English translation and Korean lesson with the lyrics of Blue & Grey by BTS, from the 2020 album BE.
Produced by: Ji Soo Park, Levi, V, Hiss noise
Written by: Ji Soo Park, Levi, V, Hiss noise, SUGA, RM, j-hope, Metaphor
Find it here: Youtube • Spotify • Apple Music • Amazon Music
Verse 1:
Where is my angel
하루의 끝을 드리운
casting a shadow over the day’s end?
하루 = a day
-의 = indicates possession, like ‘s in English (하루의)
끝 = the end of something
드리우다 = to cast a shadow
Someone come and save me, please
지친 하루의 한숨뿐
is just the sigh of an exhausted day.
지치다 = to be exhausted
한숨 = a sigh
-뿐 = only X, nothing but X
사람들은 다 행복한가 봐
It seems like everyone is happy.
사람 = a person
-들 = makes a noun plural (사람들)
다 = all, everything, everyone
행복하다 = to be happy
-ㄴ가 보다 = to seem like X is the case, based on observation (행복한가 봐)
Can you look at me? Cuz I am blue & grey
거울에 비친 눈물의 의미는
The meaning of the tears shining in the mirror
거울 = a mirror
-에 = at X, in X (거울에)
비치다 = to shine, to be reflected
눈물 = a tear
의미 = meaning, significance
웃음에 감춰진 나의 색깔 blue & grey
is my colours – blue & grey – hidden by a smile.
웃음 = a smile, laughter
감추다 = to conceal something
-어지다 / -아지다 = works with some verbs to make them passive. IE: “to conceal” becomes “to be concealed” (감춰진)
나 = I, me
색깔 = a colour
어디서부터 잘못됐는지 잘 모르겠어
I’m not sure where things went wrong.
어디 = where, somewhere
-에서 = out of X, from X (어디서부터)
-부터 = from X, since X (어디서부터)
잘못되다 = to go wrong
잘 = well (as in “he sings well”)
모르다 = to not know
나 어려서부터 머릿속엔 파란색 물음표
Since I was little there’s been a blue question mark in my mind.
어리다 = to be young (like the age of a child)
머리 = a head
속 = the inside of something
파란색 = blue
물음표 = a question mark
어쩜 그래서 치열하게 살았는지 모르지
Maybe that’s why I’ve lived so fiercely.
어쩜 = somehow, perhaps
그래서 = because of that, so
치열하다 = to be fierce, intense
-게 = can turn an adjective into an adverb. IE: “fierce” becomes “fiercely” (치열하게)
살다 = to live
But 뒤를 돌아보니 여기 우두커니 서니
But now that I look back, standing here blankly,
뒤 = the back of something, behind/after something
돌아보다 = to look back at
-니 = since X happened, because X (돌아보니)
여기 = here
우두커니 = blankly, absent-mindedly
서다 = to stand
나를 집어삼켜버리는 저 서슬 퍼런 그림자
that fierce, dark blue shadow devours me.
집어삼키다 = to devour, to engulf
-어버리다 / -아버리다 = to “go and do X” to “completely do X”. Read more here. (접어삼켜버리는)
저 = that, those
서슬 = sharpness, menace
퍼렇다 = to be dark blue
그림자 = a shadow
여전히도 파란색 물음표는
The blue question mark, still there,
여전히 = still
-도 = X too, even X (여전히도)
과연 불안인지 우울인지
is it uneasiness or depression?
불안 = discomfort, unease
우울 = dejection, depression (not the illness, but the feeling)
어쩜 정말 후회의 동물인지
Are we really creatures of regret?
정말 = really
후회 = regret
동물 = a creature, an animal
아니면은 외로움이 낳은 나일지
Or was I just born of loneliness?
아니면 = or
외로움 = loneliness
낳다 = to give birth to
여전히 모르겠어 서슬 퍼런 블루
I still don’t know. That sharp, dark blue.
잠식되지 않길 바래 찾을 거야 출구
In hope that I won’t be eaten away, I’ll find the way out.
잠식되다 = to be eaten away
-지 않다 = to not do X (잠식되지 않길)
-길 바라다 = to wish X would happen, “if only X would happen” (않길 바래)
찾다 = to look for, to find
출구 = an exit, a way out
Chorus:
I just wanna be happier
차가운 날 녹여줘
Thaw me out, I’m so cold.
차갑다 = to be cold to the touch
녹이다 = to melt, to thaw
-어주다 / -아주다 = adds a nuance of “for” or “as a favour to” someone (녹여줘)
수없이 내민 나의 손
I’ve reached my hands out countless times.
수없이 = countless
내밀다 = to reach out
손 = a hand
색깔 없는 메아리
An echo devoid of colour
없다 = to not be found, not exist
메아리 = an echo
Oh this ground feels so heavier
I am singing by myself
I just wanna be happier
이것도 큰 욕심일까
Am I being too greedy again?
이 = this, these
것 = a thing
크다 = to be big
욕심 = greed, ambition
-일까 / -ㄹ까 = used to wander about something, mostly to oneself. (요김일까)
추운 겨울 거리를 걸을 때 느낀 빨라진 심장의 호흡 소릴
The sound of my heart breathing faster as I walk the cold winter streets,
춥다 = to be cold
겨울 = winter
거리 = a street
걷다 = to walk
때 = a point in time
느끼다 = to feel
빠르다 = to be fast
심장 = a heart
호흡 = breathing
소리 = a sound
지금도 느끼곤 해
now and then I still feel it.
