Nogizaka46 – Nigemizu. Lyrics Meaning: Chasing the Unreachable Dream

Why do the things we want most always seem just out of reach? This song perfectly captures that feeling. “Nigemizu” by Nogizaka46 is all about pursuing something that looks real but disappears the moment you try to grab it.

    The Story of “Nigemizu”: A Summer Mirage

    The whole song feels like a hot, hazy summer day. You can almost hear the sounds and feel the heat just from the lyrics. It tells a simple but super relatable story.

    The Quiet Observer

    The song starts with someone watching a baseball game. They feel a bit disconnected from the excitement. It’s like they’ve grown up and forgotten how to get passionate about things. They feel like they’ve just stopped trying.

    Itsu no hi kara ka boku wa otona ni natte
    Since when did I become an adult
    Hashiranaku natta
    And stop running?

    This line really sets the mood. It’s that feeling of being on the sidelines of your own life, just watching things happen.

    The Water Mirage

    Then comes the main idea: the “nigemizu.” It literally means “escaping water.” It’s that shimmering puddle you see on a hot road far away. You think it’s water, but when you get closer, poof! It’s gone. This mirage is a symbol for a dream or a goal.

    Miraaju tooku kara mita toki
    A mirage, when I saw it from afar
    Michi no mukou gawa ni mizu tamari ga attanda
    There was a puddle on the other side of the road
    Chikazuitara fui ni kiete shimatta
    When I got closer, it suddenly disappeared

    It’s that frustrating feeling of working toward something, only for it to vanish. The song questions where that dream went.

    A New Spark

    But then, someone new enters the picture. This person changes everything. Suddenly, the narrator feels that youthful energy again. They feel like they’re a teenager, falling head over heels for someone or something.

    Kimi to deatte seishun jidai no you ni
    Meeting you, like in my youth
    Muchuu ni nareta yo
    I became completely absorbed

    Now, the chase isn’t just for some vague dream. It’s for this new love. The mirage is still there, but now they have a reason to run toward it, even if it might disappear.

    So, What’s the Core of “Nigemizu”?

    At its heart, this Nogizaka46 song is about chasing elusive things. It could be a dream job, a personal goal, or a crush who seems just out of reach. The song perfectly captures that bittersweet feeling of pursuit—the excitement of the chase mixed with the fear that it might all be for nothing.

    The Beautiful Lesson in This Song

    You might think the song is sad, but it’s actually super hopeful. The point isn’t about whether you catch the mirage or not. It’s about the act of believing in it and running toward it. That belief is what gives you strength.

    Daiji na mono wa itsu datte
    Important things are always
    Ayufuya na sonzai
    Vague existences
    Demo soko ni arutte koto
    But that it’s there
    Shinjiru massugu sa ga
    That straightforward belief
    Ikiteku chikara da yo
    Is the strength to live

    Basically, even if your dream seems blurry or far away, just believing it’s there is powerful. That’s what keeps you going. It doesn’t matter if it’s real or not; the passion you feel while chasing it is what truly matters.

    What do you think? Does the “nigemizu” in this song remind you of something in your own life? It’s such a cool metaphor, and I’d love to hear what it means to you.

    Lyrics: "Nigemizu" by Nogizaka46


    Nogizaka46 – Nigemizu [Lyrics KANJI]


    日差しに切り取られた
    市営球場から聴こえて来る
    ひと夏の熱狂は
    どれくらい風が吹けば醒めてくのか?

    自分の声が
    他人のように響くよ
    客観的過ぎるのだろう
    いつの日からか 僕は大人になって
    走らなくなった

    ミラージュ 遠くから見た時
    道の向こう側に水たまりがあったんだ
    近づいたらふいに消えてしまった
    目指して来たのに
    どこへ行った? あの夢

    芝生のスプリンクラー
    過ぎるその季節を止めようとする
    半袖を着た女(ひと)は
    カーディガンをいつ肩に羽織るのか?

