Who Was She? (feat. MINMI)

Track 11 - Volume 1
Production (Half Hands-off): Nujabes – Who's Theme (feat. MINMI) / Blackbird Productions (The Author)



This one is a completely made up story, inspired by those moments when I was young, and I gathered my courage to talk to a girl whom I didn't even know. Sometimes I crashed and burned, but other times I ended up with a number (not that it went anywhere past that).

The encounter in the song takes direct inspiration from this one time that I hit it off with a girl I didn't know, but then forgot to ask for her number. She was singing when I approached her, but it wasn't at me, and it was certainly not japanese. I was always reminded of that moment when I listened to this beat by Nujabes however, so I decided to make a story out of it so that I could still use Minmi's voice (the girl singing on it, a Japanese pop star).

Even though it was a brief meeting no longer than 15 minutes, it's something I probably won't ever forget. Either that or I'll end up convincing myself that this song actually happened.

(Lyrics)
Let me set the stage.

It was a warm day in September. One I’ll always remember, under the streetlamp penumbras.

Such a different age; a time when texting wasn’t an option, so if you were crushing on a girl you had to get to talking.

It’s like it was yesterday. I saw her standing by the bus stop, the kind of girl that makes your jaw drop.

Wearing some tight jeans, and a low-cut tank top, big ass headphones, always blaring hip-hop.

See, nowadays it’s easy to find out about a person. What with facebook, twitter, if not those then Google searches.

I’m just saying it’s not like I could get her name and save myself the trouble of spitting game if she has no brain, or if she gives no brain.

I’m not interested in scarecrow status, and I'm certainly no Ichabod Crane.

But I digress, I gotta tell you the rest, cause when I introduced myself, she started singing this:

(MINMI)

耳をすませて (Let's listen, carefully)

黄昏れるまで (Until dusk falls)

隠れたままで、迎えまって (It's concealed itself So, wait for its greeting)

気まぐれんあ風きっかけ (The fickle winds find reason)

めくれておもいで (To turn my memories inside out)

When she finished she smiled, but my tongue was tied up.

Couldn’t think of what to say. Speaking Japanese is tough.

As I felt my ears turning red, she started giggling.

“Sorry,” she said. “That’s just a poem that I love to sing. Especially when I listen to this beat, it’s so chill, one of those that you always keep on repeat,”

I knew what she meant; I had a few like that myself.

We talked for a bit, and soon I was under her spell.

I wish I could say I got her number, but I didn’t think of it. So busy in conversation, yeah, I’m still a little pissed.

Cause when her bus came she hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek, pulled out her Discman, and from it gave me a CD.

When I got home I immediately put it in. As the song came on I smiled, cause it was Nujabes.

As the voice came on, I recognized it as hers; A beautiful reminder of a small moment in this world.

(MINMI)
ツレテって (Take me)

あなた輪どこえ (To where you are)

ときをこえ（Passing through time)

心ほどいて（My heart unravels)