さよならクロール – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: AKB48

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with AKB48's "Sayonara Crawl," a vibrant summer anthem that beautifully captures the nuances of unrequited love. This J-Pop hit, with its catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics, offers a fantastic opportunity to explore Japanese vocabulary related to emotions, nature, and daily life. Learn how the language conveys subtle feelings of longing and distance, making it a perfect song for intermediate learners to deepen their understanding of Japanese expressions and cultural storytelling.

[English]

Goodbye crawl

Sparkling blue sea

Your sun-kissed shoulders

Breaking through the waves

Goodbye crawl

Even though I love you so much

You don’t understand how I feel on this sandy beach

No matter what I say

Summer’s teasing ways

An orange, round buoy floats up

Up to the no-swimming rope

I want you to take me there, but it’s impossible

I can’t swim like you...

Wrapped in a towel,

I was feeling a little sulky

I wanted to monopolize the sunny season all to myself

A sad crawl

I feel like crying somehow...

I want to chase after you

Anywhere and everywhere...

A sad crawl

A secret longing

Practicing at the swimming club

Watching from the chain-link fence

The thrill of jumping

Different from the school pool

The vast sea of adults

Freedom always feels so enormous

I can't move beyond romance

You remain that boy from that day

Still the same boy

Always racing against someone

Where are you swimming toward?

Goodbye crawl

Sparkling blue sea

Your sun-kissed shoulders

Breaking through the waves

Goodbye crawl

Even though I love you so much

You don’t understand how I feel on this sandy beach

No matter what I say

Summer’s teasing ways

Remembered crawl

That summer passes by, and before I know it

The marks of my swimsuit on my bare skin

Fade away as if they disappear

Remembered crawl

No matter how much I love you

My heart that dreams

Lacks oxygen

Breath of love

You don’t understand

You don’t notice

The wind sighs

[Japanese]

さよならクロール

青い海　きらきら

あなたの灼けた肩が

波を分ける

さよならクロール

こんなに好きなのに

砂浜の気持ちを

わかってくれない

夏のいじわる

オレンジの丸いブイが浮かぶ

遊泳禁止のロープまで

連れてって欲しいけど　無理よ

あなたみたいに泳げないし...

タオルにくるまって

ちょっと拗ねてた

太陽のシーズンを独り占めしたかった

切ないクロール

泣きそうよ　なんだか...

あなたを追いかけたい

どこまででも...

切ないクロール

秘密の憧れ

水泳部の練習

金網から見てた

跳ねるときめき

学校のプールとは違う

大人たちの海原

自由っていつも広すぎるね

ロマンスの先に進めないわ

あなたはあの日の

少年のまま

ずっと誰と競って

どこへ向かって泳いでるの？

さよならクロール

青い海　きらきら

あなたの灼けた肩が

波を分ける

さよならクロール

こんなに好きなのに

砂浜の気持ちを

わかってくれない

夏のいじわる

思い出クロール

過ぎる夏　いつしか

素肌の水着の跡

消えるように

思い出クロール

どんなに好きでも

夢を見るハートに

酸素が足りない

恋の息継ぎ

わかってくれない

気づいてくれない

風はため息

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
海 /umi/ A1	noun - sea
肩 /kata/ A1	noun - shoulder
波 /nami/ A1	noun - wave
好き /suki/ A1	adjective - like
夏 /natsu/ A1	noun - summer
夢 /yume/ A2	noun - dream
切ない /setsunai/ B1	adjective - painful, heart-wrenching
秘密 /himitsu/ B1	noun - secret
恋 /koi/ B1	noun - love, romance
自由 /jiyuu/ B2	noun - freedom
思い出 /omoide/ B2	noun - memory, recollection
練習 /renshuu/ B2	noun - practice, training
競う /kisou/ B2	verb - to compete
泳ぐ /oyogu/ B1	verb - to swim
浮かぶ /ukabu/ B2	verb - to float
太陽 /taiyou/ A2	noun - sun

Key Grammar Structures

• あなたの灼けた肩が

  ➔ The particle "が" marks the subject of the sentence, emphasizing "shoulder" as the topic.

  ➔ "が" is used to highlight or specify the subject in a sentence, often contrasting or emphasizing it.

• 夏のいじわる

  ➔ Possessive noun + の indicates possession or association, in this case "summer's" or "of summer".

  ➔ "の" functions as a possessive marker, linking nouns to show belonging or relationship.

• わかってくれない

  ➔ The verb "わかる" (to understand) in the "て+くれない" form expresses inability or refusal to understand or do something.

  ➔ "て+くれない" expresses a negative ability or unwillingness to perform an action, often implying disappointment or frustration.

• 水泳部の練習

  ➔ の connects nouns to form a possessive or descriptive phrase, meaning "swimming club's practice".

  ➔ "の" functions as a genitive or modifier, showing possession or specific association between nouns.

• 波を分ける

  ➔ を marks the direct object, and the verb "分ける" (to divide) indicates an action directed towards "waves".

  ➔ "を" is the particle that marks the direct object of a transitive verb, here "waves".

• 連れてって欲しいけど　無理よ

  ➔ て form of the verb "連れる" (to bring someone along) plus "欲しい" expresses a desire; "けど" adds contrast or concession.

  ➔ "て" form of a verb connects actions or states; "欲しい" indicates a desire; "けど" is used for contrast or concessive nuance.

• 泣きそうよ　なんだか...

  ➔ The verb "泣く" (to cry) in the "そう" form indicates an apparent or probable action, meaning "seems like crying".

  ➔ "そう" attached to a verb suggests an appearance, possibility, or prediction about the action.