    やりたいことは
    いつもいっぱいあったのに
    できない理由 探していた
    君と出会って 青春時代のように
    夢中になれたよ

    ミラージュ 僕が見ているもの
    それが真実でも幻でも構わない
    今 確かに 僕の目に映るなら
    逃げてしまっても
    追いかけたい この恋

    大事なものはいつだって
    あやふやな存在
    手を伸ばしても 何も触れられない
    でもそこにあるってこと
    信じるまっすぐさが
    生きてく力だよ

    ミラージュ 遠くから見た時
    道の向こう側に水たまりがあったんだ
    近づいたらふいに消えてしまった
    目指して来たのに
    どこへ行った? あの夢

    Nogizaka46 – Nigemizu [Lyrics ROMAJI]


    Hizashi ni kiritotta
    Shiei kyuujou kara kikoete kuru
    Hitonatsu no nekkyou wa
    Dore kurai kaze ga fukeba sameteku no ka?

    Jibun no koe ga
    Tanin no you ni hibiku yo
    Kyakkanteki sugiru no darou
    Itsu no hi kara ka boku wa otona ni natte
    Hashiranaku natta

    Miraajuu tooku kara mita toki
    Michi no mukougawa ni mizutamari ga attanda
    Chikadzuitara fui ni kiete shimatta
    Mezashite kita noni
    Doko e itta? Ano yume

    Shibafu no supurinkuraa
    Sugiru sono kisetsu o tomeyou to suru
    Hansode o kita hito wa
    Kaadigana o itsu kata ni haoru no ka?

    Yaritaikoto wa
    Itsumo ippai atta noni
    Dekinai riyuu sagashite ita
    Kimi to deatte seishun jidai no you ni
    Muchuu ni nareta yo

    Miraajuu boku ga mite iru mono
    Sore ga shinjitsu demo maboroshi demo kamawanai
    Ima tashika ni boku no me ni utsuru nara
    Nigete shimattemo
    Oikaketai kono koi

    Daiji na mono wa itsudatte
    Ayafuya na sonzai
    Te o nobashitemo nani mo furerarenai
    Demo soko ni aru tte koto
    Shinjiru massugusa ga
    Ikiteku chikara da yo

    Miraajuu tooku kara mita toki
    Michi no mukougawa ni mizutamari ga attanda
    Chikadzuitara fui ni kiete shimatta
    Mezashite kita noni
    Doko e itta? Ano yume

    Nogizaka46 – Nigemizu [English translation]


    Bathed in sunlight,
    from the city stadium, I can hear the sounds drifting over.
    This summer’s intense excitement,
    I wonder how much wind will it take for it to cool down?

    My own voice
    sounds like someone else’s to me.
    I guess I’ve become a bit too objective.
    Somewhere along the way, I grew up,
    and I stopped running around like I used to.

    It was a mirage! When I looked from a distance,
    there was a puddle on the other side of the road.
    But as I got closer, it just vanished!
    I was aiming for it all this time,
    so where did that dream go?

    The sprinklers on the lawn
    seem to be trying to hold onto the fleeting season.
    I wonder when the person in the short-sleeved shirt
    will finally drape a cardigan over their shoulders?

    I always had so many things I wanted to do,
    but I was always finding excuses not to.
    But then I met you, and it was like being back in my youth –
    I could truly get lost in something again!

    Mirage, whatever it is I’m seeing –
    whether it’s real or just an illusion, I don’t mind at all!
    If it’s truly reflected in my eyes right now,
    even if it tries to slip away,
    I still want to chase after this love!

    The truly important things are always
    a bit elusive, aren’t they?
    Even if you reach out, you can’t quite grasp them.
    But believing straight-up that they are there –
    that straightforward faith –
    that’s the real strength to live by!

    It was a mirage! When I looked from a distance,
    there was a puddle on the other side of the road.
    But as I got closer, it just vanished!
    I was aiming for it all this time,
    so where did that dream go?

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