YUJI TANAKA brings ‘Life Is a Battle,’ a track that tells of perseverance against all odds. The rapper writes lyrics about his journey from Tsudanumua to Tokyo, while he and his collaborators Mr. Beats and Zeebra compose the beat that matches the gritty determination in every line.
Released: September 14, 2022
Life Is a Battle
Yuji Tanaka
Life Is a Battle Meaning & Lyrics (Yuji Tanaka)
YUJI TANAKA describes a path of struggle and success with concrete imagery. ‘Life’s a battle, harder than anything else’ defines his philosophy. The lyricist mentions samurai with toothpicks, Ferraris, and champion belts to illustrate his transformation from underground beginnings to triumph. The artist shows how pain and pride fuel his journey forward.
Tsudanuma kara Toukyou soshite Chiba zen’ikiFrom Tsudanuma to Tokyo, then throughout all of Chiba,
Kakudai suru seiryoku yon go nin kara senninour influence expands from a few to a thousand deep.
Marude dotou tsugi kara tsugiLike a crashing wave, one surge after another,
Nani wo shitemo kachinokoruI’ll come out on top no matter what I do.
Jimonjitou nante shite ryaIf I’d just spent my time questioning myself,
Sukuwareta ze ashimotomy foundation would’ve been swept away.
Tasseikan rentaikan koukai tono hazama waThe space between success, solidarity, and regret,
Yureru kokoro hanpireimoves in inverse proportion to my swaying heart.
Fueru buki to nakama gaWith more weapons and allies by my side,
Machi de haba wo kikashitawe made our presence felt throughout the city.
Jisonshin wo mitashitaIt fed my pride enough to satisfy me,
Kizukanaiand I didn’t even notice.
Furi wo shiteta ataete kita itami waThe pain I caused while pretending not to see,
Koma wo tsugi ni susumetamoved the game piece to the next square.
Sutoriito kara bijinesu eFrom the streets straight into business,
Ichido kimeta kara ni wasince I’ve made my decision once and for all.
Ore wa koko de ikiteku zeI’m gonna survive right here,
Daawin mo ittetajust like Darwin used to say.
Tsuyosa ya kashikosa janeeIt’s not about being the strongest or the smartest,
Henka dekiru mono shikait’s only those who can adapt and change.
Koko de wa ikinokoraneeYou won’t survive in this place,
Mukashi totta kinezukararelying on those old glories of the past.
Sonna mon ni kyoumi wa neeI’ve got no interest in stuff like that,
Ashita no ore wo sasaeru ni wa’cause to support the man I’ll be tomorrow,
Kyou no ore ni tou shika neeI’ve got no choice but to challenge who I am today.
Otokogi to udeppushi waMy grit and my physical strength,
Ringu no ue de shoumeiare proven right there on the ring.
Ore to kyoumeiIf you resonate with me,
Suru yatsu wa shikato miteke okthen keep your eyes peeled and watch closely, okay?
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, harder than anything else,
Gattsuri semete kuzusanee ze gaadoattacking hard and I won’t let down my guard.
Tatakai wa owaranai til i dieThis fight won’t end ’til the day I die.
Michi naki michi wo susunde live my lifeForging a path where there is none, living my life,
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, harder than anything else.
Tatakai tsuzukeru ze temee no shadouI’ll keep fighting against my own shadow,
Kono mic ni tamashii kome hibi savaibupouring my soul into this mic to survive every day.
Chousen naki jinsei ni imi wa naiA life without a challenge has no meaning at all.
Been there done thatI’ve been there and I’ve done that,
Hajime wa andaaguraundostarting from the depths of the underground,
Kara agari subete wo tsukandaI rose up and grabbed everything for myself.
Nakama ya fan ya chansu ni kanshaGrateful for my crew, my fans, and the opportunities,
Wasurezu ni susumi tsugi wo takurandamoving forward without forgetting, plotting my next move.
Junpuu manpan no hazu datta gaIt was supposed to be nothing but smooth sailing,
Dandan to kantan ni wa ikanaku nattabut gradually, things didn’t come so easy anymore.
Nakama no seikou mo kikanaku natta shiI stopped hearing about my friends’ successes,
Fuyu no jidai ga kite shibaraku tattaand a winter era set in for quite a while.
Ha wo kuishibari temee ni ikariGritting my teeth and feeling rage at myself,
Sagashi tsuzuketeta hitosuji no hikariI kept searching for a single ray of light.
