Answer: Love Myself

 

Produced by Pdogg
Written by Pdogg, Jung Bobby, Jordan “DJ Swivel” Young, Candace Nicole Sosa, RM, SUGA, j-hope, Ray Michael Djan, Ashton Foster, Conor Maynard

Spotify | Apple Music

The background track has been developed from the track used in BTS’ LOVE MYSELF campaign video, which was released on October 31, 2017.

.

 

눈을 뜬다 어둠 속 나
I open my eyes in the darkness

심장이 뛰는 소리 낯설 때
When the sound of my beating heart feels unfamiliar,

마주 본다 거울 속 너
I face you in the mirror

겁먹은 눈빛 해묵은 질문
An afraid look, a long-pending question

 

어쩌면 누군가를 사랑하는 것보다
Perhaps, than loving someone else,

더 어려운 게 나 자신을 사랑하는 거야
it is more difficult to love myself

솔직히 인정할 건 인정하자
Let’s be honest and admit what we have to admit

니가 내린 잣대들은 너에게 더 엄격하단 걸
that your standards are more strict when they are applied to you

니 삶속의 굵은 나이테
The wide growth ring in your life
A tree ring, or a growth ring, is a layer of wood produced during one tree’s growing season. A tree gains a ring after each winter it endures. The longer a growing season is, the wider the corresponding ring is. “The wide growth ring in your life” therefore seems to mean a hardship or a dark period you have managed to go through in your life.

그 또한 너의 일부, 너이기에
That is also a part of you, that is also you

이제는 나 자신을 용서하자
So let’s forgive yourself now

버리기엔 우리 인생은 길어
Our life is too long to be given up

미로 속에서 날 믿어
Trust me in the maze
Song reference: Love Maze

겨울이 지나면 다시 봄은 오는 거야
Once the winter passes, the spring will come again
Song reference: Spring Day

 

차가운 밤의 시선
The stare of a cold night

초라한 날 감추려
To hide my miserable self,

몹시 뒤척였지만
I tossed and turned, but

 

저 수많은 별을 맞기 위해 난 떨어졌던가
Did I fall to be showered by those countless stars

저 수천 개 찬란한 화살의 과녁은 나 하나
I’m the only target aimed by those thousands of glittering arrows

 

You’ve shown me I have reasons

I should love myself

내 숨 내 걸어온 길 전부로 답해
I answer with all my breath and all the path I’ve walked along

 

어제의 나 오늘의 나 내일의 나
Yesterday’s me, today’s me, tomorrow’s me

(I’m learning how to love myself)

빠짐없이 남김없이 모두 다 나
Without exception, all together, they are all me

 

정답은 없을지도 몰라
Perhaps there might not be the answer

어쩜 이것도 답은 아닌 거야
Perhaps this might not be an answer

그저 날 사랑하는 일조차
Even just to love myself,

누구의 허락이 필요했던 거야
I needed to have someone else’s permission

난 지금도 나를 또 찾고 있어
I’m still looking for myself again

But 더는 죽고 싶지가 않은 걸
But I don’t want to die anymore

슬프던 me
Me, who was sad

아프던 me
Me, who was hurt

더 아름다울 美
Me, who will be more beautiful
The Korean pronunciation of 美, a Chinese character meaning beautiful, is mi, making the above three lines end rhyme with each other.

 

그래 그 아름다움이 있다고, 아는 마음이
Yeah, knowing the presence of such beauty

나의 사랑으로 가는 길
is the way to my love

가장 필요한 나다운 일
is the most necessary thing that is most like me

지금 날 위한 행보는
The move that has to be made for me now

바로 날 위한 행동
is the action that is for me

날 위한 태도
is the attitude that is for me

그게 날 위한 행복
That is the happiness for me

I’ll show you what I got

두렵진 않아 그건 내 존재니까
I’m not afraid because that is my own existence

Love myself

 

시작의 처음부터
From the start of the beginning

끝의 마지막까지
and until the finish of the ending,

해답은 오직 하나
there is only one answer

 

왜 자꾸만 감추려고 해 니 가면 속으로
Why do you keep trying to hide under your mask,

내 실수로 생긴 흉터까지 다 내 별자린데
when even the scars made by your own mistake mark your constellations

 

You’ve shown me I have reasons

I should love myself

내 숨 내 걸어온 길 전부로 답해
I answer with all my breath and all the path I’ve walked along

 

내 안에는 여전히
Inside me, there’s still

서툰 내가 있지만
my clumsy self

 

You’ve shown me I have reasons

I should love myself

내 숨 내 걸어온 길 전부로 답해
I answer with all my breath and all the path I’ve walked along

 

어제의 나 오늘의 나 내일의 나
Yesterday’s me, today’s me, tomorrow’s me

(I’m learning how to love myself)

빠짐없이 남김없이 모두 다 나
Without exception, all together, they are all me

 

.