지금 = now
-곤 하다 = to do X now and then (니끼곤 해)
괜찮다고 하지 마
Don’t tell me it’s okay,
괜찮다 = to be okay, to be fine
-고 하다 = to say X (괜찮다고 하지)
-지 마 = “Don’t do X” (하지 마)
괜찮지 않으니까
because I’m not okay.
-으니까 / -니까 = because X
제발 혼자 두지 말아 줘 너무 아파
Please don’t leave me alone. It hurts too much.
제발 = please
혼자 = alone
두다 = to leave something
너무 = too, so
아프다 = to hurt, to be in pain
Verse 2:
늘 걷는 길과 늘 받는 빛
It’s the path I always walk, the light that always shines on me,
늘 = always
길 = a path, a way
-과 / -와 = “and” when followed by an accompanying noun. Otherwise “with” (길과)
받다 = to receive
빛 = light (in the abstract sense)
But 오늘은 왠지 낯선 scene
but for some reason, today it’s an unfamiliar scene.
오늘 = today
왠지 = for some reason
낯설다 = to be unfamiliar
무뎌진 걸까 무너진 걸까
Have I grown numb? Have I fallen?
무디다 = to become dull, numb
무너지다 = to fall, to collapse
근데 무겁긴 하다 이 쇳덩인
But it does feel heavy. This lump of iron
근데 = but
무겁다 = to be heavy
쇳덩이 = a lump of iron
다가오는 회색 코뿔소
is a grey rhinoceros coming at me.
(A grey rhinoceros is an idiom for an impending threat)
다가오다 = to approach, to come near
회색 = grey
코뿔소 = a rhinoceros
초점 없이 난 덩그러니 서있어
I just stand there vacantly, hollow.
초점 = focus
덩그렇다 = to be big and empty, hollow
-어 있다 / -아 있다 = creates a passive state. IE: not to be in the act of standing up, but to have stood and be currently in a standing position (서있어)
나답지 않아 이 순간
I’m not myself in this moment.
-답다 = to be like X, to suit X (나답지)
순간 = a moment
그냥 무섭지가 않아
I’m just not afraid.
그냥 = just
무섭다 = to be afraid
난 확신이란 신 따위 안 믿어
I don’t believe in a god called conviction.
확신 = conviction, certainty
-이란 = “called X” (확신이란)
신 = a god
따위 = etc, or anything like that
안 = to not do/be X; X being the accompanying verb or adjective
믿다 = to believe, to trust
색채 같은 말은 간지러워
Words like “colour” make me cringe.
색채 = colour
같다 = to be like X; X being the preceding noun
말 = words, speech
간지럽다 = to be cringey
넓은 회색지대가 편해
This vast grey area is comfortable,
넓다 = to be wide, vast
지대 = an area
편하다 = to be comfortable
여기 수억 가지 표정의 grey
the billions of expressions of grey.
억 = a hundred thousand
가지 = a type of something
표정 = an expression
비가 오면 내 세상
When it rains it’s my world.
비 = rain
오다 = to come
-면 / -으면 = if/when X (오면)
내 = I, me, my
세상 = a world
이 도시 위로 춤춘다
I dance above this city.
도시 = a city
위 = the top of something, on top of something
-로 / -으로 = on X, toward X (위로)
춤 추다 = to dance
맑은 날엔 안개를 젖은 날엔 함께 늘 여기 모든 먼지들 위해 축배를
Raise a glass to the fog on a clear day, to the dust that’s always here together with me on a rainy day.
맑다 = to be bright, clear (used with weather only)
날 = a day
안개 = fog
젖다 = to be wet
함께 = together
모든 = every
먼지 = dust
위하다 = to be for X; X being the preceding noun
축배 = a toast, a celebratory drink
Chorus:
I just wanna be happier
내 손의 온길 느껴줘
Feel the warmth of my hands.
온기 = warmth
따뜻하지가 않아서 네가 더욱 필요해
I’m not warm, so I need you even more.
따뜻하다 = to be warm
-아서 / -어서 = because X (않아서)
네 = you
더욱 = more, all the more
필요하다 = to be needed
Oh this ground feels so heavier
I am singing by myself
먼 훗날 내가 웃게 되면
If in the distant future, I end up smiling,
멀다 = to be far, distant
훗날 = some day in the future
웃다 = to smile, to laugh
-게 되다 = to end up doing X (웃게 되면)
말할게 그랬었다고
I’ll tell you that’s what happened.
말하다 = to speak, to say
-ㄹ게 / -을게 = “I’ll do X”, with an added nuance of “unless you object” or “if that’s okay with you” (말할게)
그렇다 = to be like that
Outro:
허공에 떠도는 말을 몰래 주워 담고 나니
After furtively collecting the words that float in the empty air,
허공 = empty air
떠돌다 = to float, to hover
몰래 = without anyone knowing
줍다 = to pick up
담다 = to put into something, to bottle up
이제 새벽잠이 드네 good night
now I fall into an early morning sleep. Good night.
이제 = now
새벽 = dawn, the small hours of the morning
잠 = sleep
들다 = to enter
-네 = adds a nuance of surprise or amazement (드네)
