正解 Lyrics in English by RADWIMPS

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song 正解 by RADWIMPS from Japanese to English.
These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!
Verse 1
kono saki ni deau donna tomo to mo
With any friend I'll meet from here on
wakachiaenai himitsu o tomo ni shita
We shared secrets I could never share with them
sorenanoni tatta hitokoto no
And yet just one word
gomen ne dake yakeni tookute ienakattari
"I'm sorry," felt so far away I couldn't say it
ashita mo au noni nazeka bokura wa
Even though we'd see each other again tomorrow, for some reason we
nemui me kosuri yodooshi bakabanashi
Rubbed our sleepy eyes and talked nonsense all night
akuruhi annojou tsukue narabete
The next day, sure enough, at our desks side by side
inemurishite okorareteru noni waraetekite
We dozed off and got scolded, but still we couldn't stop laughing
rikutsu ni awanai koto o dore dake yareru ka ga seishun da to demo
That youth was all about how many senseless things we could pull off
doko ka de bokura omotteita no ka na
I wonder if, somewhere deep down, that's what we thought
Prechorus 1
aa kotae ga aru toi bakari o
Ah, only questions that have answers
osowattekita yo sono sei darou ka
That's what I've been taught. I wonder if that's why
bokutachi ga shiritakatta no wa
When it comes to what we really wanted to know
Chorus 1
itsumo seikai nado mada ginga ni mo nai
There's never a right answer, not anywhere in the galaxy yet
ichiban taisetsuna kimi to nakanaori no shikata
Like how to make up with you, the one who matters most
daisukina ano ko no kokoro no furimukasekata
How to make the girl I love turn her heart my way
nani hitotsu mienai bokura no mirai da kara
Because our future is one where we can't see a thing
kotae ga sudeni aru toi nanka ni
Questions that already have answers
you nado wa nai
Are no use to us at all
Verse 2
kore made deatta donna tomo to mo
You, unlike any friend I'd ever met
chigau kimi ni mitsuketemoratta
Were the one who found me
jibun o hajimete suki ni nareta no
And for the first time, I could like the me you found
wakaru hazu nai kimi ni wakaru hazu mo naideshou
There's no way you'd understand, no way you could understand, right?
narande arukedo doko ka de oitsuzuketeita kimi no senaka
We walked side by side, but somewhere I was always chasing your back
ashita kara wa mou soko ni wa nai
From tomorrow on, it won't be there anymore
Prechorus 2
aa kotae ga aru toi bakari o
Ah, only questions that have answers
osowattekita yo sono sei darou ka
That's what I've been taught. I wonder if that's why
bokutachi ga shiritakatta no wa
When it comes to what we really wanted to know
Chorus 2
itsumo seikai nado otona mo shiranai
Even grown-ups never know the right answer
yorokobi ga afurete tomaranai yoru no nemurikata
How to sleep on a night when joy overflows and won't stop
kuyashisa de nijinda kokoro no kizu no naoshikata
How to heal the wounds of a heart stained with frustration
kizutsuita tomo no hagemashikata
How to cheer up a friend who's been hurt
Verse 3
anata to hajimete donariatta hi
The day you and I first yelled at each other
ato de kiita yo kimi wa waratteita to
I heard later that you were laughing
omoi no tsutaekata ga wakaranai
I didn't know how to share my feelings
boku no kokoro kimi wa muriyari kojiaketa no
But you forced my heart wide open
Prechorus 3
aa kotae ga aru toi bakari o
Ah, only questions that have answers
osowattekita yo dakedo ashita kara wa
That's what I've been taught, but from tomorrow on
boku dake no seikai o iza sagashi ni yuku n da
I'm setting out to find a right answer that's mine alone
mata au hi made
Until we meet again
Bridge
tsugi no kuuran ni atehamaru kotoba o
The words that fit in the blank below
kakiirenasai koko de no saigo no toi
Write them in. This is the last question here
kimi no inai ashita kara no hibi o
"The days from tomorrow on, without you
boku wa kitto kitto
I'll surely, surely"
Outro
seigenjikan wa anata no korekara no jinsei
The time limit is the rest of your life
kaitouyoushi wa anata no korekara no jinsei
The answer sheet is the rest of your life
kotaeawase no toki ni watashi wa mou inai
When it's time to check the answers, I won't be here anymore
dakara saitenkijun wa anata no korekara no jinsei
So the grading criteria are the rest of your life
yooi hajime
"Ready, begin"
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © Exploration Group LLC
Did you like this lyrics translation?

採点基準 — grading criteria / marking rubric

採点基準 means the standards or criteria used to grade an answer. It is a memorable school-related term that becomes poetic in the song’s final metaphor: since life is the answer sheet, your own future determines how your life will be evaluated.

This unusual phrase captures the song’s message that there is no single correct answer to life, making it especially meaningful and educational for learners.

This is a graduation song, sung by a student looking back at school days with a friend who is about to be gone from tomorrow. The details are small and real: staying up all night talking nonsense, "眠い眼こすり 夜通しバカ話" (rubbing sleepy eyes, silly talk all night long), then dozing at their desks the next day and getting told off, and laughing anyway. The big complaint is that school only ever taught them questions that already have answers. What they actually wanted to know, like how to make up with the person who matters most or how to get a crush to notice you, has no answer key anywhere. The song's word for that is "正解" (the correct answer), and it says even the grown-ups don't know it.

The last verse turns into an exam paper, which is a clever and slightly heartbreaking move. The teacher's voice says "書き入れなさい ここでの最後の問い" (write it in, the final question here), asking you to fill in the blank about the days ahead without this friend. The time limit, the answer sheet and even the marking scheme are all "あなたのこれからの人生" (your life from now on), and the teacher won't be there to check it. Then it ends with "よーい はじめ" (ready, begin), the exact words a Japanese teacher says to start a test. Hearing that line once you know what it means is a lot.

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