Please share the link instead of reposting to ensure the integrity as I might make minor edits over time. For inquiries and feedback, please use this form.

Intro: Persona

Produced by Hiss noise
Written by Hiss noise, RM, Pdogg

Spotify | Apple Music | 2019 MMA Performance

This track samples Intro: Skool Love Affair.

.

 

나는 누구인가 평생 물어온 질문
“Who am I,” a question that I’ve been asking myself for my whole life

아마 평생 정답은 찾지 못할 그 질문
A question that I will probably never be able to find the right answer for

나란 놈을 고작 말 몇 개로 답할 수 있었다면
If I were answerable with only few words, 

신께서 그 수많은 아름다움을 다 만드시진 않았겠지
God wouldn’t have created all those many beauties
Note: Beauties = different “I”s, different personas

How you feel? 지금 기분이 어때
How you feel? How are you feeling right now?

사실 난 너무 좋아 근데 조금 불편해
Actually, I’m really good, but it’s a little uncomfortable 

나는 내가 개인지 돼진지 뭔지도 아직 잘 모르겠는데
I’m still not sure if I’m a dog, a pig, or whatever,
Note: As explained in Am I Wrong translation, “a dog or a pig” is used in a sarcastic manner since it is a term used to belittle the general public.

남들이 와서 진주 목걸일 거네 칵 퉤
but then others come and put a pearl necklace on me, ptui!
Reference: “Casting pearls before swine.” RM doesn’t know what he is and then others come and put a pearl necklace on him (who could be “a pig”) and treat him as someone pearl-worthy, making him uncomfortable.

 

예전보단 자주 웃어
At least I laugh more than before

소원했던 superhero
A superhero that I wished to be,

이젠 진짜 된 것 같어
now it feels like I really became one

근데 갈수록 뭔 말들이 많어
But why is there more and more blabbering 

누군 달리라고 누군 멈춰서라 해
One says “run,” and another says “stop”

얘는 숲을 보라고 걔는 들꽃을 보라 해
This one says “look at the forest,” and that one says “look at the wildflower”
Wordplay: 보라 하다 is “to say to see,” where 보라 comes from 보다 (to see). However, with 보라 as a noun meaning purple, 보라하다 (to purple) is used by BTS and their fans as “to love.” The above line, therefore, can be “this one loves forests, and that one loves wildflowers.”

내 그림자, 나는 망설임이라 쓰고 불렀네
My shadow, I named him “hesitation” and called him so

걘 그게 되고 나서 망설인 적이 없었네
Once he became it, he has never hesitated

무대 아래든 아님 조명 아래든 자꾸 나타나
Whether it is under the stage or under the light, he keeps appearing 

아지랑이처럼 뜨겁게 자꾸 날 노려보네 (Oh shit)
and stares at me fiercely like heat haze (Oh shit)

Note: Although “shadow” here is the shadow in Jungian psychology, the above four lines reminded me of his interview at the beginning of 2018. He calls his anxiety his shadow. It grew as his height grew, and it grows at night. He also acknowledges and accepts that the shadow will follow him wherever he goes and whatever he does, and therefore tries to become friends with his shadow rather than separating himself from it. (Translation of the full interview is available here.)

Note: (From here, it’s his shadow talking.)

야 이 짓을 왜 시작한 건지 벌써 잊었냐
Hey, have you already forgotten why you started this?

넌 그냥 들어주는 누가 있단 게 막 좋았던 거야
You were just loving it that there’s someone listening to you

가끔은 그냥 다 싹 헛소리 같아
Sometimes, everything feels like total nonsense

취하면 나오는거 알지.. 치기 같아
You know what comes out of you when you’re drunk, it’s like acting silly
Wordplay: 취기 (chwigi; 醉氣)  is intoxication or tipsiness and 치기 (chigi; 稚氣) means childishness, immaturity, or foolishness. When you get drunk, you get tipsy and act like a child.

나따위가 무슨 music
Someone like me isn’t good enough for (doing) music

나따위가 무슨 truth
Someone like me isn’t good enough for (delivering) the truth

나따위가 무슨 소명
Someone like me isn’t good enough for (answering) the calling
Note: 소명 (somyoung; calling, mission) here can be a religious calling or a great mission.

