1. 人が痛みを感じた時には自分の事のように思えるように

Romaji: hito ga itami o kanjita toki ni wa jibun no koto no yō ni omoeru yō ni

Cultural Nuance: A prayer to be someone with deep empathy, capable of feeling another person's pain as if it were their own.

🗣 Japanese Insight: Placed at the very beginning, this phrase serves as the guiding principle for the entire song. While back number’s lyrics often focus on one's own pathetic or weak side, here the perspective expands gently toward the "pain of others." It is an expression of overwhelming benevolence—grieving for the injustices faced by others even more than one's own.

2. 正しさを別の正しさで失くす悲しみ

Romaji: tadashisa o betsu no tadashisa de nakusu kanashimi

Cultural Nuance: The absurdity of a world where something precious is taken away, not because anyone is wrong, but because different "truths" or "priorities" collide.

🗣 Japanese Insight: This evokes the situation where the "correctness of infection control" led to the loss of the "correctness of chasing a dream (holding the tournament)." Rather than a simple good-vs-evil dynamic, Shimizu captures the "inescapable sadness" that arises precisely because both sides believe they are doing what is right.

3. 水平線が光る朝にあなたの希望が崩れ落ちて

Romaji: suiheisen ga hikaru asa ni anata no kibō ga kuzureochite

Cultural Nuance: The cruel contrast between a world that continues to shine beautifully at "morning" and the personal "despair" of one's life falling apart.

🗣 Japanese Insight: Even when one's heart is shattered, nature (the horizon) continues to shine as if nothing happened, ushering in a new day. This lyric expresses the moment when that beauty feels heartlessly indifferent. The motif of the "Horizon"—something existing beyond human affairs—emphasizes the profound sense of isolation and loss.

4. 風に飛ばされる欠片に誰かが綺麗と呟いてる

Romaji: kaze ni tobasareru kakera ni dareka ga kirei to tsubuyaiteru

Cultural Nuance: The loneliness of seeing one's unbearable failure or tragedy consumed by bystanders as a "beautiful story" or the "sparkle of youth."

🗣 Japanese Insight: This depicts the irresponsible gaze of outsiders who look at heartbroken youth and call it "beautiful." This contrast between the "sad voice" of the person involved and the "beautiful whispers" of others is perhaps the sharpest and most truthful observation in the song.

5. 自分の背中は見えないのだから恥ずかしがらずに人に尋ねるといい

Romaji: jibun no senaka wa mienai no dakara hazukashigarazu ni hito ni tazuneru to ii

Cultural Nuance: A warm, down-to-earth piece of advice suggesting that one shouldn't carry everything alone or blame oneself too much; it’s okay to ask others for help or a different perspective.

🗣 Japanese Insight: This advice is full of back number’s signature unpretentious humanity. By saying, "It’s hard to see yourself objectively, so it’s okay to rely on those around you," the lyrics resonate deeply with modern people who often feel isolated in their struggles.

6. 人の歓声と拍手の中に誰かの悲鳴が隠れている

Romaji: kansei to hakushu no naka ni dareka no himei ga kakurete iru

Cultural Nuance: The truth that behind the winner bathed in light, there always exists the pain of those who worked just as hard but were defeated.

🗣 Japanese Insight: Because the song is themed around the competitive world of sports, these words carry immense weight. It encourages us to listen to the "unchosen voices" hidden behind the cheers of a dream coming true. It is a perspective that seeks to save not only the victors but also those who had no choice but to drop out.

7. いつしか海に流れ着いて光って あなたはそれを見るでしょう

Romaji: itsushika umi ni nagaretsuite hikatte anata wa sore o miru deshou

Cultural Nuance: The hope that fragments of shattered dreams, currently scattered by the wind, will eventually change shape over time and return to illuminate your path.

🗣 Japanese Insight: This is a prayer that lost efforts and time are never truly wasted. Instead, they will eventually return as "light." While we don't know when or in what form, the song closes with a quiet hope for the future—that we will eventually reunite with that light on the other side of the "Horizon."

🎤 Emotional Summary

"Suipeisen" is a requiem and a blessing for all "unrewarded hearts," transcending the specific circumstances of the pandemic. Instead of forcing someone in the depths of despair to "look on the bright side," it offers total validation by suggesting that their sadness is valuable enough for someone else to call it "beautiful." That kindness continues to connect hearts to the world beyond the horizon today.