English translation and Korean lesson with the lyrics of Begin by BTS, from the 2016 album Wings.
Produced by Tony Esterly
Written by: RM, Tony Esterly, David Quinones
Find it here: Youtube • Spotify • Apple Music • Amazon Music
Verse 1:
아무것도 없던 열다섯의 나
15-year-old me who had nothing.
아무것도 = nothing
-이 없다 / -가 없다 = to have X (아무것도 없던)
열 = ten
다섯 = five
-의 = indicates possession. Like ‘s in English (열다섯의)
나 = I, me
세상은 참 컸어 너무 작은 나
The world was so big. I was so small.
세상 = the world
참 = really, very
크다 = to be big
너무 = too, so
작다 = to be small
이제 난 상상할 수도 없어
Now I can’t even imagine it.
이제 = now
상상하다 = to imagine
-ㄹ 수 없다 / -을 수 없다 = to not be able to do X (상상할 수도 없어)
향기가 없던 텅 비어있던 나 나
The scentless, completely blank me.
(Scentless here means like a blank slate.)
향기 = a scent
텅 비다 = to be blank, empty
I pray
Love you my brother 형들이 있어
Love you my brother. Because I have my brothers,
형 = a word that males call their older brothers, and their close older male friends.
-들 = makes a noun plural (형들이)
감정이 생겼어 나 내가 됐어
I developed feelings. I became me.
감정 = feelings, emotions
생기다 = to form
내 = I, me, my
되다 = to become
So I’m me
Now I’m me
Chorus:
You make me begin
You make me begin
You make me begin
(Smile with me, smile with me, smile with me)
You make me begin
(Smile with me, smile with me)
Verse 2:
참을 수가 없어
I can’t bear it
참다 = to bear, to endure
울고 있는 너
when you’re crying.
울다 = to cry
-고 있다 = present progressive IE: “to be crying” instead of “to cry” (울고 있는)
너 = you
대신 울고 싶어
I want to cry in your place,
대신 = instead
-고 싶다 = to want to do X (울고 싶어)
할 순 없지만
though I can’t.
하다 = to do
-지만 = X but, though X (없지만)
Chorus:
You make me begin
You make me begin
You make me begin
(Cry with me, cry with me, cry with me)
You make me begin
(Cry with me, cry with me)
Bridge:
죽을 것 같아 형이 슬프면
I feel like I’m going to die when my brother is sad.
죽다 = to die
것 같다 = to seem like X; X being the preceding noun or clause (죽을 것 같아)
슬프다 = to be sad, sorrowful
-면 / -으면 = if/when X (슬프면)
형이 아프면 내가 아픈 것보다 아파
When my brother is in pain it hurts more than when I am.
아프다 = to be in pain, to be sick
-보다 = more than X, compared to X (것 보다)
Brother let’s cry, cry 울고 말자
Brother let’s cry, cry. Let’s just cry.
-고 말다 = for X to end up happening
-자 = Let’s do X
슬픔은 잘 모르지만 그냥 울래
I’m not that familiar with sorrow, but I’ll just cry.
Because, because
잘 = well (as in, “I don’t sing well)
모르다 = to not know
그냥 = just
-ㄹ래 / -을래 = When used in a question: “Shall we X?”. When used in a statement, “I’m going to do X”/”I intend to do X”. Since these lyrics have no punctuation, it could be either in this case. (울래)
Chorus:
You made me again
You made me again
You made me again
(Fly with me, fly with me, fly with me)
You made me again
(Fly with me, fly with me)
You make me begin
You made me again
