The meaning of TO BE lyrics.

[zyoeru]

In the second verse of TO BE according to wataru's translation she sings:

Was it myself? Was it the people? Or was it
Only a clock? The thing that seemed to break.

What is the meaning of the clock? It doesn't seem to fit...

[Miltonic]

maybe it's supposed to mean time? but other than that I don't know

[visionfactory]

sure "time" makes more sense, but the word used is tokei and..
tokei = clock
toki = time

[4minute Girl]

i think it means her heart was broken when her father abandoned her..
she asks if it was her own fault that he left... or someone else...
then she asks if her time (with her father) ran out and her heart broke

[zyoeru]

^ But that doesn't make sense. The song is about Max...

[yuki_unmei]

^ it is?
Max? lol

[Miltonic]

I still think it's time and maybe she wanted to use a thing to represent it instead of writing time for whatever reason so she used clock because when think of clocks the first thing that would come to mind is time.

[zyoeru]

Originally Posted by yuki_unmei

^ it is?
Max? lol

Yeah. Max is the man who discovered her singing in Velfarre.
He's still her producer. She's very thankful to him.

[yuki_unmei]

^well, that's cool. i never knew it was for Max =]

[jean-baptiste]

i agree.
time makes sense. because time itself cant "break" but a clock can.
i guess its metaphoric.

[maikaru]

But actually, when I listen to those lyrics, it gives me this feeling like..
Was it the people who were broken, was it me who was broken?
Or was it the broken clock that made everyone think that I was broken,
Because me and the people are living in two different eras,
With two different ideas of how to live, which is why people think I am garbage.

[AyUta]

Whoa, I had no idea it was for Max

[murasakinohana]

even tho i don't know the meanings to this song, it's still very much meaningful to me..

[JackieRos]

i never understood the lyrics actually

[ストロボ・EdGE]

Did she ever say so explicitly, that the song was for Max?

[waterballoon]

^ I think she mentioned it somewhere... I can't really remember (waiting for Deli-0 to clarify this LOL).. but I'm pretty positive it's a kinda thank-you thing for Max.

[zyoeru]

Yeah, even if she didn't confirm it you can pretty much tell.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by maikaru

But actually, when I listen to those lyrics, it gives me this feeling like..
Was it the people who were broken, was it me who was broken?
Or was it the broken clock that made everyone think that I was broken,
Because me and the people are living in two different eras,
With two different ideas of how to live, which is why people think I am garbage.

That is a much better interpretation. That's the problem with translating things too literally, you often lose the meaning behind it.

And yes, it is commonly believed that this song is about Max.

[zyoeru]

Ahh I understand the lyrics now~! Thank you everyone for your contributions! I love this song even more now.