[Great Lyrics!!] Recommended Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs with Heartfelt, Moving Words [2026]

A Bouquet for YouUtada Hikaru

Hikaru Utada – A Bouquet for You

This is a ballad imbued with a warm message that gently accompanies the season of partings.

It paints a bittersweet yet beautiful scene of entrusting gratitude to a loved one and an inexpressible love to a “bouquet,” and offering it as a gift.

Released digitally in April 2016 as Hikaru Utada’s comeback work, it became familiar as the theme song for the NHK morning drama series Totto-chan.

It resonated with those who had long awaited her return, earning high acclaim, including the Excellence Award at the 58th Japan Record Awards that year.

It’s perfect for moments like graduation ceremonies when you want to express thanks to teachers and friends.

This piece, which gently nudges you forward on a new path, will add color to a special day when you bid farewell with smiles through tears.

Sky-blue DaysSHISHAMO

SHISHAMO “Sky-Blue Days”

This song is a graduation anthem sung by SHISHAMO, a girls’ band highly popular among younger generations, and it evokes the spirit of youth.

While it’s arranged in SHISHAMO’s signature mid-tempo rock style, the lyrics are packed with emotions graduates often feel—nostalgia, the sadness of parting from everyone, and anxiety about taking a new step.

Precisely because they know “today is the last time,” the lyrics depict them desperately trying to etch these scenes and feelings into their hearts—something graduates will surely relate to.

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Hane Keisuke

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TOMORROWMayo Okamoto

TOMORROW

With its uplifting lyrics and buoyant piano melody, this is a pep song that gives courage to listeners.

Singer-songwriter Mayo Okamoto’s debut single “TOMORROW,” released in May 1995, was chosen as the theme song for the TV drama “Second Chance” and became a massive hit, achieving Double Platinum status.

Its message—that strength lies beyond the tears—will surely give a powerful push to graduates embarking on a new world.

Beloved enough to be selected as the entrance march for the National High School Baseball Tournament in March 1996, this song is widely cherished.

Sing it with friends at a reunion, and your memories of youth are sure to come vividly rushing back.

DreamerJO1

JO1 | ’Dreamer’ Official MV

It’s a ballad that gives you the courage to take one step at a time toward your dreams.

Written as the theme song for the drama “Short Program,” in which all the members starred, it was included on the album “KIZUNA,” released in May 2022.

Created as an anthem to support those pursuing their dreams, the song stays close to people who, despite their anxieties and doubts, try to look ahead.

Its melody, which blends gentleness with fragility, builds dramatically toward the end and truly moves the listener’s heart.

It’s a song you’ll want to hear on the day you set off on a new journey.

This is me ~Poem of Promise~RIKU

This is me ~Poem of Promise~

RIKU from THE RAMPAGE wrote “This is me ~Yakusoku no Uta~” for his solo tour.

Released as a single in November 2025, it was created to express his true, authentic self.

It embodies a resolve to accept his weaknesses and past, and to live as he is.

The song is filled with a universal message of self-affirmation that encourages listeners to be proud of themselves.

For graduates about to embark on a new world, it will surely resonate as if it were their own story.

THANXWANIMA

WANIMA- THANX(OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Among WANIMA’s songs, “THANX” is especially popular as an anthem that’s exceptionally catchy and fast-paced.

As the title suggests, its lyrics—filled with gratitude—are a major draw, making it perfect for graduation season when you want to thank many people, like your parents, schoolteachers, and friends.

The song also features a line that conveys the message, “Even if we’re far apart, my heart is always by your side,” which resonates with graduates as they each set off on their own paths.

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Hane Keisuke

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When the fleabanes bloomNogizaka 46

Nogizaka46 'When the Harujion Blooms' Short Ver.

When the season is filled with the scent of spring, a complex mix of the sadness of parting and the resolve to set out begins to grow, doesn’t it? This number by Nogizaka46 is a masterpiece that gently embraces those emotions we feel during graduation season.

Released in March 2016 as their 14th single, it features Mai Fukagawa as the center, serving as a grand send-off toward her graduation.

It was also used in a commercial for “sizebook,” so many of you have likely heard it.

The video, with its hakama outfits that evoke the Taisho era’s romantic aesthetic, is striking—just watching it may bring a lump to your throat.

When you’re anxious yet determined to step into a new world, this song will quietly give you courage and become something truly precious.