English translation and Korean lesson with the lyrics of 대취타 (Daechwita) by Agust D (Suga of BTS), from the 2020 album D-2.
Produced & written by: Agust D, EL CAPITXN
Find it here: Youtube • Spotify • Apple Music • Amazon Music • SoundCloud
Language Note:
Daechwita – 대취타 – is Korean royal military marching music.
There are a lot of old Korean words and references in this song, some dating back to the Joseon dynasty (1392 – 1910), and some reaching all the way back to the Goryeo dynasty (918 – 1392). You will probably never need to know them, but I’ve included them in the vocabulary so that you can recognize particles that are attached to them, etc. And because learning random useless stuff is cool.
Chorus:
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
자 = “hey”, “listen”
울리다 = to ring out, to reverbrate
-어라 / -아라 = “Do X” (울려라)
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
Verse 1:
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
빛이나 빛이나 내 왕관이 빛이나
It shines, it shines. My crown shines.
빛이나다 = to shine
내 = I, me, my
왕관 = a crown
잊지마 잊지마 지난 날을 잊지마
Don’t forget. Don’t forget. Don’t forget the days gone by.
잊다 = to forget
-지 마 = “Don’t do X” (잊지마)
지나다 = to be passing by
날 = a day
We so fly we so fly 전세기로 we so fly
We so fly, we so fly. On a chartered plane we so fly.
전세기 = a chartered plane
-로 / -으로 = via X, using X
종놈 출신에 왕된 놈
A slave by birth, now a king.
종놈 = a slave
출신 = natively, one’s origin, one’s birth
-에 = at X, on X (출신예)
왕 = a king
되다 = to become
놈 = a guy
미쳐버린 범 광해 flow
A crazy tiger, Gwanghae flow.
미치다 = to be crazy, to go insane
-어버리다 / -아버리다 = to “completely” do X, sort of. Read more here. (미쳐버린)
범 = a tiger
개천 출신에 용된 몸
Of humble beginnings, now a dragon.
(There is a Korean expression that goes “개천에서 용 나다” or “a dragon rises from a small stream”. Its used to talk about someone from humble beginning accomplishing something great.)
개천 = a small creek, a ditch
용 = a dragon
몸 = a body
그게 내가 곧 사는 법
That’s exactly how I live.
그 = that, those
게 = a thing
살다 = to live
법 = a method, a way of doing something
미안 걱정은 말라고
Sorry, but don’t worry.
미안 = sorry
걱정 = a worry, the act of worrying
나도 잃을건 많다고
Even I have a lot to lose.
나 = I, me
-도 = X too, even X (나도)
잃다 = to lose
것 = a thing
많다 = to be many
과건 뒤주에 가두고
I trap the past in a rice chest, and
(Reference to a story from Korean history in which a prince was confined in a rice chest by his father and died of starvation. Read about it here.)
과건 = the past
뒤주 = a wooden chest for carrying rice
가두다 = to shut something up in something, to store
-고 = X and (가두고)
내걸 챙겨 다 잡수쥬
take what’s mine and eat it all.
챙기다 = to take
다 = all
잡수다 = to eat
말이 안되지 내가 개라니
It doesn’t make sense to call me a dog.
말 = words, what a person says
안 = to not do X (X being the accompanying verb/adjective)
말이 안 되다 = “it doesn’t make sense”
-지 = adds a nuance of “isn’t it” or “Don’t you think?” (되지)
개 = a dog
범으로 태어났지 적어도 너처럼 약하진 않지
I was born a tiger. At least I’m not weak like you.
(Double meaning: 약하다 also means “to do drugs”. “…at least I don’t do drugs like you.”)
태어나다 = to be born
적어도 = at least
-처럼 = like X (너처럼)
약하다 = to be weak; to do drugs
-지 않다 = to not do X (약하진 않지)
좆밥들의 걍 재롱잔치
Pathetic asses just putting on a talent show
-들 = makes a noun plural (좆밥들의)
-의 = indicates possession like ‘s in English (좆밥들의)
걍 = just (shortened form of 그냥)
재롱 = a party trick
잔치 = a banquet, a feast
솔까 존나게 어이없지
Honestly, I’m fucking astounded.
존나게 = fucking _, damn _ (as an adverb)
어이없다 = to be astounded, dumbfounded
싹 다 죽여 난 예의 없이
I kill them all with no courtesy.
죽이다 = to kill
예의 = politeness, courtesy, manners
없다 = to not exist, not be found
새꺄 그래 너 예외없이
Yeah, you bastard, you’re no exception.
새끼 = a bastard
그래 = yeah, fine, sure, okay
예외 = an exception
Flexing 난 없지
I’m not flexing.
필요가 없지
I don’t need to.
