Learning Korean through music: 낙화 by 자우림

A post from another site of mine that I originally wrote on 2004.01.03. Remember, the translation is done as literally as possible, in order to help the student



Original post from 2004:

This song, 낙화, is written in Chinese as 落花 and means falling flower. It's my third song here but note that it's song #4 on the pink album. I'll get the third song done later.

Song lyrics


3)모두들 잠든 새벽 세 시 나는 옥상에 올라왔죠
하얀색 십자가, 붉은 빛 십자가
우리 학교가 보여요
조용한 교정이, 어두운 교실이
엄마, 미안해요
아무도 내곁에 있어주지 않았어요
아무런 잘못도 나는 하지 않았어요
왜나를 미워하나요? 난 매일밤 무서운 꿈에 울어요
왜나를 미워했나요? 꿈에서도 난 달아날 수 없어요
사실은 난 더 살고 싶었어요
이제는 날 좀 내버려두세요
...내일 아침이면, 아무도 다시는 나를, 나를...

When everybody was sleeping at 3 am I came up to the roof
A white cross, a red-lit cross
I can see the school
The quiet schoolyard, the dark classroom
Mom, I'm sorry
Nobody was next to me
I didn't make any mistakes
Why do you hate me? I cry in my nightmares every night
Why did you hate me? Even in my dreams I can't get out
Actually I wanted to keep living
Just let me go from now on
When tomorrow morning comes nothing will...me

새벽-Late night
옥상-Roof
오르다, 올라오다- Go up, come up
하얗다-White
십자가-Cross
붉다-Red
빛-Light, colour
학교-School
교정-School yard
어둡다-Dark
잘못-Mistake
울다-Cry
달아나다-
사실-Fact, actually
더-More
이제-From now on
아침-Morning
다시-Again

우 리학교-This means 'our school', but is often translated as 'my school' or just 'the school'. When talking about one's house as well it is also normal to use 우리 집 even if one is alone, as well as 우리 나라 when talking about your own country.

사실(은)-This word by itself means fact, but when used as 사실은 in the beginning of a sentence it means 'actually', or 'the fact is...'.
사실 난 그 사람의 친구가 아니야 - Actually, I'm not that person's friend.
But it can be used in a different sense as well. 넌 어제도 술집에 갔다 온게 사실이야? So is it true that you went to the bar yesterday as well?
난 너같은 타입을 좋아 하는 게(것이) 사실이지만 지금은 너무 바빠서... - It's true that you're the type of person I like, but I'm kind of busy right now...

왜 나를 미워하나요? - Using 나 at the end of a sentence makes it a soft question. There are many subtlely different ways of asking the same question, such as
왜 나를 미워해? Why do you hate me?
왜나를 미워하는 거야? So why do you hate me? (stronger)
왜나를 미워해요? Why do you hate me? (Polite)
왜 나를 미워하니? Why do you hate me? (A more pointed question, not polite and often used when talking to children)
아무도 내곁에 있어주지 않았어요 - Nobody was beside me. By taking the verb 있다, to exist, and then turn it to 있어 주다, it means to exist for someone, or to be there for someone. 아무도 means nobody, 내곁 is my side. Add the directional particle 에 and then turn 있어주다 into the past tense by taking off the 다 and then turning it into 있어 주지 않다. Then turn it into the past tense, 있어 주지 않았어, and then 요 to make it polite. 있어 주지 않았어요.