[Great Lyrics!!] Recommended Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs with Heartfelt, Moving Words [2026]
A collection of songs that color graduation ceremonies.
Among them, there’s something special about tracks whose every word of the lyrics resonates deeply in your heart.
Graduation songs that put into words the days spent with friends and the feelings toward the path ahead can bring you to tears every time you listen.
In this article, we’ve carefully selected graduation songs filled with phrases that strike a chord.
From timeless classics sung for generations to newer tracks that are quickly becoming beloved, we’ve picked a wide range.
The lyrics brimming with gratitude for loved ones and hope for the future are sure to move you.
Find the one song that will brighten your new beginning.
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[Great Lyrics!!] Recommended Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs with Heartfelt Words [2026] (111–120)
Sakuraayaka
This song, which opens with a beautiful piano accompaniment, is a graduation anthem created by Ayaka.
Its lyrics speak of the hardships faced during school and the gratitude toward friends who were always there, likely moving many graduates to tears.
In the latter half, it depicts the singer becoming a parent and seeing their own child off at graduation, expressing both the joy and the bittersweet sadness of a child growing up.
If you’re looking for a song that resonates not only with graduates but also deeply with their parents, this is the one.
C.h.a.o.s.m.y.t.h.ONE OK ROCK
It’s a song brimming with the feeling of spring.
Included on the album “Zankyō Reference,” it features ONE OK ROCK’s powerful sound and lyrics that resonate deeply.
The title is made from the initials of vocalist Taka’s friends, and the song sings of friendship, youth, and hope for the future.
It’s loved not only as a graduation song, but also as an encouraging anthem that gently pushes those taking a leap into a new environment.
It’s a track we especially recommend to anyone starting a new chapter in the spring season.
Bridge of Gloryyuzu
Since its release in 2004, this song has remained a beloved classic, widely popular as an anthem for encouragement in sports, exams, and more.
Of course, it’s also a perfect fit for graduation scenes, where you take a new step forward from your familiar surroundings.
Looking at the lyrics, which reflect on how you’ve overcome hardships and difficult times with the support of those around you, you’ll feel gratitude—and confidence that there will surely be people who continue to support you going forward.
You may feel anxious about this new departure, but listening to this song will surely help you take that first step with confidence.
Gazing up, the sky is blueHata Motohiro
Motohiro Hata, whose singing voice alone can already move you to tears.
His song “Aogeba Aozora” was created as a graduation song and released as a digital single in 2019.
The lyrics are very simple and succinct, as if tightly condensing student life, yet the song hits you right in the heart.
Hata’s gentle, conversational vocals also leave you with a tightening in your chest.
Still, it isn’t just the uniquely sorrowful kind of graduation song you often hear; by the end, it’s a refreshing number that makes you feel ready to take a new step forward.
Farewell, YouthChatto Monchī
This is a deeply moving graduation song by Chatmonchy, a girl band emblematic of the 2000s.
The lyrics are filled with imagery that brings back memories of student life, and the further you listen, the more it wells up inside you.
There are two versions of the track—a simple rock ballad and an acoustic rendition with piano and melodica—but in both, vocalist Eriko Hashimoto’s voice resonates with poignant emotion.
It doesn’t just capture the loneliness of graduation; it also rekindles a tender affection for your school days and your cherished friends.
Sakura (Solo)Moriyama Naotaro
When you think of Naotaro Moriyama, many of you probably remember this song.
It’s one of his signature tracks—a timeless masterpiece we hope will be sung for years to come—and it’s also famous for having been covered by numerous artists.
As both a graduation song and a “sakura” (cherry blossom) song, it’s almost always mentioned; during that season, you often hear it on TV and around town.
If you listen while savoring every single word of the lyrics, it will surely make you cry—a quintessential song that reaffirms just how good the lyrics are.
Tomoë GakuenFukuyama Masaharu
Tomoe Gakuen, released in 2017 as a digital-only single by Masaharu Fukuyama, has a somewhat striking title—and for good reason: it’s named directly after a real elementary school.
The song served as the theme for the drama Totto-chan!, which portrays Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s roots, and its title is taken from Tomoe Gakuen, Kuroyanagi’s alma mater and the school attended by the drama’s protagonist.
The lyrics unfold like a calm recollection of memories that steadily draws you in—making it a deeply moving song.