Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Sanmon Shosetsu by King Gnu from Japanese to English.
These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!
kono sekai no dare mo ga kimi o wasuresatte mo
Even if everyone in this world forgets you
zuibun fuketa ne tte kyou mo tonari de warau kara
Because I'll laugh beside you again today, saying "You've gotten so old"
obienakute ii nda yo
You don't have to be scared
sono mama no kimi de ii nda yo
You're fine just the way you are
fueta shiwa no kazu o tonari de kazoenagara
While I count the growing number of your wrinkles beside you
bokura no jinsei ga sanmon shousetsu da to shite mo
Even if our lives are a cheap, trashy novel
nageuru ki wa nai ne nando de mo kakinaosu yo
I'm not about to sell it off cheap, I'll rewrite it as many times as it takes
dare mo ga ai makase itsu made mo samayou sadame
Everyone leaves it all up to love, doomed to wander forever
kono shousetsu no hate no sono saki o kakitasu yo
I'll keep writing past the end of this novel
shinjitsu to mukiau tame ni wa
To face the truth
hitori ni naranakyaikenai toki ga aru
There are times you have to be alone
ayamachi da to wakatte ite mo nao
Even knowing it's a mistake
egakitsuzuketai monogatari ga aru yo
There's a story I still want to keep writing
aゝ
dabun bakari no kyakuhon to sanmon shibai ni itsu made mo
With a script full of clumsy prose and a third-rate play
tsukiatteitai no sa
I want to keep playing along, forever
aゝ
kimi no bukiyouna hyoujou ya kotoba hitotsu de
With just one of your awkward expressions or words
sukuwareru boku ga iru kara
I find myself saved
ano koro no kagayaki ga iki o hisometa to shite mo
Even if the shine we had back then has gone quiet
zuibun fuketa ne tte ashita mo tonari de warau kara
Because I'll laugh beside you tomorrow too, saying "You've gotten so old"
kanashimanaide ii nda yo
So you don't need to be sad
sono mama no kimi ga ii nda yo
I love you just the way you are
sugiyuku byoushin o tonari de kazoenagara
As I count the ticking seconds beside you
tomedonaku nagaruru namidaame ga
The endless rain of tears
shousetsu no you ni jinsei o nanshou ni mo
Like a novel, divides my life
kugittekureru kara
Into so many chapters
oroka da to wakatte ite mo nao
Even knowing it's foolish
agakitsuzukenakyaikenai monogatari ga aru yo
There's a story I've got to keep struggling through
aゝ
tachitsukushita ano hi no tayorinai senaka o
That unsteady back of mine, standing frozen that day
ima nara tsuyoku oshitemiseru kara
I'll push it hard now, you'll see
aゝ
boku no kudaranai hyoujou ya kotoba hitotsu de
With just one of my silly expressions or words
hohoenda kimi ga iru kara
There you are, smiling
aゝ
dabun bakari no kyakuhon to sanmon shibai ni itsu made mo
With a script full of clumsy prose and a third-rate play
tsukiatteitai no sa
I want to keep playing along, forever
aゝ
kimi no bukiyouna hyoujou ya kotoba hitotsu de
With just one of your awkward expressions or words
sukuwareru boku ga iru kara
I find myself saved
aゝ
tachitsukushita ano hi no tayorinai senaka o
That unsteady back of mine, standing frozen that day
ima nara tsuyoku oshitemiseru kara
I'll push it hard now, you'll see
aゝ
boku no kudaranai hyoujou ya kotoba hitotsu de
With just one of my silly expressions or words
hohoenda kimi ga iru kara
There you are, smiling
kono sekai no dare mo ga kimi o wasuresatte mo
Even if everyone in this world forgets you
zuibun fuketa ne tte kyou mo tonari de warau kara
Because I'll laugh beside you again today, saying "You've gotten so old"
obienakute ii nda yo
You don't have to be scared
sono mama no kimi de ii nda yo
You're fine just the way you are
fueta shiwa no kazu o tonari de kazoenagara
While I count the growing number of your wrinkles beside you
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Did you like this lyrics translation?
三文小説 — dime novel / pulp fiction
三文小説 literally means “a three-mon novel,” referring to something cheap, low-value, or poorly written. In the song, the phrase is used metaphorically for an ordinary or imperfect life, but the singers refuse to throw it away and promise to keep rewriting it together, giving the word a poignant and uplifting meaning.
This is a love song about growing old with someone, and King Gnu frame it with a lovely self-deprecating joke. A sanmon shōsetsu (三文小説) is a "three-mon novel": a cheap, trashy paperback, the kind nobody takes seriously. The singer admits their life together might be exactly that, and he does not care. "僕らの人生が 三文小説だとしても" (even if our life is a cheap novel), he says, "投げ売る気は無いね 何度でも書き直すよ" (I have no intention of selling it off cheap, I'll rewrite it as many times as it takes). Nageuri is a shop word for dumping stock at a loss, which makes the line feel very down to earth.
What I like most is how unglamorous the devotion is. He teases her with "随分老けたねって" (you've gotten pretty old, huh) and then promises to keep laughing beside her, counting her new wrinkles. The song keeps going back to the writing metaphor: a script full of clumsy prose, a cheap stage play he wants to stay in forever, tears falling like rain that split a life into chapters. Even when he knows something is a mistake or plain foolish, there is a story he wants to keep writing. The payoff is small and specific: "君の不器用な 表情や言葉一つで 救われる僕がいるから" (because there's a me who gets saved by just one of your clumsy expressions or words). Watch for 良いんだよ (it's okay) in the chorus, a gentle, everyday way to reassure someone.
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