Hanabi Lyrics in English by Mr.Children

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Hanabi by Mr.Children from Japanese to English.
These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!
Verse 1
dorekurai no neuchi ga aru darou
How much is it really worth?
boku ga ima ikiteiru kono sekai ni
This world I'm living in right now
subete ga muimi datte omoeru
It all feels so meaningless
chotto tsukareten no ka naa
Maybe I'm just a little tired
te ni ireta mono to hikikae ni shite
In exchange for the things I've gained
kirisuteta ikutsu mo no kagayaki
So many shining things I've cut away
ichiichi ureiteireru hodo
But this world isn't peaceful enough
heiwa na yononaka janai shi
To grieve over every single one
Verse 2
ittai donna risou o egaitara ii
What kind of ideal should I even picture?
donna kibou o idaki susundara ii
What kind of hope should I hold as I move on?
kotaeyou mo nai sono toikake wa
That question nobody can answer
nichijou ni houmurareteku
Gets buried in everyday life
kimi ga itara nante iu ka naa
If you were here, what would you say?
kurai to chakashite warau no ka naa
Would you laugh and tease me, calling me "gloomy"?
sono yawarakana egao ni furete
I wish that touching that gentle smile of yours
boku no yuuutsu ga fukitondara ii noni
Would blow my blues away
Chorus 1
kesshite tsukamaeru koto no dekinai
Something I can never catch
hanabi no you na hikari da to shitatte
Even if it's only a light like fireworks
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
boku wa kono te o nobashitai
I want to reach out my hand
dare mo mina kanashimi o idaiteru
Everyone carries some sadness inside
dakedo sutekina ashita o negatteiru
But still they wish for a wonderful tomorrow
okubyoukaze ni fukarete
Blown by the winds of cowardice
namikaze ga tatta sekai o
This troubled, stormy world
doredake aisuru koto ga dekiru darou
How much will I be able to love it?
Verse 3
kangaesugi de kotoba ni tsumaru
I overthink and get stuck for words
jibun no bukiyousa ga kirai
I hate how clumsy I am
demo myouni kiyouni tachifurumau jibun wa sore ijou ni kirai
But I hate it even more when I act strangely smooth and clever
waratteitemo
Whether we spend our time laughing
naite sugoshitemo byoudou ni toki wa nagareru
Or crying, time flows on just the same
mirai ga bokura o yonderu
The future is calling us
sono koe wa ima kimi ni mo kikoeteimasuka
Can you hear that voice now too?
Chorus 2
sayonara ga mukae ni kuru koto o
That goodbye would one day come for me
saisho kara wakatteita to shitatte
Even if I had known it from the start
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
nando de mo kimi ni aitai
I'd want to see you again and again
meguriaeta koto de konnani
Just because I happened to meet you
sekai ga utsukushiku mieru nante
The world could look this beautiful
souzou sae mo shiteinai
I'd never even imagined it
tanjun datte waraukai
Will you laugh and call me simple?
kimi ni kokorokara arigatou o iu yo
I'll thank you from the bottom of my heart
todokooranai you ni yurete nagarete
Swaying and flowing so I never stagnate
sukitootteku mizu no you na kokoro de aretara
If only my heart could be like water growing ever clearer
Chorus 3
aitakunatta toki no bun made
Enough to cover the times I'll miss you
sabishikunatta toki no bun made
Enough to cover the times I'll feel lonely
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
kimi o tsuyoku yakitsuketai
I want to burn you deep into my memory
dare mo mina mondai o kakaeteiru
Everybody's carrying their own problems
dakedo sutekina ashita o negatteiru
But still they wish for a wonderful tomorrow
okubyoukaze ni fukarete namikaze ga tatta sekai o
Losing my nerve, this troubled, stormy world —
doredake aisuru koto ga dekiru darou
How much will I be able to love it?
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
mou ikkai mou ikkai
One more time, one more time
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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臆病風 — a gust of fear / cowardice

臆病風 literally means “the wind of cowardice,” but it is a vivid Japanese idiom for suddenly losing courage or being overcome by fear. In the song, 臆病風に吹かれて means “being buffeted by fear,” creating a memorable image of trying to love a turbulent world despite one's doubts.

"Hanabi" opens with a tired question: how much is this world I'm living in actually worth? The narrator admits everything feels meaningless, then shrugs it off with a very human excuse, ちょっと疲れてんのかなぁ (maybe I'm just a bit tired). That casual tsukareten is spoken Japanese, the clipped form of tsukarete iru, and it makes the whole song feel like someone thinking out loud late at night rather than giving a speech.

The title means fireworks (花火, literally "fire flowers"), and the central image is the light of a firework, something you can never catch. He knows that, and still the chorus keeps repeating もう一回 もう一回 (one more time, one more time) until he says 僕はこの手を伸ばしたい (I want to reach out this hand). Later the same chant turns into wanting to see "you" again, over and over, even though he knew from the start that goodbye would come for him. My favourite bit is the honesty in the middle: he hates how clumsy he is with words, but hates the version of himself that acts smoothly and cleverly even more. The phrase 臆病風に吹かれて (blown by the wind of cowardice) is a fun idiom to learn: in Japanese you get "caught by a cowardly wind" when you lose your nerve. The song never fixes anything. It just asks how much he can love a world full of rough waves, and then grabs for that firework light one more time.

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