English translation and Korean lesson with the lyrics of 이상하지 않은가 (Strange) (feat. RM) by Agust D (SUGA of BTS), from the 2020 album D-2.
Produced by: EL CAPITXN, GHSTLOOP
Written by: Agust D, EL CAPITXN, GHSTLOOP, RM
Find it here: Spotify • Apple Music • Amazon Music • SoundCloud
Language Note:
이상하지 않은가 – the Korean title of this song – means “Isn’t it strange?”
Chorus:
Everything in dust
Do you see?
Well well well
Everything in lust
Oh what do you see?
Well well well
누가 알려줘 삶이란 고통인지
Someone please tell me whether life is pain.
누가 = someone
알리다 = to inform, to let somebody know
-어주다 / -아주다 = adds a nuance of “for” or “as a favour to” someone. Read more here. (알려줘)
삶 = life
고통 = pain
Well well
신이 있다면 알려줘 삶이란 행복인지
If there’s a God, please tell me whether life is happiness.
신 = a god, God
있다 = to be found, to exist
-면 / -으면 = if X, when X (있다면)
행복 = happiness
Verse 1:
세상이란 커다란 시스템
This huge system called the world
세상 = a world
커다랗다 = to be large, huge
그 안에 대립과 전쟁이 아니면은 서바이벌을 투입해
with conflict, war, and survival thrown into it.
그 = that, those
안 = the interior of something
-에 = at, on X (안에)
대립 = conflict, opposition
-과 / -와 = “and” when followed by an accompanying noun. Otherwise “with”. (대립과)
전쟁 = war
아니면 = or
투입하다 = to throw in, to insert
거부할 수 없는 삶
A life that you you can’t reject.
거부하다 = to reject, to deny
-ㄹ 수 없다 / -을 수 없다 = to not be able to do X
자본은 꿈을 담보로 희망이라는 모르핀을 주입해
Capital injects you with a morphine called hope that takes dreams as collateral.
자본 = capital
꿈 = a dream
담보 = collateral, security
-로 / -으로 = with X, via X, using X (담보로)
희망 = hope
주입하다 = to inject
부는 부를 창궐하고 탐을 시험해
Wealth runs rampant with wealth, and tests your greed.
부 = wealth
창궐하다 = to be rampant (used to talk about diseases)
-고 = X and (창궐하고)
탐 = greed, covetousness
시험하다 = to test
부자는 가난조차 탐해 탐욕스럽게
The rich greedily covet even poverty.
부자 = a rich person
가난 = poverty
-조차 = even X (가난조차)
탐하다 = to covet
탐욕스럽다 = to be greedy
-게 = makes and adjective into an adverb. IE: “greedy’ becomes “greedily” (탐욕스럽게)
세상은 흑과 백 둘만 존재해
The world exists in only black and white.
흑 = black
백 = white
둘 = two
-만 = just X, only X (둘만)
존재하다 = to exist
끝이 없는 제로섬 게임 속 끝은 볼만해
In this endless, zero-sum game, the end is worth seeing.
끝 = the end of something
없다 = to not be found, not exist
속 = the inside of something
보다 = to see, to look for
-만 하다 = to be worth X (볼만해)
양극화 세상에서 가장 추한 꽃
Polarization is the most hideous flower in the world.
(Play on words: the Chinese letter for flower is pronounced 화, like the last syllable in 양극화)
양극화 = polarization
-에서 = in X, inside X (세사에서)
가장 = most (as in “most hideous” not as in “most of the time”)
추하다 = to be ugly, hideous
꽃 = a flower
진실은 거짓에게 잠식된 지 오래군
Truth was eaten up by lies a long time ago.
진실 = truth
거짓 = a lie
-에게 = to X, from X (거짓에게)
잠식되다 = to be eaten away
지 = expresses the amount of time that has past since something happened
오래 = a long time
-군 = adds a nuance of surprise or amazement. Includes a slight feeling of talking to oneself. (오래군)
가장 이득을 보는 건 누굴까
Who benefits the most?
이득 = profit, benefit
것 = a thing
누구 = who
-ㄹ까 / -을까 = used to wonder about something, sort of to oneself (누굴까)
가장 피해를 보는 것은 도대체 누굴까
Who on earth get harmed the most?
피해 = harm, damage
도대체 = “_ in the world”, “_ the heck”
병든 세상에 병들지 않은 자
In this sick world, the one who isn’t sick
병들다 = to be sick
-지 않다 = to not do X (병들지 않은)
자 = a person, a guy
되려 돌연변이 취급해 이상하지 않은가
gets treated like a mutant. Isn’t that strange?
되려 = on the contrary, rather (dialect form of 도리어)
돌연변 = a mutant
취급하다 = to treat, to behave towards
이상하다 = to be strange, weird
눈 감은 세상에서 눈 뜬 자
In a world with its eyes closed, the one who opened their eyes
눈 = an eye
감다 = to close (eyes only, not doors, etc)
뜨다 = to open (eyes only, not doors, etc)
이젠 눈을 멀게 하네 이상하지 않은가
is now made blind. Isn’t that strange?