Bushi wa kuwanedo takayoujiLike a samurai with a toothpick despite an empty stomach,
Ichikabachika tameshita araryoujiI tried a ‘win-or-lose’ drastic measure.
Temee wa ni no tsugiPutting myself in second place,
Jisedai ni fookasu wo muketaI turned the focus toward the next generation.
Kunou no sue shiin waAfter all the suffering, the scene
Danjon wo nuketahas finally made it out of the dungeon.
Kate ni suru tashou no tsumazuki moEven a few stumbles will become my fuel,
Isshou shinnen magezu ni tsuranuki tousuI’ll stick to my convictions for life without ever bending.
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, tougher than anything you know,
Gattsuri semete kuzusanee ze gaadokeeping the pressure on and my guard stays up.
Tatakai wa owaranai til i dieThe struggle continues until my final breath,
Michi naki michi wo susunde live my lifewalking a road that wasn’t there, living my life.
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, tougher than anything you know,
Tatakai tsuzukeru ze temee no shadouI’m constantly battling against my own shadow.
Kono mic ni tamashii kome hibi savaibuPouring every bit of my soul into this mic to survive,
Chousen naki jinsei ni imi wa nai’cause a life with no challenge is a life with no point.
Chanpion no beruto waThe champion’s belt
Nigirishimeta kono te niis right here in these hands I’ve gripped tight.
Yume ni miteta keshiki waThe scenery I used to see in my dreams
Yaki tsuketa ze kono me niis burned forever into these eyes of mine.
Nani iwaretemo warawaretemoNo matter what they say or if they laugh at me,
Ganbatta kai attaall that hard work was definitely worth it.
Hoshii mono wa tsukandaI’ve grabbed everything I ever wanted,
Feraari ni maibahhafrom Ferraris to Maybachs.
Saigen naku kasegu hibiEarning without limits every single day,
Richard Mille Patek Philippewearing Richard Mille and Patek Philippe.
Nft bored ape make a mil all dayNFT Bored Apes, making a million all day,
Temee no tame ni kaseidara baand once you’ve earned enough for yourself.
Ato wa hito ni ataeruThen it’s time to give back to others.
Utsuwa dekai otoko nomi ga dekai yume wo katareruOnly a man with a big heart can speak of big dreams,
Kono sekai de abareru tsugi no mokuhyou kakageruraging in this world, setting my next goal,
Nakama tachi to saki mezasuI’m aiming for the future with my crew.
Dakara ima mo ashi kakeruThat’s why I’m still making my move right now,
Sukuramu kumu doushi sara ni moyasu toushicomrades in a scrum, burning our fighting spirit higher.
Sutoriito de yume wo ou otoko tachi ni toushiInvesting in the men chasing dreams on the street,
Sky is the limitbecause the sky’s the limit.
Hiroi sora ni egaki dasuDrawing it all out in the vast sky,
Genkai nado nai ore no yume wa neva enuffthere are no limits, my dream is never enough.
Mezasu basho wa haruka saki no kanata daThe place I’m aiming for is far off in the distance,
Manzoku katte iiya mada madaam I satisfied? No, not yet.
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, harder than anything else,
Gattsuri semete kuzusanee ze gaadoattacking hard and I won’t let down my guard.
Tatakai wa owaranai til i dieThis fight won’t end ’til the day I die,
Michi naki michi wo susunde live my lifeforging a path where there is none, living my life.
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, harder than anything else,
Tatakai tsuzukeru ze temee no shadouI’ll keep fighting against my own shadow.
Kono mic ni tamashii kome hibi savaibuPouring my soul into this mic to survive every day,
Chousen naki jinsei ni imi wa nai’cause a life without a challenge has no meaning at all.
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, tougher than anything you know,
Gattsuri semete kuzusanee ze gaadokeeping the pressure on and my guard stays up.
Tatakai wa owaranai til i dieThe struggle continues until my final breath,
Michi naki michi wo susunde live my lifewalking a road that wasn’t there, living my life.
Life is a battle nani yori mo haadoLife’s a battle, tougher than anything you know,
Tatakai tsuzukeru ze temee no shadouI’m constantly battling against my own shadow.
Kono mic ni tamashii kome hibi savaibuPouring every bit of my soul into this mic to survive,
Chousen naki jinsei ni imi wa naia life with no challenge is a life with no point.
Life Is a Battle Music Video
‘Life Is a Battle’ by YUJI TANAKA is a testament to unyielding perseverance. If you want to understand ‘Life Is a Battle’, the lyrics showcase resilience in the face of life’s constant challenges.