나따위가 무슨 muse
Someone like me isn’t good enough to be a muse

내가 아는 나의 흠 어쩜 그게 사실 내 전부
My flaws that I know, maybe those are really all I’ve got

세상은 사실 아무 관심없어, 나의 서툶
The world is actually not interested at all in my clumsiness

이제 질리지도 않는 후회들과 매일 밤 징그럽게 뒹굴고
When I tossed and tumbled every night with the regrets that I don’t even get sick of anymore

돌릴 길 없는 시간들을 습관처럼 비틀어도
and twisted the irreversible time like a habit,

그때마다 날 또 일으켜 세운 건 최초의 질문
it was the first question that raised me to stand up every time

내 이름 석자 그 가장 앞에 와야 할 But
‘But,’ the word that should come before the three syllables of my name
Note: I’ve seen many people speculating that he is aware of and is using the “but Namjoon- ” thing. I personally strongly doubt if that’s the case since (1) it is almost strictly used in non-Korean (language-wise) fandoms, especially on “stan Twitter,” and (2) it doesn’t really work within the context anyway.
My interpretation of this line (again, this is my personal interpretation) is that this really is about his fundamental question, the question he’s been asking himself for his entire life and is still trying to figure out the answer (if there is one) for, the question that pops up every time he agonizes and regrets, and the question that really penetrates through the entire song. “But, who am I?” “But, (who is) Kim Namjoon?”

 

So I’m askin’ once again yeah

Who the hell am I?

Tell me all your names baby

Do you wanna die?

Oh do you wanna go?

Do you wanna fly?

Where’s your soul? Where’s your dream?

Do you think you’re alive?

 

(How about you?)

(I don’t know, man)

(But I know one thing)

 

Yeah my name is R
Note: (1) The letter R embraces all his rapper-selves: Runch Randa (his stage name as an underground rapper), Rap Monster (his stage name from 2013 to late 2017), and RM (late 2017 to now). It also connects to the lyrics of Answer: Love Yourself: “Yesterday’s me, today’s me, tomorrow’s me. Without exception, altogether, they are all me.”
(2) From “Voice” (the first track of his first mixtape): “Yeah, I be real. This moment, the thing that I wanted desperately. I’m finally oiling the pedals that I’ve been stepping on for seven years. You can’t kill. Come take it if you do want a piece of me. I only speak through music, I have no interest in anything else. If you really think you ready to fly with my power. This is what R is about, fella the time is now.”

내가 기억하고 사람들이 아는 나
The ‘me’ who I remember and who people know

날 토로하기 위해 내가 스스로 만들어낸 나
The ‘me’ who I created by myself to speak my mind

Yeah 난 날 속여왔을지도 뻥쳐왔을지도
Yeah, I might have been deceiving myself, I might have been lying

But 부끄럽지 않아 이게 내 영혼의 지도
But, I’m not ashamed of it, this is the map of my soul

Dear myself

넌 절대로 너의 온도를 잃지 마
You must never lose your temperature

따뜻히도 차갑게도 될 필요 없으니까
because you don’t need to be warm or cold

가끔은 위선적이어도 위악적이어도
Though I might sometimes pretend I’m good and sometimes pretend I’m evil,
Note: Notice how he acknowledges the possibility between warm and cold and between good and evil, which is a repeating concept from Love Yourself era.

이게 내가 걸어두고 싶은 내 방향의 척도
this is the barometer of my direction that I want to set
Note (not sure he meant this but): 척도 (cheokdo; barometer, criterion) can be separated into 척 and 도. 척 alone, placed after adjectives, makes “pretend to be ~,” and 도 is a postposition that used when listing similar things. Both go well with the previous line in terms of meaning and rhyme. 

내가 되고 싶은 나
The ‘me’ who I want to be
Note: It can also be “I who want to be me,” although the one above fits better.

사람들이 원하는 나
The ‘me’ who people want

니가 사랑하는 나
The ‘me’ who you love 

또 내가 빚어내는 나
And the ‘me’ who I craft

웃고 있는 나
The ‘me’ who’s smiling

가끔은 울고 있는 나
The ‘me’ who’s crying sometimes

지금도 매분 매순간 살아 숨쉬는
Living and breathing every second, every moment, even now,

 

Persona
Note: He accentuates “na” of “Persona,” which is the pronunciation of 나 (na; I, me) that made the end rhyme of two previous verses. 

Who the hell am I?

I just wanna go

I just wanna fly

I just wanna give you all the voices till I die

I just wanna give you all the shoulders when you cry
Note: He also drops all ɪ from I(/aɪ/) fly(/flaɪ/), die (/daɪ/), and cry (/kraɪ/), so that all lines of the verse end with a- (except go).

 

Persona

Who the hell am I?

I just wanna go

I just wanna fly

I just wanna give you all the voices till I die

I just wanna give you all the shoulders when you

Cry

&nsbp;

.

Please share the link instead of reposting to ensure the integrity. For inquiries and feedback, please use this form.