望の東京都在住 or tokumei kibou no toukyouto zaijuu (the anonymous hopes of Tokyo residents) which sort of surprises me considering I went on to learn the language only a few months later. oh well. I confuse even myself, you know.

「自分にはムリだよ」と物分りがいい風に気取っては
憧れた強さへと自分を重ねて
それで満足かい？

"jibun ni wa muri da yo" to monowakari ga ii fuu ni kidotte wa
akogareta tsuyosa he to jibun wo kasanete
sore de manzoku kai?

thinking that it's impossible for you affects your good technique
build yourself up to the strength you wanted
so, is it satisfactory?



誰かに託す夢じゃ不毛だと
思える強さがあるなら
まだ間に合うよ　ほら

dareka ni takusu yume ja fumou da to
omoeru tsuyosa ga aru nara
mada ma ni au yo, hora

if you have the strength to think that
dreams entrusted to someone are no good
you're still just in time, look



向かうは果て無き未開の時代へ
地に足を着け　今　一歩
踏み出す勇気があるならばきっと
誰かの背越しじゃない　自分だけの一路

mukau wa hate naki mikai no jidai he
chi ni ashi wo tsuke, ima, ippo
fumidasu yuuki ga aru naraba kitto
dareka no segoshi ja nai, jibun dake no ichiro

I'm going to face the era of endless savage land
I'm putting my foot on the ground now, one step
if you have courage that steps forward then surely
you're not just looking over someone else; it's just your own one road*



誰にも委ねずに自分で選ぶってことは難しく
挑みもしないまま逃げているだけで
何が変えられる？

dare ni mo yudanezu ni jibun de erabutte koto wa muzukashiku
idomi mo shinai mama nigeteiru dake de
nani ga kaerareru?

trying to decide by yourself that you won't trust anyone is difficult
even with the times when you can't fight back and run away
what's changing?



始まりそれは全て望みから　　
人生　気持ち次第だよ
思うがままのキミへ

hajimari sore wa subete nozomi kara
jinsei, kimochi jidai da yo
omou ga mama no kimi he

the beginning, that is all from your wishes
I am dependent upon the feelings of life!
to you who I am thinking of**



道なき道への期待と不安は
誰もが抱えてるものさ
強さも弱さも全てが自分と
認めてその先に　突き進んで行こう

michi naki, michi he no kitai to fuan wa
daremo ga kakaeteru mono sa
tsuyosa mo yowasa mo subete ga jibun to
mitomete sono saki ni, tsukisusunde yukou

expectations and anxieties without paths or with paths to go to
that's something no one can carry
strength and weakness both, all of it with you
earlier when it recognized me, I'm going to push on



向かうは果て無き未開の時代へ
地に足を着け　今　一歩
踏み出す勇気があるならばきっと
誰かの背越しじゃない
憧れていた
自分だけの一路

mukau wa hate naki mikai no jidai he
chi ni ashi wo tsuke, ima, ippo
fumidasu yuuki ga aru naraba kitto
dareka no segoshi ja nai
akogareteita
jibun dake no ichiro

I'm going to face the era of endless savage land
I'm putting my foot on the ground now, one step
if you have courage that steps forward then surely
you're not just looking over someone else
I've been longing for it
my very own one road






translation notes

* "dareka no segoshi ja nai" literally means "it's not over someone's back" which sounds weird, but i believe they mean that in the context of someone trying to peek over someone's back in a crowd or something, someone blocking your way, etc. this was difficult to translate and again this song is probably not 100% accurate. sorry

** へ is a strange japanese particle which indicates direction, and is commonly translated as "to", e.g. "nihon he ikitai" = "i wanna go to japan", or "gakkou he ikou" = let's go to school. it indicates where you're going basically. so "kimi he" literally means "to you" and sort of suggests that the speaker is literally GOING to "you" or whoever it is in this context.