Today’s post compares the original “God knows…” to the officially localized version.

The first translation is my own that I translated a few posts ago. It is a literal translation from the Japanese lyrics. The localized lyrics follow. I add some notes at the bottom.

Enjoy!

Japanese (Translated):

I run past with a thirsty heart
Sorry –I couldn’t do a thing
You would not allow me to
Even share a bit of your pain

In order to live purely
I face your back while left behind
on the lonely rail

I’ll follow you
No matter where in the dark, harsh world you are
You will shine
and exceed the future’s limits
To stop your spirit from breaking from weakness
I’ll find you in my way
God bless the two of us now…

These passionate thoughts I send to you
Wander about, melting reality
There is no reason for these overflowing thoughts
Of wanting to meet — Lovin’ you

Let’s at least chase after
Those beautiful dreams we create
for your lonely heart

Quit it, it’s not like you to lie
Let’s speak of what we will experience from now on
I’m ready
even for the gloomy future
Become stronger to change fate, maybe
Though I want my wish granted,
God knows everything…

You exist, I exist
Everyone else vanished
While drawing that ephemeral dream,
We trace our scars

I’ll follow you
No matter where in the dark, harsh world you are
You will shine
and exceed the future’s limits
To stop your spirit from breaking from weakness
I’ll find you in my way
God bless the two of us now…

English Lyrics:

Blazing on by
There’s nothing more that I could do
I’m sorry that
I’ll never be with you again
Even though
My heavy heart is parched with pain
I know somehow
Your sorrow’s something I won’t see

It’s my life
I’m moving on and never going back there
The future’s turned away
And leave me on the lonely rail

God knows that
I will follow you if that is what you wanted
Take me into all your darkest shadows
And you’ll see that
I’m even stronger than you could know
God knows that
I am standing here and you could disappear
Slipping right over the edge of the future
If I had my way
We’d be together forever
Eternally god bless

The way you’re standing there
I feel as though we’re almost one again
And yet
We’re miles apart in time
Beneath the pale blue moon
I see your eyes are glistening
With so much love!
It’s tearing you apart to be here!

You know it
God knows that
I will follow you if that is what you wanted
Take me into all your darkest shadows
And you’ll see that
I’m even stronger than you could know
God knows that
I am standing here and you could disappear
Slipping right over the edge of the future
If I had my way
We’d be together forever
Eternally god bless

—

-A major note to keep in mind going forward is that the localization did an excellent job considering they not only had to get the feeling across –but they had to do it in the amount of syllables that fit with the Japanese lyrics of the song. It is certainly an amazing feat!

-It may be due to how the subject is vague in Japanese, but the roles seem to have been reversed. The original translation I provide (along with other fan translations) seem to have the singer being the one left behind and following, but the official localized version seems to imply the singer is the one leaving the other behind! From here come most of the differences in the two versions of the song. It is possibly a mistranslation on the fans part, or perhaps the localization team being more poetic and finding it fit better. It is often hard to tell.

-Aside from the subject differences, the lyrics have vaguely the same meaning, but much more poetic, and built to fit the rhythm in the official version –as expected. It is not just a translation, but fit to the syllabary of the Japanese version too. 

Japanese Version:

English Version:

]]>