上を向いて歩こう Ue o Muite Arukou

I’ll walk looking upward.

上を向く is literally "turn one's face upward." The line is physically simple, which is part of why it is memorable.

So that my tears won’t fall.

〜ように expresses purpose: "so that..." This line explains why he is looking upward.

I remember a day in spring.

思い出す is "recall" or "remember suddenly." The song does not tell a detailed story; it gives remembered fragments.

A lonely night all by myself.

一人ぼっち is stronger than plain 一人 and usually sounds more emotionally lonely.

I’ll walk looking upward.

Because the title line keeps returning, it starts to sound like self-instruction rather than a one-time statement.

Counting the blurred stars...

にじむ is used for something blurring or running. With 星, it suggests the stars are being seen through wet eyes.

I remember a day in summer.

The season changes from 春 to 夏, but the sentence shape stays the same. That repeated structure is part of the song's style.

A lonely night all by myself.

The loneliness line stays the same while the season changes. That contrast is simple but effective.

Happiness is above the clouds.

は gives the line a general, statement-like feel: "as for happiness..."

Happiness is above the sky.

Changing from 雲の上 to 空の上 lifts the image even further upward.

I’ll walk looking upward.

Placed after the two 幸せ lines, the title line sounds like a response to that image.

So that my tears won’t fall.

The line repeats almost word for word. The song relies on that plain repetition rather than on new phrasing each time.

I walk while crying.

〜ながら means "while doing." It makes the crying and walking happen at the same time.

A lonely night all by myself.

Placed after 泣きながら歩く, the line sounds heavier than it did earlier.

I remember a day in autumn.

Now the remembered season is 秋. The song uses season words in a very economical way.

A lonely night all by myself.

By this point the repeated line has a chant-like effect.

Sadness is in the shadow of the stars.

かげ can mean shadow, shade, or the hidden side of something. It keeps the image indirect rather than bluntly saying "sadness is under the stars."

Sadness is in the shadow of the moon.

The switch from 星 to 月 keeps the same sentence pattern while varying the sky image.

I’ll walk looking upward.

The line stays plain even at the end. There is no big change in wording to announce a resolution.

So that my tears won’t fall.

Again 〜ように gives the same purpose clause as at the beginning, which makes the ending echo the opening directly.

I walk while crying.

This line openly states the crying that earlier lines tried to hold back. The grammar is very simple, but the contrast with こぼれないように matters.

A lonely night all by myself.

The song ends by repeating the same loneliness phrase rather than replacing it with a new conclusion.