Life is Like a Boat

November 4, 2004 | 70 Comments

Bleach ED Theme
Performed by Rie Fu

Kana/Kanji version

Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me and keep me strong

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you thru another day

遠くで息をしてる　透明になったみたい
暗闇に思えたけど　目隠しされてただけ

祈りをささげて　新しい日を待つ
鮮やかに　光る海　その果てまで

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

人の心はうつりゆく　抜け出したくなる
つきはまた新しい周期で　舟を連れてく

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I.... can see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong

旅はまだ続いてく　穏やかな日も
つきはまた新しい周期で　舟を照らし出す

祈りをささげて　新しい日を待つ
鮮やかに　光る海　その果てまで

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

運命の船を漕ぎ
波は次から次へと
私たちを襲うけど
それも素敵な旅ね
どれも素敵な旅ね

Romaji version

Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me and keep me strong

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you thru another day

Tookude iki wo shiteru toumei ni nattamitai
Kurayami ni omoe takedo mekaku shisarete tadake

Inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
Azayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

Hito no kokoro wa utsuri yuku nukedashita kunaru
Tsuki wa mata atarashii shuuki de fune wo tsureteku

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I.... can see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong

Tabi wa mada tsudzuiteku odayakana hi mo
Tsuki wa mata atarashii shuuki de fune wo terashidasu

Inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
Azayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Unmei no fune wo kogi
nami wa tsugi kara tsugi e to
Watashitachi wo osou kedo
Sore mo suteki na tabi ne
Dore mo suteki na tabi ne

Posted by Garten

Comments

November 13, 2004 | oishii wrote:

oh that's really nice! i thought the song was really sad when i first heard it and like it didnt fit the show but now that i know the lyrics, it makes sense.

November 13, 2004 | Elihice wrote:

Really nice, and now that I've reached the Souls society part of the manga, that song makes a LOT more sense as an ED

November 15, 2004 | Rin wrote:

It's a very emotional song with a soothing melody. The lryics are equally melancholy and it's very appropriate for the anime.The singer executed a really good performance in the song. I am just a little curious as to whether Rie Fu's a Japanese. Her English sounds very good in the song.

November 15, 2004 | Garten wrote:

According to her official site (http://www.riefu.com/), her nationality is Japanese. But apparently she used to live in Maryland and is now studying in London.

November 21, 2004 | NHN wrote:

only a foreigner can speak such good english!!!

November 23, 2004 | mat_dan wrote:

this is such a good song, i nearly cried when i heard it the first time.

November 25, 2004 | Laura wrote:

indeed, it is such a beautiful song! I want to cry now . . .

December 1, 2004 | kenny wrote:

this is really a great song,,,so great that i actually cried.. ;(

December 5, 2004 | Alice wrote:

This song is so wonderful and it makes the show even better. I love this series. I love this song. I'm going to go look for it now. I wonder if a soundtrack will be coming out soon.

December 8, 2004 | Jin Gold wrote:

I agree with you guys XD this song is really good. I really like it, especially the video one...

December 11, 2004 | Lori wrote:

This song is really touching. I love it. And what makes it seem sadder at times but understandable is that sometimes I feel that it reflects my life sometimes....

December 11, 2004 | Josh wrote:

Haven't even seen the anime, but this is one of my favorite songs now

Thanks for the lyrics!

December 16, 2004 | shin wrote:

when i first heard this song on the ending of bleach i was addicted :P

the song to me represents the sorrow of rukia and the life shes lead but oh well i like it anyways its one of the few songs that when i sing i don't tear up XD HA HA HA A

December 22, 2004 | Ryuhou wrote:

This anime is alike hella of a addiction to me, Wen I first watched the anime I always skipped op/ed wen it just begun. So I watched the episodes till like 7, then my mouse battery were empty, couldn't skip and damn ! I was like in Heaven cause of the song O_o.

Note to myself : Never skip the op/ed song EVER again ! :D

January 5, 2005 | Lien wrote:

Wonderful song! The lyrics are very soulful and thank you very much for posting it up. I'm glad I found a complete version of it. ^___^
Even though my voice can't compare to Rie Fu's I still sing along.. this song is stuck in my head a lot nowdays.. @.@

January 12, 2005 | Nasser wrote:

that song is awesome, i love the lyrics and im currently trying to learn japanese so i guess it helps to sing some too ha ha thanx for the lyrics! ^__^

January 12, 2005 | qteen wrote:

wow!!!
such a great song!!!!

January 30, 2005 | marc wrote:

one of my favorite japanese song...and I just found out about it today, never saw the anime either...great song

February 3, 2005 | Zedarion wrote:

sorry for interupting but this text and the text in the anime isn�t the same how is it possible? is it the crew of those who translated it or is it that the anime version is diffrent from the original?

February 4, 2005 | Garten wrote:

That's because this is the Full version of the song not the TV size. I can't exactly remember what's different but the TV size definitely omits a large portion of the Full version of the song.

