Ikitsudzukeru

Title:                生き続ける | Ikitsudzukeru | Live On
Info:                 AKB48 4th Original Album - Koko ga Rhodes da, koko de tobe!
Member(s):        Umeda Ayaka, Oba Mina, Ogasawara Mayu, Kitahara Rie, Kuramochi Asuka, Kotani Riho, Sato Sumire,                         Shibata Aya, Suda Akari, Takajo Aki, Takayanagi Akane, Nakanishi Chiyori, Fujie Reina, Miyazawa Sae,                         Yamauchi Suzuran, Yamada Nana

生きる 生きる 泥水を飲んで どんなにつらくても生き続けよう 明日 明日 もし生きてれば もう一度 朝日を見られる ずっと目指した夢は 今もまだ遥か遥か彼方 手を翳し 目を凝らして 見失わない自分でいたい 汗と涙を こんなに流して 傷ついても 這いつくばって よろけながら立ち上がろう 熱い 熱い心の言葉を 誰かに伝えたくて生き延びてる 青く 青く晴れ渡る空は この俺の叫びを聴いてる 誰も指差しながら 負けた者たちを笑うだろう 気づいてるか? 本当は 戦わぬ者が笑われてると… 力が尽きて 途中で死んだら 俺の屍 放置したまま 魂だけ行かせてくれ! 高く 高く空まで昇って 歩いたその道を振り返ろう 何も 何も後悔してない 逃げ出さず生き続けたこと さあ 風化したこの俺から 衣服を剥ぎ取れ! 残ったその骨の どこかにあるだろう 何よりも大事に 守り続けたその美学 おまえが持ってけ! それが生きるということだ 熱い 熱い心の言葉を 誰かに伝えたくて生き延びてる 青く 青く晴れ渡る空は この俺の叫びを聴いてる 生きる 生きる 泥水を飲んで どんなにつらくても生き続けよう 明日 明日 もし生きてれば もう一度 朝日を見られる

ikiru ikiru doromizu wo nonde donna ni tsuraku te mo ikitsudzukeyou ashita ashita moshi ikitereba mou ichido asahi wo mirareru zutto mezashita yume wa ima mo mada haruka haruka kanata te wo kazashi me wo korashite miushinawanai jibun de itai ase to namida wo konna ni nagashite kizutsuite mo haitsukubatte yorokenagara tachiagarou atsui atsui kokoro no kotoba wo dareka ni tsutaetakute ikinobiteru aoku aoku harewataru sora wa kono ore no sakebi wo kiiteru dare mo yubi sashinagara maketa monotachi wo warau darou kidzuiteru ka? hontou wa tatakawanu mono ga warawareteru to... chikara ga tsukite tochuu de shindara ore no shikabane houchi shita mama tamashii dake ikasete kure! takaku takaku sora made nobotte aruita sono michi wo furikaerou nani mo nani mo koukai shite nai nigedasazu ikitsudzuketa koto saa fuuka shita kono ore kara ifuku wo hagitore! nokotta sono hone no doko ka ni aru darou nani yori mo daiji ni mamoritsudzuketa sono bigaku omae ga motte ke! sore ga ikiru to iu koto da atsui atsui kokoro no kotoba wo dareka ni tsutaetakute ikinobiteru aoku aoku harewataru sora wa kono ore no sakebi wo kiiteru ikiru ikiru doromizu wo nonde donna ni tsurakute mo ikitsudzukeyou ashita ashita moshi ikitereba mou ichido asahi wo mirareru

Live, live, I’ll drink muddy water if I have to I’ll live on, no matter how hard it gets Tomorrow, tomorrow, if I’m still alive I’ll be able to see the morning sun again The dream I’ve always aimed for Is still far, far away even now I raise my hands And strain my eyes ‘Cause I don’t want to lose sight of myself I’ve gone through So much sweat and tears Even if I get hurt I crawl on my hands and feet If I stumble, I stand up again The words of my burning, burning spirit I want to survive to tell them to someone The blue, blue sunny sky Is listening to these screams of mine Anyone you can name They all just laugh at the losers But have you realized it? The truth is that those who laugh Are the ones who are too scared to fight… If I run out of strength And die midway I’ll just put aside My death And let my soul continue on! I’ll climb up to the tall, tall sky And look back at the road I’ve walked I don’t regret anything, anything ‘Cause I’ve lived on, without running away Here, tear these clothes from my weathered body! Though all that remains of me is bones These ideals that I’ve protected over all else You take them and go! That’s what it means to live The words of my burning, burning spirit I want to survive to tell them to someone The blue, blue sunny sky Is listening to these screams of mine Live, live, I’ll drink muddy water if I have to I’ll live on, no matter how hard it gets Tomorrow, tomorrow, if I’m still alive I’ll be able to see the morning sun again

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for songs meant to directly relate to the members' experiences. But having so many veteran and 'discarded' members sing a song like this just makes them seem so desperate and pitiful. I do not know how far the members are able to relate to this, but if nothing else it paints a very unbalanced picture.

Younger members sing of 'starting on a journey' or 'reaching for their dreams' all the time (including Koko ga Rhodes da, Koko de tobe! itself). Older members get some songs like this, where they sing about persevering and fighting on. Everyone has their own struggles, sure. But what about the top members? I have yet to find a song sung by regular senbatsu dealing with the harsh realities of being an idol, like in Star ni nante naritakunai (a B-side song by NMB48's Team BII), and if I ever did, I will definitely post about it. Obviously, Idol nante Yobanaide doesn't count.

Having said that, this is all very understandable. Making it to the top is the prime motivation that members (and their fans) have for remaining and working hard within the group. So naturally the image of perfection around the lives of the regular senbatsu becomes a PR expedient. If Aki-P had the guts though, he'd let the true 'stars' of AKB48 sing this. All in the spirit of 'Idols you can meet', right?

(All kanji/kana and romaji lyrics on this site are taken from Studio48 unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce anything from this site without giving due credit.)