이제 = now
멀다 = to be far, distant – to be blind, when talking about eyes
-게 하다 = to make X happen (멀게 하네)
-네 = adds a nuance of surprise of amazement. This has less of a feeling of talking to oneself than 군 (하네)
평화를 원하는 자 싸움을 원하는 자
The one who wants peace, the one who wants a fight,
평화 = peace
원하다 = to want
싸움 = a fight
각자 이념의 끝 이상하지 않은가
At opposite ends of their ideologies. Isn’t that strange?
각자 = each, individually
이념 = an ideology
-의 = indicates possession, like ‘s in English (이념의)
꿈을 가지라네 다 꿈이 없음에도 다
Everyone says to have a dream, even though none of them have one.
가지다 = to have, to own
다 = all, everything, everyone
-도 = X too, even X (없음에도)
정답은 없네 이상하지 않은가
There’s no right answer. Isn’t that strange?
정답 = a correct answer
Chorus:
Everything in dust
Do you see?
Well well well
Everything in lust
Oh what do you see?
Well well well
누가 알려줘 삶이란 고통인지
Someone please tell me whether life is pain.
Well well
신이 있다면 알려줘 삶이란 행복인지
If there’s a God, please tell me whether life is happiness.
Verse 2 (RM):
You think you got taste?
Oh babe how do you know?
I mean for God’s sake
Everything’s under control
몇지선다를 주곤 자본이 통제하는 취향
Our tastes are multiple-choice and they’re controlled by capital.
몇 = a few, several
주다 = to give
통제하다 = to control, to restrict
취향 = taste, preference
People talk
‘내 피드가 설명해주지 날’
“My feed explains who I am.”
내 = I, me, my
설명하다 = to explain
나 = I, me
돈 얼마를 쥐었건
No matter how much money they have,
돈 = money
알마 = how much
쥐다 = to clutch, to grasp
다 이 시스템의 slave
everyone’s a slave of this system,
이 = this, these
자랑하기 바쁜 개 목걸이와 개집
busy showing off their dog collars and dog houses,
자랑하다 = to brag, to show off
바쁘다 = to be busy
개 = a dog
목걸이 = a collar
개집 = a dog house (집 = house)
종일 누구 게 반짝이나 싸워
fighting all day over whose is the shiniest.
종일 = all day
게 = a thing
반짝이다 = to twinkle, to sparkle
싸우다 = to fight
이제는 너도 모를 걸
Even you don’t know anymore.
너 = you
모르다 = to not know
Oh baby what’s your name?
양극화 이미 활짝 피어버린 꽃
Polarization is a flower that’s already fully bloomed.
이미 = already
피다 = to bloom, to blossom
-어버리다 / -아버리다 = to “completely” do X, to “go and do” x. Read more here. (피어버린)
네모난 구멍에 박혀버린 동그란 못
A round nail hammered into a square hole.
네모나다 = to be square
구멍 = a hole
박히다 = to be rammed into, hammered into
동그랗다 = to be round
못 = a spike, a nail
그래도 굴러가 어떻게든 또 이렇게
Still, it keeps rolling along somehow like this.
그래도 = still, even so
굴러가다 = to roll along (구르다 = to roll + 가다 = to go)
어떻게 = how
또 = again, too, plus
이렇다 = to be like this
다 각자의 닭장에서 괜찮다 하네
Everyone is in their own chicken coop saying that they’re fine.
닭장 = a chicken coop (닭 = a chicken)
괜찮다 = to be okay, to be fine
하다 = to do, to say
병든 세상에 병들지 않은 자
In this sick world, the one who isn’t sick
돌연변이 취급하는 게 이상하지 않아 난 더
being treated like a mutant isn’t more strange to me.
더 = more
눈 감은 세상에서 눈 뜬 자
In a world with its eyes closed, the one who opened their eyes,
혼자만 눈 떴다는 게 훨씬 이상해 난
the fact that they alone have their eyes open is much more strange to me.
혼자 = alone
훨씬 = much more
평화를 원하는 자 싸움을 원하는 자
One wants peace, one wants a fight.
손바닥 뒤집듯 바뀌는 말장난
Word games flip back and forth as easily as the flip of a hand.
손바닥 = the palm of a hand
뒤집다 = to turn inside out, upside down, to reverse
-듯 = as though X, as X (뒤집듯)
바뀌다 = to change
말장난 = a play on words (말 = words + 장난 = a joke)
꿈은 옵션이 된 그런 세상인데
Dreams have become an option. That’s the type of world it is.
정답은 없어 그게 정답이야
There is no right answer. That’s the right answer.
Chorus:
Everything in dust
Do you see?
Well well well
Everything in lust
Oh what do you see?
Well well well
누가 알려줘 삶이란 고통인지
Someone please tell me whether life is pain.
Well well
신이 있다면 알려줘 삶이란 행복인지
If there’s a God, please tell me whether life is happiness.
