# アナタの背中の意味



## lammn

The other thread has inspired me to review some of my lyrics translation made in early days.
There is a phrase in the song "Dance in the Memories" that I don't really understand.

What is meant by アナタの背中の意味?
It is in the 6th stanza of the song:

今ならわかる
アナタの背中の意味が
だけど届かないわ

A literal translation of アナタの背中の意味 would be "the meaning of your back", but it does not make any sense.

Full lyrics can be found here. Thanks for any help!


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## Aoyama

> literal translation of アナタの背中の意味 would be "the meaning of your back", but it does not make any sense.


And that is also what I humbly understand ...
One other possibility is that 背中 is a pun or a _mistake_ (?).
First thing that could come to mind is 世中　(like 世の中 -yo no naka) ...
A wild guess ...


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## samlibere

"The meaning of your back" might mean "the beauty of your curves"

A wild wild wild wild guess


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## Aoyama

> "The meaning of your back" might mean "the beauty of your curves"


Could be, but then "の意味" doesn't make much ... "sense".


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## kaito

Unless someone who knows better tells me so, I'm inclined to believe that this is rather a question of interpretation than a question about the Japanese language.
My main interpretation would be ~"Now I understand what you wanted to tell me by leaving".


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## samlibere

now we seem to be getting somewhere ; any nihonjin to confirm?


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## Aoyama

> My main interpretation would be ~"Now I understand what you wanted to tell me by leaving".


Like "to turn your back on somebody" ...
Let's hope Flam will shed some light on that one ...


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## lammn

Aoyama said:


> Like "to turn your back on somebody" ...


 
That's what I think.
"To turn your back" (背中を向ける) is a way of attitude of showing _indifference_ to someone. See this dictionary entry for reference.

But then, I need someone to confirm if 背中の意味 is equivalent to 背中を向けるという意味.


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## lilhelper

Now you know,
why you turned your back on me.
because we cannot be together.

My honest attempt.

I think to understand the phrase here, we must draw upon the meaning of the song itself.


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## Aoyama

> I need someone to confirm if 背中の意味 is equivalent to 背中を向けるという意味


To me it is NOT.


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## lammn

lilhelper said:


> Now you know,
> why you turned your back on me.
> because we cannot be together.
> 
> My honest attempt.
> 
> I think to understand the phrase here, we must draw upon the meaning of the song itself.


 
I agree with you, lilhelper, that it is essential to consider the meaning of the whole song.  
I check with dictionary again and it says that "turn one's back on (someone)" means "deny", "reject", "abandon", etc.

Now I tend to think that 背中の意味 has the connotation of "breakup of a relationship".
Any more objections (or approval)?


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## Aoyama

> Now I tend to think that 背中の意味 has the connotation of "breakup of a relationship".
> Any more objections (or approval)?


That is the meaning in English, but not in Japanese, even if the Japanese phrase can be loosely understood the English way (but that is a "leap"of mind).
Maybe more context (rest of the song) is needed.


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## Ocham

If I asked 中原めいこ (I'm sorry I've never heard of her name) what she meant 
by アナタの背中 in the line, I believe she would answer... 
Don't take it so seriously. I just did it out of a momentary caprice. I know it's 
very bad Japanese. But I had never expected non-native speakers would be 
interested in my song and try to understand its lylics. Japanese would not pay 
much attention to the details of song lylics. It doesn't have any serious meaning. 
I just wanted to say a man's back is, you know, sometimes more eloquent than 
his mouth. It speakes of sadness, suffering, loneliness, etc,.


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## Aoyama

Well, we shouldn't bother so much about those lyrics then ...


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## Flaminius

This lyric and many other lyrics of modern Japanese songs are rich with metaphors.  Even if the metaphors do not seem to come together to weave a consistent narrative, I am very reluctant to understand them as a product of "momentary caprice."  As is customary for understanding old Japanese poetry traditions such as _haiku_, I am inclined to think that readers/listeners of contemporary lyrics are also invited to take an active part in the songs by perfecting them by their interpretations.

I won't be surprised if there are as many translations as translators but I hope I can shed some light on the metaphorical use of 背中.

背中 can be a metaphor of break-up of a relation as many have argued in this thread.  For instance, 背を向ける is reject, break away or rebel against.  It is also a metaphor of silence as evidenced in idioms such as 父の背中を見て育つ and 背中が語る.  If one finds many instances of seeing アナタの背中, then one may translate the phrase in question into "the reason of your silence."  If one finds only one instance, then "why you left me" is the gist of the phrase.


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## Aoyama

> If one finds many instances of seeing アナタの背中, then one may translate the phrase in question into "the reason of your silence." If one finds only one instance, then "why you left me" is the gist of the phrase.


Waooh ... "why you left me" then ... that one was a bit beyond my practice ...


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## lammn

Ocham said:


> If I asked 中原めいこ what she meant by アナタの背中 in the line, I believe she would answer...
> But I had never expected non-native speakers would be interested in my song and try to understand its lylics...
> It doesn't have any serious meaning.


 
There is no reason why non-native speakers should not be interested in understandng Japanese lyrics, Ocham.  
Now at least I know that 背中の意味 is not a 慣用語.



Flaminius said:


> 背中 can be a metaphor of break-up of a relation as many have argued in this thread. For instance, 背を向ける is reject, break away or rebel against. It is also a metaphor of silence as evidenced in idioms such as 父の背中を見て育つ and 背中が語る. If one finds many instances of seeing アナタの背中, then one may translate the phrase in question into "the reason of your silence." If one finds only one instance, then "why you left me" is the gist of the phrase.


 
Impeccable interpretations! 

Finally, thanks to all of you who have participated in this discussion! *bow*


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