It's Not A Bad Life Lyrics in English by BE:FIRST

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song It's Not A Bad Life by BE:FIRST from Japanese to English.
These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!
(English)
If I die I die
(English)
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Verse 1
zen mo aku mo
Good and evil
ore no kachi mo
And my own worth
mienai shi
I can't see them
kiitenai yo
Nobody ever told me that
takadaka ningen gotoki no
We're only mere humans, after all
dare ga kimete dare ga sabaku no
so who gets to decide, and who gets to judge?
yogorero yo
Get dirty
naa warae yo
Come on, laugh
yubisasare
Being pointed at
Prechorus 1
kizudarake no senaka ni wa
On my scar-covered back
kizamareta ai to puraido
Love and pride are carved in
hontou no jibun nante mono
This thing called my true self
sonna kireijanai nante wakatteru
I know it's not that pretty
anata no itteita seikai mo
Even the right answer you told me
hikari mo kage mo kuraitsukusou
Light and shadow, let's devour it all
(English)
If I die I die
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If I die I die
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Verse 2
kabutta kawa no mukou
Beyond the skin I've put on
hontou no koto
The truth
hito ni miseru you na mono janaidarou
Isn't something you show people, is it?
uso tsuite wa hottarakasu
Telling lies, then leaving them be
kizuguchi wa unde kusaridasu
The wound festers and starts to rot
Ayy aijou ka yojou ka
Ayy, is it love or just a lingering feeling?
karamatta mama it was meant to be
Still tangled up, it was meant to be
tomadou yochi wa nai
There's no room for hesitation
machigai toka seikai ima wa urusai
Right or wrong, it's just noise right now
kono mi o horoboshite koso no tsugunai
Only by destroying myself can I atone
ori no soto de ikiru kemono de aritai
I want to be a beast that lives outside the cage
Wow ayy ayy ya ayy ayy ayy ya whoa
(English)
I live with myself I can't lie to that man no
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Prechorus 2
dare o urayande mo jibun igai de wa ikirarenai
No matter who I envy, I can't live as anyone but me
anata no nokoshita machigai mo
Even the mistakes you left behind
hikari mo kage mo kuraitsukusou
Light and shadow, let's devour it all
(English)
If I die I die
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If I die I die
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Bridge
kangaetatte shouganai
There's no point overthinking it
sou kanjitara uso wa tsukenai
Yeah, once I feel it, I can't lie
antei datte you wa nai whoa oh whoa
I don't need stability either, whoa, oh-whoa
seikou mo
Success
ano yume mo
And that dream too
tada mabushii mono de wa naideshou
Aren't they more than just something dazzling?
ai o tsuranukou go whoa oh whoa
Let's stay true to love, go, whoa, oh-whoa
Prechorus 3
hontou no jibun nante mono
This thing called my true self
sonna kireijanai nante wakatteru
I know it's not that pretty
anata no itteita seikai mo
Even the right answer you told me
hikari mo kage mo kuraitsukusou
Light and shadow, let's devour it all
(English)
If I die I die
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If I die I die
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Hey hey
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Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Did you like this lyrics translation?

償い — atonement / reparation

償い means “atonement,” “reparation,” or “making amends for a wrong.” It carries a deeper, more serious nuance than simply saying “sorry,” suggesting that someone must take responsibility and pay a price for what they have done.

In the song, この身を滅ぼしてこその償い means “only by destroying this body can there be atonement,” giving the word a dramatic and powerful emotional weight.

BE:FIRST's "It's Not A Bad Life" is a shrug and a snarl at the same time. The English hook, "If I die, I die", sounds careless, but the Japanese verses show a guy who has stopped asking anyone for permission to be himself. Early on he asks "誰が決めて誰が裁くの?" (Who decides, and who judges?), and he is openly mocking the idea that ordinary people get to rule on right and wrong.

The scars are the point. He talks about "傷だらけの背中には" (on my back, covered in scars) where "刻まれた愛とプライド" (love and pride are carved). He admits his real self isn't pretty, that what's under the skin is not something you show people, and that lies left alone fester like an infected wound. That image is a bit gross, and it works. Then comes the line I love most: "檻の外で生きる獣でありたい" (I want to be a beast living outside the cage). The verb 喰らい尽くそう in "光も影も 喰らい尽くそう" (let's devour it all, the light and the shadow) is a rough, hungry way of saying "eat", so he swallows the good and bad in himself whole. By the end he drops the need for stability and decides to push his love through, which is why "Everything is alright" lands as a choice rather than a comfort.

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