KAN – 23sai (English Lyrics)

23歳
23 Years Old

23 years old — I’m a fifth grade college student
Going for that Ivy League look just as today, top to bottom VAN
Never having even been outside Japan yet
And my dream? Of course, to be a rock musician!

23 years old — I’m living in a Shin-Nakano apartment
No bathtub, six tatami mats, only a piano and a synthesizer
Trying to somehow repay the loans on my instruments
Temp jobs and bands — uh-oh, guess I’m repeating a year!

Those days — reckless; frantic; all over the place
Filled with an illogical, unwarranted sense of self-confidence
Writing at a pace so incredibly fast, completely unthinkable today
Day and night I wrote, constantly — eight songs a month or so
At 23 years old

23 years old — I’m working part-time
As an Italian restaurant cameriere in Ginza
I always did love peeking into the kitchen
For a moment seriously thinking I’d become a chef

And naturally I was in love back then
With a cute, somewhat selfish, beautiful girl — I was head over heels
My one-sided feelings where it didn’t matter even if she rejected me
On and on I held out, ceaselessly — for eight years or so

Those memories — some painful; some good; some strange
Chance, luck and fortune all interlinked
Life’s really not too bad at all!

23 years old — are you in love today?
The real-time-currently-23-year-old you
May all your days be filled with happiness
…Or so I now sing, but think nothing of it

If the me from back then was to meet you today
Without a doubt, it’d be love at first sight — I’d be head over heels
My one-sided feelings where it wouldn’t matter even if you rejected me
On and on I’d hold out, ceaselessly — yes, for 20 years or so
No, even longer, forever — at least for 35 years or so
And before I’d noticed it, I’m 58 years old

You are 23
I am 58
Oh no…

23歳のぼくは大学の5年生
今と変わらないアイビールック上下全部 VAN
まだ日本を出たことはないけど
夢はもちろんロックミュージシャン

そんな23歳のぼくのアパートは新中野
風呂なしの6畳にはピアノとシンセサイザー
楽器のローンに毎月追われて
バイトやってバンドやってたら あらら大学留年してた

やみくもにがむしゃらにとっちらかってた日々は
意味不明で根拠もない変な自信に満ちていて
今じゃ到底考えられない ものすごいハイペースで
作るよ ずっと作ってたよ 月8曲くらい
そんな23歳

23歳のぼくがやってたアルバイトは
銀座 並木通りのイタリアンのカメリエーレ
キッチン覗くのが楽しくて
料理人になりたいかもって一時期真剣に思ってた

もちろんあの頃のぼくは恋をしていたよ
ちょっとわがままめでキュートな美人にぞっこんで
フラれたって絶対にめげない一方通行の想いは
続くよ ずっと続いたよ ざっと8年くらい

そんな辛い思い出も いいことも妙なことも
偶然も運もツキもぜんぶ繋がって人生はけっこう楽しいよ

今23歳の君は恋をしてんのかな
リアルタイムで進行中の君の23歳が
素敵な毎日でありますように
なんて歌ってみるけど さららと聴き流してよね

もしもあの頃のぼくが君と出会ってても
間違いなく一瞬で一目惚れ ぞっこんで
フラれたって絶対にめげない一方通行の想いは
続くよ きっと続くでしょう そうね20年くらい
いやもっと続くよ どこまでも 35年くらいは
そして気がつきゃ58歳

君は23歳
ぼくは58歳
Oh, no…

One thought on “KAN – 23sai (English Lyrics)

  1. YouTube comments:

    @あんさんのバラード
    So Beatles-y.

    @にゃ-t9u
    My number one most favorite KAN song.

    @conk_pomu3537
    I wonder if these lyrics are describing KAN’s real-life experiences? It’s like I can picture each of these scenes as they happened back then…

    @micyamaexeable
    Putting such a pop melody on top of lyrics like these… It’s something only KAN could’ve pulled off. He really was a genius composer.

    @AKIAKANE-g7p
    On the day of his show at Zepp Yokohama, I was standing in line outside the venue and I heard the staff announcing on the megaphone, “The end of the line for KAN’s ’25 Years Old Band Live Tour’ is over here”… So then some random passers-by near me were going, “Huh? Wait, KAN? That KAN?! He’s only 25?!” I still remember bursting out laughing.

    Even outside of the concert halls, KAN was always giving us laughs.

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