生きろ – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: Mr.Children
• Album: Mr.Children 2015 - 2021 & NOW

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Japanese through Mr. Children's 'Ikiro' offers a unique opportunity to engage with the power of direct and emotional language. The song's title itself is a command, 'Live!', and the lyrics are filled with strong verbs and heartfelt expressions of struggle and hope. By studying the lyrics, you can learn how to convey deep emotions and a powerful will in Japanese. What makes this song special is its raw, unfiltered message of survival, a departure from the band's more poetic style, making it a compelling and memorable piece for language learners.

[English]

Clenched tightly in my hand

My trembling palm

The promises we've made

Keep beating in my chest

Everywhere I go

I touch warm feelings

Kindness hurts so much

I told myself it's just a dream and pushed it away

...

Drawing dazzling orbits

A shooting star races through the night

I’m just a tiny dot in this vast universe

And it’s like the universe is showing me that

...

Well then

Chase after it, ask questions

Barefoot, if you want

With your blood boiling inside

Even if it’s trivial

Debate and clash, go all-in

Shut up those stubborn words

Until the day you can laugh out loud

...

With swollen eyelids

On those nights filled with tears

Swaying in the flames I’ve lit

The stench that’s hard to bear

And the longing for someone’s light

While releasing both into the sky at once

The blue smoke disappears on the wind

...

Gradually

Burning fiercely, welling up

My feelings haven’t changed even now

Still standing on dreams

From there

I become stronger once more

With the wounds I’ve lost etched as a signpost

Let’s go

Chase after it, ask questions

...

Barefoot, if you want

With your blood boiling inside

From here

ここから

I’ll grow stronger again

More than what I’ve lost

Laugh out loud until that day comes

And live

Live

...

Live

...

[Japanese]

固く握った

震える掌

交わした約束が

脈打ち続けてる

行く先々で

触れ合う温もり

優しさが苦しくて

幻だと言い聞かせ跳ね返した

眩い軌道を描き

流星が夜を駆ける

自分は小さな点の一つでしかない

その当たり前を突きつけてくるんだ

それなら

追いかけろ 問いかけろ

いっそ裸足のままで

血をたぎらせながら

つまらぬ

水掛け論 伴掛けろ

減らず口を塞いだら

思いきり笑える その日が来るまで

瞼腫らして

泣き明かした夜は

薪をくべた炎の中で揺れている

鼻を突く嫌な匂いと

人恋しくなる光

とを同時に空へと放ちながら

蒼い煙は風に乗り消えた

次第に

燃え盛る 湧き上がる

想いは今も変わらねえ

夢に跨ったまま

そこから

またひとつ 強くなる

失くしたものの分まで

刻まれた傷を道標にして

行こう

追いかけろ 問いかけろ

いっそ裸足のままで

血をたぎらせながら

ここから

またひとつ 強くなる

失くしたものの分まで

思いきり笑える

その日が来るまで

生きろ

生きろ

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
握る /nigiru/ A2	verb - to grasp or hold tightly
約束 /yakusoku/ B1	noun - promise or agreement
温もり /nukumori/ B2	noun - warmth
優しさ /yasashisa/ B1	noun - kindness
苦しい /kurushii/ B2	adjective - painful or difficult
流星 /ryuusei/ B2	noun - meteor
夢 /yume/ A2	noun - dream
笑える /waraeru/ B1	verb - to be able to laugh
生きろ /ikiro/ B2	verb - to live
血 /chi/ A1	noun - blood
傷 /kizu/ B1	noun - wound or injury
炎 /honoo/ B2	noun - flame
風 /kaze/ A1	noun - wind
空 /sora/ A1	noun - sky

Key Grammar Structures

• 脈打ち続けてる

  ➔ Present continuous tense with the verb "続ける" (to continue), expressing an ongoing action.

  ➔ The verb "続ける" means "to continue," and combined with the auxiliary "ている," it forms a present continuous tense indicating an ongoing state.

• 触れ合う温もり

  ➔ Verb "触れ合う" (to touch each other) used in its noun form to refer to mutual touching or contact.

  ➔ "触れ合う" is a verb meaning "to touch each other" or "to be in contact," used here to describe mutual warmth or connection.

• 負けず

  ➔ Negative form of "負ける" (to lose) combined with "ず" to express "without losing" or "not losing."

  ➔ "負けず" is a classical negative form meaning "without losing" or "not losing," often used in poetic or formal contexts.

• 儘しぬ

  ➔ Classical or literary expression meaning "to die" or "to pass away," often used in poetic or formal language.

  ➔ An old or poetic verb form of "死ぬ" (to die), emphasizing a dignified or poetic farewell to life.

• 行く先々で

  ➔ Phrase using "で" to indicate "at" or "in" various locations, emphasizing plurality of places.

  ➔ The phrase "行く先々で" uses "で" to mark locations where an action occurs repeatedly, emphasizing the multitude of places.

• 笑える

  ➔ Potential form of "笑う" (to laugh) indicating ability or possibility, often used to express the potential to laugh wholeheartedly.

  ➔ The verb "笑える" is the potential form of "笑う," meaning "can laugh" or "be able to laugh," highlighting the capacity for genuine happiness.