Mariya Takeuchi (竹内まりや) (born March 20, 1955 in Shimane, Japan) is a Japan… Read Full Bio ↴Mariya Takeuchi (竹内まりや) (born March 20, 1955 in Shimane, Japan) is a Japanese singer and songwriter.
Takeuchi started her own career with a single "Modotte-Oide, Watashi no Jikan" in 1978. From the late 1970s to the early '80s, she has recorded 5 albums and several singles including top-ten hit "Fushigi na Peach Pie". Those materials have featured dozens of Japanese and North American distinguished songwriters, instrumentalists, and producers, such as David Foster, Jim Keltner, Jay Graydon, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro, David Hungate, Kazuhiko Kato, Kunihiko Kase, Shigeru Suzuki, Takashi Matsumoto, and her future long-term partner Tatsuro Yamashita.
"Heart to Heart", one of her songs co-written by Roger Nichols and released in 1980, was recorded by the Carpenters two years later, and became the last recording for the late Karen Carpenter.

In 1981, Takeuchi married to a singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, and stopped her career temporarily owing to the pregnancy. After her comeback to the Japanese music industry in 1984, she has accomplished huge commercial success more than when she was single. From that year to the present, she has recorded 6 successful studio albums that mainly consisted of her self-penned songs, and all of them have reached #1 on the Japanese Oricon chart.

As a singer-songwriter, she has produced 8 top-ten hit singles on the Oricon, including "Single Again", "Kokuhaku", "Junai Rhapsody", "Konya wa Hearty Party" and her only #1 hit "Camouflage".

哀しい恋人
竹内まりや Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

今夜限りでもう二人は
逢えなくなるとわかっていた
好きになるほど大切なもの
失くす予感におびえたから
こうして密かな闇にまぎれて
孤独を分け合った月日
どんなに強く抱きしめられても
あなたのものになれない私

答えの出ない問いに疲れたわ
心縛るリボンはずしましょう
ゴールのないゲームの駒に似た
二人は哀しい恋人
これから何も手につかなくて
ふとしたことに涙ぐむでしょう
時がすべてを奪い去っても
ぬくもりだけは胸に残るの
こうして夜明けの家路急げば
背負いきれぬ罪に揺れる
どんなに深く愛し合ってても
私のものじゃなかったあなた
正しく生きるなんてできないわ
正直に生きるのも苦しくて
短いメールさえも途絶えてく
二人は哀しい恋人
生まれ変わっても
めぐり逢いたいわ
今度は本当の恋人として
思い出だけが今を支えてる

二人は哀しい恋人
二人は哀しい恋人

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 竹内まりや's song "哀しい恋人" ("Sad Lovers") depict a situation in which the two lovers know that they won't be able to meet again after this night. The singer, who has become more and more attached to the other person, is afraid to lose what has become precious to her. She chose to be with him in secret, hiding in the darkness, and they shared their time together, but despite how strongly he embraced her, she knows that she can't become his. She is tired of the unanswered questions that have been bothering her, and she wants to remove the ribbon that is tying her heart.

The lovers are compared to pieces in a game with no end, and they are both sad. From now on, they won't be able to focus on anything, and tears will come unexpectedly. However, even if time takes away everything from them, the warmth they had for each other will remain in their hearts. As they depart, carrying the burden of their sins, the singer realizes that, no matter how deeply they loved each other, he was not hers to begin with. She concludes that living rightly is impossible, and being honest is also hard. Even their communication becomes difficult, and they are left with nothing but memories. They hope to meet again as true lovers in their next life.

Line by Line Meaning

今夜限りでもう二人は
Tonight is the last time we will see each other

逢えなくなるとわかっていた
I knew that we would no longer be able to meet

好きになるほど大切なもの
The more we love, the more important it becomes

失くす予感におびえたから
I was afraid of the feeling that I might lose you

こうして密かな闇にまぎれて
Hiding in the darkness like this

孤独を分け合った月日
The days we shared our loneliness together

どんなに強く抱きしめられても
No matter how tightly you hold me

あなたのものになれない私
I cannot belong to you

答えの出ない問いに疲れたわ
I am tired of unanswered questions

心縛るリボンはずしましょう
Let's untie the ribbons that bind us

ゴールのないゲームの駒に似た
We were like game pieces with no end goal