필요 = a need
Pre-Chorus:
Who’s the king who’s the boss
다 알잖아 내 이름
Everyone knows my name.
알다 = to know
-잖아 = used when saying something the listener already knows (알잖아)
이름 = a name
입만 산 새끼들
Those bastards who are all talk,
입 = a mouth
-만 = just X, only X (입만)
당장 놈의 목을 쳐
off with their heads immediately.
당장 = right away, immediately
목 = a neck
치다 = to strike, to hit
Chorus:
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타
Daechwita daechwita
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
Verse 2:
한탕해먹고 곧바로 난 전세기로 날아
After making a quick buck, I fly right off on a chartered plane.
한탕 = a quick buck
곧바로 = right away, straight
날다 = to fly
나를 담기엔 이 나란 아직 여전히 작아
This country is still too small for me.
담다 = to put something into something
이 = this, these
나라 = a country
아직 = yet, still
여전히 = still, as ever
작다 = to be small
누가 시간은 금이래
Who says time is money?
누가 = who
시간 = time
금 = gold
내 시간은 더 비싼데
My time is more expensive than that.
더 = more
비싸다 = to be expensive
Tic tok 선비새끼들 면상에다 침을 칵 뱉어
Tic tok I spit in the face of the know-it-all bastards.
(A 선비 is a scholar – and thus a well-respected man and someone of high birth – from Korean history, specifically the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. In current times, it’s used as slang to mean someone who is a total buzzkill, always serious, and self-righteous, looking down on other people’s opinions)
면상 = a face (slang)
침 = spit
뱉다 = to spit
꺾인 적이 없는 매출출출출출출출
Sales-ales-ales-ales-ales-ales-ales have never gone down.
꺾다 = to curve, to break
적 = an occurrence, sort of. Used to express that something has or has not ever happened.
매출 = sales
우리 방시혁 피디는 매일 춤춤춤춤춤춤춤
Our PD Bang Shi Hyik is dancing-cing-cing-cing-cing-cing-cing every day.
우리 = we, us, our
매일 = every day
춤 = a dance, the act of dancing
참 감사하네 내가 천재임에
I’m so thankful I’m a genius.
참 = very, quite
감사하다 = to be grateful, to appreciate
-네 = adds a nuance of surprise or amazement (감사하네)
천재 = a genius
고작 그런 이유로 약을 빨다니 애잔하기 그지없네 재능이 없는거지 뭐
Such a flimsy excuse you use to do drugs, it’s unbelievably pitiful. You just have no talent.
고작 = no more than, only
그렇다 = to be like that
이유 = a reason
약 = medicine, drugs
빨다 = to suck
애잔하다 = to be pitiful, pathetic
그지없다 = to be boundless, infinites
재능 = talent
-지 뭐 = used to indicate that one is sort of resigned to something (없는거지 뭐)
원하는 건 모두 가졌지 이제는 뭘 더 가져야만 만족이 될지
I got everything I wanted. Now what more do I need to be satisfied?
원하다 = to want
모두 = every
가지다 = to have, to own
이제 = now
뭐 = what
만족 = satisfaction
내가 원했던 것 옷옷 다음은 돈돈 다음은 goal goal 이 다음은 도대체 뭐지
What I wanted was clothes, clothes, then money money, then goal goal, now what on earth comes next?
옷 = clothing
돈 = money
다음 = next
도대체 = “_ in the world”, “_ the heck”, etc.
그 다음은 그래 뭘까 심히 느껴지는 현타 위가 없는 현상
Yeah, what comes after that? This is a phenomenon where I feel acutely that there’s nothing more above me.
심히 = seriously
느끼다 = to feel
위 = the top of something, the space right above something
현상 = a phenomenon
위만 보던 난 이제 걍 아래만 보다가 이대로 착지하고파
I’ve only been looking up. Now I just want to look down, and make a landing.
보다 = to see, to look at
아래 = the bottom
이대로 = in this way
착지하다 = to land, to set one’s feet down
-고파 = to be hungry for X (착지하고파)
Pre-Chorus:
I’m a king I’m a boss
새겨놓아 내 이름
Engrave my name on your mind.
새기다 = to carve, to engrave
-아놓다 / -어놓다 = to do something and leave it in that state (새려놓아)
입만 산 새끼들
Those bastards who are all talk,
당장 놈의 주리를 틀어
put them in the torture seat immediately.
주리 = an old form of punishment involving tying someone to a chair and twisting their legs
틀다 = to turn something on
I’m a king I’m a boss
다 알잖아 내 이름
Everyone knows my name.
입만 산 새끼들
Those bastards who are all talk,
당장 놈의 목을 쳐
off with their heads immediately.
Chorus:
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타
Daechwita daechwita
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
대취타 대취타 자 울려라 대취타
Daechwita daechwita, hey, let it ring, daechwita.