February 8, 2005 | Andrew Diseker wrote:

If anyone is interested in owning the song on CD, on cdjapan.co.jp you can order her CDs, there are two with this song on it. One is catalog #QQCL-3, this is a full album including the song, the other is catalog #QQCL-2, this is a "CD single" with one other song. She also has another album called "Rie Who?" (sounds like a play on her name ^_^)

Thank you for posting these lyrics, is there anyway of getting an English translation of the Japanese verses?

February 14, 2005 | Fallen Rain wrote:

I'm so stupid - Riefu was standing right in front of me and I didn't even realise! She was doing a gig for University College of London and back then I knew the name from Bleach but I didn't know what she looked like. So when this girl was fixin her makeup in the girl's toilets I thought it was some ordinary person but....turns out that same girl got on stage and sang 'Life is Boat.' O_o

P.S. Her voice sounds even better live so in the future if she does any concerts I highly recommend you should go!

March 8, 2005 | kitsune wrote:

The thing that I noticed about this song was how good the English was. At first I thought the song might have been sung by a native English speaker who also knew English. It really is a great song, and it's become one of my favorites..

April 1, 2005 | SquaDus wrote:

Well, in that comment...
Rie Fu IS kinda native english...

She actually lives in London and comes to record in Japan from time to time... just recently released her first FULL album...

Only info... :P

April 23, 2005 | Kin wrote:

Amazing song. Love the lyrics. Perfect for Bleach.

June 19, 2005 | zhy wrote:

its a great song! I loved it the first time i heard it..

July 31, 2005 | Yumi wrote:

I heard you wanted a translation, so here it is. I did it myself and it's admittedly not my best work, but I think the meaning's pretty much there. Feel free to correct me.

Life Is Like A Boat - Rie Fu

Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me and keep me strong?

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you through another day

Heaving a sigh faraway, seeming to have grown transparent
Although I could think in the darkness, I've only been blindfolded

Give me your prayers and wait for a new day
until that end where the vividly shining sea is

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

People's hearts are moving, they come to wish to be free [1]
In a new epoque, the moon is again accompanying the boat [2]

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I.... can see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong

The journey is still continuing even on calm days
The moon still illuminates the boat in a new epoque

Give me your prayers and wait for a new day
until that end where the vividly shining sea is

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Row the boat of of fate
Although waves flow from and to the future [3]
and threaten to overwhelm us [4]
that's also a wonderful journey [5]
Every journey's a wonderful journey

Notes:
[1] nukedashitaku naru - to grow to want to come/go out (or something like that) I think 'to grow to wish for freedom' is okay 'cause that seems like the implied meaning to me.
[2] shuuki - period (time). I chose 'epoque' 'cause it sounds better.
[3] Tsugi - the next. I suppose future is an acceptable translation.
[4] Osou - something like 'attack', which sounds horribly violent. I chose 'threaten to overwhelm' 'cause it sounds better.
[5] Suteki has many meanings (elegant, beautiful, etc.); I picked 'wonderful' in this context

Thank you.

August 3, 2005 | Fahed wrote:

Thanks Yummy for the translation, it was what I was sarching the internet for.

October 11, 2005 | Arely wrote:

That's a nice song!! I love it.I've never seen BLEACH,I just visited a web and I found all the openings and endings,I downloaded them,coz I like japanese music.

When I heard this song,I was about to cry,It's so beautiful! I can't believe the singer is japanese,she speaks english like an american or a british..

I also loved Houki Boushi!! ^^

October 12, 2005 | Soul Slayer wrote:

hey i love that song from bleach! fell in love with it the first time i heard it...

November 9, 2005 | Battosaiorox wrote:

um... yeah... uh... DAM I'LL SPILL IT!!!!! I LUV THIS SONG!!! T_T (even though its kinda lame for a guy to like this song.... I DONT CARE!!!!) *wets his pants*

November 19, 2005 | JT wrote:

I love this song too!!!! And I love bleach! and thanks yumi for the translation! :D

December 15, 2005 | Freyr wrote:

At first when I heard this song I did not think it is very touching, however the more I listen to it the more I find that I am addicted to it !!~~ It is sad but full of hope~~

December 20, 2005 | Trust wrote:

the song is nice period...but i think i listen to it a little too much ^_^ rie fu sang it perfectly...her voice sounds really nice and unique. and i agree...it is addictive.

December 21, 2005 | Nurul wrote:

great SONG & WONDERFUL lyrics...

December 28, 2005 | Sarafu wrote:

Omigosh, this song rocks! It's so much fun to listen to and sing to! (Gosh, i make it sound like a happy song, don't i? X_X) It's so cool...I often find myself absent-mindedly singing it. It's TOTALLY gonna be my choir audition song...dum-de-dum~!

January 14, 2006 | Atashi wrote:

Here's another translated version for comparison:

Life is Like a Boat
Vocals: Rie fu

Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me, and keep me strong?

