Then, Now and Tomorrow: Spring in Your Step

吉田拓郎、歌詞(Lyrics)『今日までそして明日から』(English Translation)

Then, Now and Tomorrow (1971) is one of the best songs of Takuro Yoshida, who was a pioneer of singer-songwriter in Japan. Using simple language, laying out words just as murmuring, he achieved maximizing uniqueness of Japanese phonetics and wording. In 70’s, when a lot of musicians were exploring musical and lyrical expressions in Japanese language, Takuro Yoshida established himself as a truly original musician and led the music industry to the next stage.
『今日までそして明日から』(1971)は、シンガーソングライターという言葉を定着させた吉田拓郎の代表曲と言えるでしょう。平易な言葉を用いて、つぶやくように言葉を次々と並べていく、そこに日本語らしい語感が響く。多くのミュージシャンがそれぞれのやり方で、日本語の音楽表現を探っていた時期に、彼もまた独自の世界を築き上げ、音楽界を新たな次元へと導いた一人でした。

The very first line shows what you can pull out of Japanese language. What a difference one single word makes ! Instead of just telling the fact, the replacement of “ikite-kimashita (I’ve been living)” with “ikite-mimashita (I’ve been doing my best in living)” adds a cute twist to expressing opinions, which makes lyrics much more relatable to listeners. Natural and everyday language takes on a catchy melody in a good way. There is no need to use items like slide doors or a public bath to arouse imagery unique to Japanese language. This song particularly plays a perfect role in expressing images and messages that a songwriter has in his or her mind.

何よりも冒頭の「わたしは今日まで生きてみました」に、日本語らしさが最大限に生かされています。「生きてきました」でなく「生きてみました」という表現が伝える語感。意見や主張を、こうした表現で「外す」ところが特徴的で、それにより聴き手により共感を抱かせます。そうした自然で日常的な日本語が、ごく自然にメロディに乗る心地よさ。障子やら銭湯やらの和のテイストを持ち込まなくても、掻き立てられる日本語のイメージ。自分の心の中にあるイメージやメッセージを、他人に伝えるという歌の機能を存分に果たしています。

The uniqueness of this song – the message itself and how the message is expressed through unique wording – makes it particularly difficult to translate the feel that native Japanese speakers would have. The beauty of expressing everydayness by using an everyday language should not be dramatized or reduced to cliche. Below is my translation, which may sound moralistic but make you feel how a single word makes a big difference in creating an overall tone of the lyric.

歌詞の内容もさることながら、その言葉遣いを特徴とするこの曲の雰囲気を、外国語に訳しきるのは非常に困難に感じます。ありきたりのことをありきたりの言葉で伝えることの魅力を、いかに脚色じみていなく、かつ凡庸でない翻訳として伝えるか、悩ましいですね。今回は、教訓的な調子で訳してみましたが、言葉一つで歌詞全体の雰囲気が変わることを体感できますね。

The repeated refrain seems to symbolize our repeating day-to-day existence. The past can be interpreted and evaluated in whatever way and the future can not be predicted enough. Then, patiently and with certainty, you just have to live through everyday challenges. The song resonates with listeners heart when they need to get determined and self-assured.

繰り返されるリフレインが、繰り返される毎日の積み重ねである人生を象徴しているようにも聴こえます。これまでのことはどのようにでも評価でき、また、この先のことは誰にも予測できない。ならば辛抱強く日々を積み重ね行く。その決意を自分に言い聞かせているようにも聴こえます。

There will be some tomorrows that would help you move on because of a big change and other tomorows that would duplicate what it is today. The sound and lyric of this song tells much about how people get to take on this responsibility. All of these have made this song a great song. Then, we wonder how he pulled out all of these in his 20’s after all.

何かが大きく変わって動き出す明日もあれば、今日までと変わらず続く明日もある。そんな明日へと向き合う責任の重さを、自分なりに背負っていく。そういう人の佇まいをも感じさせる。やはり名曲ですね。そして何よりも、こうした歌を20代のうちに世に送り出したことに改めて驚嘆させられます。

Then, Now and Tomorrow

Up until now
Things were OK
I think I gave it a good try
At times I called on someone to help me
At times I needed someone really badly
Up until now
Things were OK
I think I gave it a good try
Which made me think
I’ll be living this way
Tomorrow and beyond

Up until now
Things were OK
I think I gave it a good try
At times I got contemptuous
At times I got challenged
Up until now
Things were OK
I think I gave it a good try
Which made me think
I’ll be living this way
Tomorrow and beyond

Up until now
Things were OK
I think I gave it a good try
At times I felt betrayed
At times I felt warm hand in hand
Up until now
Things were OK
I think I gave it a good try
Which made me think
I’ll be living this way
Tomorrow and beyond

You’ve got your own way of living
Well, nothing starts
Before you get to know who you are
Well, but things change
You have no idea when and how
Beyond your control
That’s how you get to move on
Tomorrow and beyond

Up until now
Things were OK
I think I gave it a good try
Which made me think
I’ll be living this way
Tomorrow and beyond

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