いつも何度でも (Always With Me) — Song Study & Lyrics Breakdown
- Title: いつも何度でも (Itsumo Nando Demo — Always, No Matter How Many Times)
- Vocal & Lyre: 木村弓 (Youmi Kimura)
- Lyrics: 覚和歌子 (Wakako Kaku)
- Theme Song: Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)
- Hub: Japanese Songs Hub
- Related Studies: Kimi wo Nosete | Sayonara no Natsu | Meguru Kisetsu
🌟 Background & Central Philosophy
Originally composed for a cancelled Hayao Miyazaki project (Rin the Chimney Painter), Miyazaki was so moved by the song that he listened to it constantly while animating Spirited Away, ultimately choosing it as the film’s closing theme.
The song explores themes that resonate deeply with Buddhist thought (諸行無常 - shogyō mujō / impermanence) and personal growth:
- Returning to Zero (
ゼロになる): Stripping away social roles, baggage, and anxiety to return to a pure, calm state of awareness. - Finding the Light Within: Overcoming the urge to seek validation or happiness across distant horizons (
海の彼方) by realizing that true light and resilience already exist within oneself. - Choosing Beauty Over Lamentation: Acknowledging inevitable suffering and mistakes, but choosing to sing gently rather than dwell in grief.
🎵 Lyrics & Detailed Analysis
Part 1: The Inner Calling & Impermanence
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 呼んでいる 胸のどこか奥で いつも心躍る 夢を見たい | Calling out, somewhere deep within my heart I always want to dream a dream that makes my heart dance |
| かなしみは 数えきれないけれど その向こうできっと あなたに会える | Although sorrows are countless Beyond them, I know I will surely meet you |
| 繰り返すあやまちの そのたび ひとは ただ青い空の 青さを知る 果てしなく 道は続いて見えるけれど この両手は 光を抱ける | Each time humans repeat their mistakes They simply come to know the true blueness of the blue sky The road may seem to go on endlessly, but These two hands can hold and embrace the light |
| さよならのときの 静かな胸 ゼロになるからだが 耳をすませる | The quiet heart at the time of farewell The body returning to zero strains its ears to listen |
| 生きている不思議 死んでいく不思議 花も風も街も みんなおなじ | The mystery of living, the mystery of dying Flowers, winds, and cities are all the same |
🔑 Vocab & Points (Part 1)
- 胸の奥 (mune no oku): Deep in one’s chest / the depth of one’s heart.
- 心躍る (kokoro odoru): Idiom meaning to feel deeply thrilled, excited, or inspired (literally “heart dancing”).
- 数えきれない (kazoekirenai): Countless / cannot count them all (verb stem +
きれない). - その向こうで (sono mukou de): On the other side / beyond that. Sorrow is presented as a landscape to pass through rather than an impasse.
- そのたび (sono tabi): Every time / whenever (a mistake happens).
- 果てしなく (hateshinaku): Endlessly / without limits.
- 抱ける (dakeru): Potential form of
抱く(daku — to embrace, hug, or hold). - 耳をすます / すませる (mimi o sumasu / sumaseru): Idiom meaning to listen with complete concentration and still attention.
- ゼロになる (zero ni naru): Returning to zero / wiping the slate clean / shedding ego and attachments.
💭 Deep Interpretation (Part 1)
- Why do mistakes reveal the sky’s blueness? When overwhelmed by regret or failure, people often look up to the sky in resignation, suddenly registering how pure and indifferent nature remains. Stumbles clear away mental clutter and reveal basic beauty.
- The “Body Returning to Zero”: In parting (
さよなら), we lose what we clung to. Instead of fighting it, the body accepts this empty, zero state and begins to truly listen (耳をすませる).
Part 2: The Shattered Mirror & The Light Within
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 呼んでいる 胸のどこか奥で いつも何度でも 夢を描こう | Calling out, somewhere deep within my heart Always, no matter how many times, let us sketch our dreams |
| かなしみの数を 言い尽くすより 同じくちびるで そっとうたおう | Rather than exhausting words listing all our sorrows With those very same lips, let us softly sing |
| 閉じていく思い出の そのなかにいつも 忘れたくない ささやきを聞く | Within the memories quietly closing away I always hear whispers I never want to forget |
| こなごなに砕かれた 鏡の上にも 新しい景色が 映される | Even upon a mirror shattered into countless tiny shards Brand new scenery is reflected |
| はじまりの朝の 静かな窓 ゼロになるからだ 充たされてゆけ | The quiet window on the morning of a new beginning May this body that has become zero be gently replenished |
| 海の彼方には もう探さない 輝くものは いつもここに わたしのなかに みつけられたから | I will no longer search across the distant sea For what shines has always been right here Because it was found inside myself |
🔑 Vocab & Points (Part 2)
- 描こう (egakou): Volitional form of
描く(“let’s paint / let’s envision”). - 言い尽くす (ii-tsukusu): To exhaust words / to say everything that can be said (verb stem +
尽くす). - 同じくちびるで (onaji kuchibiru de): With the same lips. Poetic contrast between complaining and singing.
- こなごなに (konagona ni): In small fragments / smashed to smithereens.
- 砕かれた (kudakareta): Passive/past form of
砕く(to smash, shatter). - 映される (utsusareru): Passive form of
映す(to reflect). - 充たされてゆけ (mitasarete yuke): Passive of
充たす(mitasu - to fill/replenish) +てゆけ(imperative wishing form of ていく: “go forth and be filled!”). - 彼方 (kanata): The far distance / beyond the horizon.
- 輝くもの (kagayaku mono): That which shines / radiant things.
💭 Deep Interpretation (Part 2)
- The Shattered Mirror (
砕かれた鏡): When life shatters expectations, it is natural to mourn the lost intact mirror. Yet each separate fragment gains the ability to reflect fresh angles and new scenery. Brokenness creates new ways of seeing. - Evening Farewell to Morning Renewal: Stanza 4 spoke of
さよならのときの静かな胸(parting). Part 2 answers withはじまりの朝の静かな窓(a new dawn). An empty vessel (ゼロになるからだ) is ready to be filled with morning light. - Looking Inward: In youth, we yearn for answers far across the ocean (
海の彼方). The awakening comes when we realize the strength, wonder, and light were already present inside us.
📖 Key Japanese Grammar & Patterns
1. Verb Stem + きれない (切れない) — “Cannot finish doing / Countless”
Expresses physical or emotional impossibility to complete an action to the very end.
- 数える (to count)
\rightarrow数えきれない (cannot count them all / countless). - 食べる (to eat)
\rightarrow食べきれない (cannot eat it all).
2. Verb Stem + 尽くす (つくす) — “To do exhaustively / completely”
Expresses exhausting every possible resource or instance of an action.
- 言う (to say)
\rightarrow言い尽くす (to speak exhaustively / say everything). - 思い尽くす (to think through every possible thought).
3. Noun + のそのたび / Verb + たび(に) — “Every time / whenever”
Indicates that every time an event occurs, a specific result follows.
- 繰り返すあやまちの そのたび = “Every time mistakes are repeated…”
- 旅行のたびに写真を撮る = “Every time I travel, I take photos.”
4. Idiomatic Expressions of the Mind and Senses
| Phrase | Reading | Literal | Idiomatic Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 心躍る | kokoro odoru | Heart dances | To feel excitement, joy, or anticipation |
| 耳をすます | mimi o sumasu | Clear one’s ears | To listen intently / strain one’s ears |
| 胸の奥 | mune no oku | Depths of chest | Innermost heart / soul |