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on your way
The waves would guide you thru another day

Breathing in the distance as if I've become transparent
It seemed to be the dark, but I was merely blindfolded

I offer my prayers and wait for a new day
To the end of the sea that shines vividly

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

People's hearts move and want to slip out
The moon in its new cycle brings along boats again

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I.... can see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong

The journey is still continuing, on the calm days, too
The moon in its new cycle begins to shine on boats again

I offer my prayers and wait for a new day
To the end of the sea that shines vividly

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Rowing the boat of destiny
The waves assault us
One after the next
But that's a wonderful journey, too
Any one of them is a wonderful journey

January 16, 2006 | Kagome wrote:

I love this song! It's so sweet an has beautiful lyrics. I was really moved when I listened to it and I just love to listen while I daydream. :) Also Rie Fu's english is really good!

I'm singing this song for a school event ^_^ Wish me luck!

January 17, 2006 | Ichigo Mashimaro wrote:

Thank you very much for the lyrics:)
I love this song,I'm really moved

January 18, 2006 | lazyyu wrote:

dis song is really good, i luv it soooo much...thx for attaching the lyric...

January 19, 2006 | Future wrote:

What an amazing song!

March 5, 2006 | david wrote:

anyone has chords for this nice song?

March 15, 2006 | Nekomimi wrote:

add me
junyun_lee@hotmail.com
and i'll send u the mp3 through msn

love it too, it does make me cry >.<

March 15, 2006 | Nekomimi wrote:

http://dm.99770.com/Comic/252/252.htm

this is the link to online comics site of Bleach manga
all conversations are translated to chinese, for those who read chinese.
a nice site, but can only read the latest 100 acts, the previous ones were removed

April 3, 2006 | motorola wrote:

wao,this is truly a nice song!!!does anybody have the chords just like David said?i wonder i can play this song with piano!love it!

May 1, 2006 | MaaM wrote:

Give senses.... Great song,
best lyrics n musics.

May 12, 2006 | DJLarZ wrote:

I really love this song!! It rocks my shorts :D

August 8, 2006 | firnheild wrote:

really sweet, one of the songs that made me cry

August 15, 2006 | Nurse Daven wrote:

yeah, the song is so sweet... very emotional and i really love the message that the song brings.. ^_^

September 16, 2006 | Rinakou wrote:

Personally, this is my all-time favorite Anime ending and its an amazing song. A nice change from most J-Pop endings!

November 5, 2006 | orangeren wrote:

this song is so mild that it can always smooth my worried heart, i love it, really!

November 23, 2006 | kenji wrote:

i want to know the chords in guitar so i can play it.....

December 27, 2006 | Beatrix wrote:

Thanks for posting this, as well as for the wonderful translations. I love this song very much.

January 9, 2007 | Mae wrote:

What a sweet, sad song... it could have been written for the show, it just fits so well

July 8, 2007 | Rebecca wrote:

I love Bleach, and my favorite part was the ending, but now they've changed the ending song, so it sucks.

July 11, 2007 | Cristian wrote:

hi.. Wow.. it is Amazing this SONG!!!... really Jstyle... I like sukii desu ne!...

if anybody has any unplugged version or rare verison please send it to me...

my MSN is cristhm@hotmail.com...

Arigatooooo in advance!

July 18, 2007 | Raven wrote:

I love this song so much! It's so beautiful to listen to and it's on of the few songs with Japanese lyrics that I can sing along to ... Along with the song being so beautiful she has a really nice voice to

July 23, 2007 | Arturo wrote:

i love this song i watch Bleach all the time 2 me this is the best song it makes me sad but its my favorite thanks for the Lyrics

August 16, 2007 | easyasmuffin wrote:

LOVE IT! I've been watching the series on tv and on veoh.com :) It's such a BEAUTIFUL song ^_^

September 11, 2007 | Alex wrote:

I love this song. I listened to it about 6 times. Does Rie Fu sing any ther songs? If so could you tell me which ones.

September 11, 2007 | JUSTINE wrote:

I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!

September 25, 2007 | Jhun Roy wrote:

What a beatiful and a sad song But its beautiful!!! my tears is drop to my hand kerchief because of this song

October 8, 2007 | MaMaMiYa wrote:

Thank you soooo much, i am going to write about this lyric for my essay,,,and looking for a Japanese words version, thank you so much your help...

November 6, 2007 | abby wrote:

This is my favorite song IN THE WORLD! When I first heard it, I was by myself in my room late at night. I sobbed like a baby for like an hour after I heard it.

February 24, 2008 | voNNE wrote:

i love this song really.. it broke my poor heart really! ihihi..ths is not a hoax..u know..only Rie Fu touches my heart..who touches yours???

February 24, 2008 | voNNE wrote:

i love this song really.. it broke my poor heart really! ihihi..ths is not a hoax..u know..only Rie Fu touches my heart..who touches yours???

March 30, 2008 | Adam wrote:

wow, ive been trying to get wat dis song meanz, itz awesome, itz a heart warming song, didnt really match the show until soul society. ^ _ ^

May 12, 2008 | nikoll wrote:

nice song huh

September 12, 2008 | XIAO JIA wrote:

I have the life is like on a boat piano music sheet the problem is can someone give me then notes they are so hard it blind my eye to read it =[

October 25, 2008 | Maria wrote:

wooowww...I really like this song...it's soooo good..and I'm looking for the Piano sheet music also..anyone knows where??