Interlude: Shadow

(Lyrics in colour are the official lyrics, lyrics in black are translations. Official English lyrics are italicized.)

I wanna be a rap star

I wanna be the top

I wanna be a rockstar

I want it all mine 

I wanna be rich

I wanna be the king

I wanna go win

I wanna be….

I wanna be a rap star

I wanna be the top

I wanna be a rockstar

I want it all mine

I wanna be rich 

I wanna be the king

I wanna be me

I want a big thing

oh boy let me see

I’ve got a big dream

woo 매일 설렜지 내가 어디까지 갈지

woo every day I was excited, wondering how far I would go

정신없이 달리다 보니 어느새 여기까지 왔지

been frantically running to find i’ve already come this far

yeah 음 발밑에 그림자

yeah the shadow at my feet

고개 숙여보니 더 커졌잖다

looking down, it’s gotten bigger

도망쳐봤자 날 따라도는 저 빛과 비례하는 내 그림자

even if i try to run it follows, dark as it is light

두려워 높게 나는 게 난 무섭지

i’m afraid, flying high is terrifying

아무도 말 안 해줬찮아

there are things nobody told me

여기가 얼마나 외로운지 말야 

like how lonely it is up here

나의 도약은 추락이 될 수 있단 걸 

now i understand that my jump can be my fall

이제 알겠어 때론 도망이 차선이란 걸

that running is the next best thing sometimes

pause

사람들이 뭐 말하지 저 빛 속은 찬란하네 

people say there’s splendor in those lights

근데 내 그림자는 되려 어 커져 나를 삼켜 괴물이 돼 

but my shadow grows, swallows me, becomes a monster

저 위로 위로 또 위로 위로 만 가다 보니 여긴 어지러워

as i go high, high, only higher higher, getting dizzy up here

더 위로 위로만 가네 싫어 

i keep going only higher, i hate it

나 무사하길 빌어 빌어

i pray, pray that i’ll be okay

나의 바람대로 높게 날고 있는 손간

the moment where i’m flying as high as i had wished 

저 내리쬐는 빛에 더 커진 그림자

my shadow keeps on growing in the light beating down

please don’t let me shine, 

don’t let me down,

don’t let me fly,

이제는 두려워,

now i’m afraid

가장 밑바닥의 나를 마주하는 순간

the moment i face myself at rock bottom

공교롭게도 여긴 창공이찮아

as irony would have it, i’m flying the highest

please don’t let me shine, 

don’t let me down,

don’t let me fly,

이제는 무서워 

now i’m scared 

don’t let me shine...

웃어봐 뭘 망설여

come on, smile, what’s with the hesitation?

네가 바라던 게 이런게 아니었니

this, is this not what you wished for?

울던가 뭐가 두려워

are you crying? what are you afraid of?

네가 원하던 게 이런 게 아니었니?

this, is this not what you wanted?

네가 바란 삶 네가 원한 삶

the life you wished for, the life you wanted

네가 택한 삶 후회 없이 다 이뤘지

the life you chose without regrets, here it is

 거기에다 너는 big house big car big rings

on top of that you have a big house, big car, big rings

네가 원한 건 모든 걸 다 가졌지

everything that you wanted you have

근데 뭐가 문제야 즐겨

so what’s the problem? enjoy it

아님 놓던가 싫어?

or let it go? no?

그럼 달리던가 뭐 멈추던가

then run, or stop

한 가지만 하라고 징징대지 말고

pick one, quit sniveling 

알려준 적 없다고? (yeah yeah)

you say i never told you that? (yeah yeah)

정말 몰랐었냐고? (oh no)

you ask if i really didn’t know? (oh no)

네가 가진 만큼만 나는 가져갈게

i will take as much as you have

그게 뭐든지 말야

whatever that might be

때론 너의 휴식은 추란이 된단 걸

that sometimes your rest becomes your fall

이제야 알겠니 매번 최선이 최선이란 걸

did you just now get that? every time to do your best is the next best thing.

나의 바람대로 높게 날고 있는 손간

the moment where i’m flying as high as i wished 

저 내리쬐는 빛에 더 커진 그림자

my shadow that grows in the light beating down

please don’t let me shine, 

don’t let me down,

don’t let me fly

이제는 두려워

now i’m afraid

가장 밑바닥의 나를 마주하는 순간

the moment i face myself at rock bottom

공교롭게도 여긴 창공이찮아

as irony would have it, i’m flying the highest

please don’t let me shine, 

don’t let me down,

don’t let me fly

이제는 무서워 

now i’m scared 

don’t let me shine

I wanna be a rap star

I wanna be the top

I wanna be a rockstar

I want it all mine 

I wanna be rich

I wanna be the king

I wanna go win

I wanna be….

I wanna be a rap star

I wanna be the top

I wanna be a rockstar

I want it all mine

I wanna be rich 

I wanna be the king

I wanna be me

I wanna be….

그래 나는 너고 너는 나야 이젠 알겠니

yeah I am you and you are me, do you get it now?

그래 너는 나고 나는 너야 이젠 알겠지

yeah, you are me and I am you, don’t you get it now?

우린 한 몸이고 또 때론 부딪히겠지

we are one body, and sometimes we will crash

너는 절대 나를 떼어낼 수 없어 알겠지

you will never get me off of you, you understand this, right?

yeah yeah 떼어낼 수 없어 네가 뭐를 하던지

yeah yeah, you can’t get me off, no matter what you do

yeah 인정하는 게 더 편안하겠지

yeah, you’ll be more at ease if you accept it

yeah 성공 혹은 실패 어디 있던지

yeah, success or failure, no matter where you go

yeah 도망칠 수 없어 어딜 가던지

yeah you can’t escape, no matter where you go

나는 너고 너는 나야 알겠니

I am you and you are me, do you get it?

너는 나고 나는 너야 알겠니

you are me and I am you, do you get it?

우린 한 몸이고 부딪히겠지

we are one body and we will crash

우린 너고 우린 나야 알겠니

we are you and we are me, do you get it?

Translation Notes: 

The sentence "Even if I try to run, my shadow follows, dark as it is light" when directly translated, is more like, "my shadow that follows me when I try to run, proportional to the light".

"We will crash" is the "we'll crash into each other" kind of crash. You could translate this sentence as "sometimes we'll run into each other", or "we'll hit each other" but i feel like just "crash" has the best emotional impact (hah). 

Yoongi uses two words that both relate to "fear" in this song. 두려워 du-lyeo-woh is more "I'm afraid that [concept] will happen," where 무서워 mu-seo-woh is more "I'm scared of [tangible thing]". "I dread getting older" vs "i'm scared of spiders", kind of. They are, in a lot of cases, interchangeable, but I thought I'd point it out.