Agust D - So Far Away (Annotated by dansmesyeux)

This annotation contains a literal and interpretive translation.

The literal translation is a word-for-word, 100% literal meaning translation of the lyrics. A bit of the emotive/poetic meaning of the original might be lost in this translation.

The interpretive translation is a translation that tries to keep the meaning of the original Korean, while also keeping the rhyme scheme, line breaks and other poetic elements of the original Korean lyrics by translating them to English. A bit of strict literal accuracy might be lost in this translation.



In order to give the full sense of the lyrics, I’ve presented both types of translations here. Reading both would be a good way to supplement both strengths and weaknesses of each type of translation.

There are also different annotations for both Korean lyrics and the literal translation lyrics.









Korean

하고 싶은 게 없다는 게 진짜 뭣 같은데

흔한 꿈조차 없다는 게 한심한 거 알어 다 아는데

하란 대로만 하면 된다며 대학가면 다 괜찮아 1

그런 말들을 믿은 내가 병신이지

나 죽지 못해 살어

술이나 좀 줘봐 오늘은 취하고 싶으니

제발 말리지 마

뭐든 좋아 백수 새끼가 술 마시는 건 사치지만 2

취하지도 않음 버틸 수가 없어

모두가 달리는데 왜 나만 여기 있어

모두가 달리는데 왜 나만 여기 있어

모두가 달리는데 왜 나만 여기서 있지

so far away 나에게도 꿈이 있다면 날아가는 꿈이 있다면

don’t fall away 나에게도 꿈이 있다면 날아가는 꿈이 있다면

dream 그대의 창조와 삶의 끝에 함께하리

dream 그대의 자리가 어딜지라도 관대하리

dream 결국 시련의 끝에 만개하리

dream 시작은 미약할지언정 끝은 창대하리 3, 4

그래 씨발 죽지 못해서 살아

하고 싶은 게 없단 건 말야

무엇보다 괴로운데 외로운데

주변에선 하나 같이 정신차려

란 말뿐이네 화풀이해

상대는 뭐 나뿐인데 뭘 화풀이해

매일 아침에 눈 뜨는 게 숨 쉬는 게 무섭네 5

친구와 가족 조차 멀어져만 가네

시간이 흐르면 흐를수록 더 조급하네

나 혼자인 기분 나 혼자인 지금

모든 게 사라졌음 해 신기루

처럼 사라졌음 해 사라졌음 해

이젠 빌어 먹을 나조차도 사라 졌음 해

이렇게 세상에 나 버려지네

그 순간 하늘과 멀어지네

떨어지네

so far away 나에게도 꿈이 있다면 날아가는 꿈이 있다면

don’t fall away 나에게도 꿈이 있다면 날아가는 꿈이 있다면

dream 그대의 창조와 삶의 끝에 함께하리

dream 그대의 자리가 어딜지라도 관대하리

dream 결국 시련의 끝에 만개하리

dream 시작은 미약할지언정 끝은 창대하리

(x2)

그대의 창조와 삶의 끝에 함께하리 (don’t fall away)

그대의 자리가 어딜지라도 관대하리

결국 시련의 끝에 만개하리

시작은 미약할지언정 끝은 창대하리

so far away (x4)

so far away 나에게도 꿈이 있다면 날아가는 꿈이 있다면

don’t far away 나에게도 꿈이 있다면 날아가는 꿈이 있다면

so far away don’t fall away (x2)

dream 그대의 창조와 삶의 끝에 함께하리

dream 그대의 자리가 어딜지라도 관대하리

dream 결국 시련의 끝에 만개하리

dream 시작은 미약할지언정 끝은 창대하리

–

1 ‘It will all be ok when you go to college’: A common way to pacify students (esp. middle/high school) into agreeing to go on a more commonly trodden path (i.e. not music) so that they will at least go to college and not fail at life/embarrass their parents by not going to college

2 In South Korea - an extremely capitalist country - it is embarrassing to be unemployed as it means you have almost no status in society at all. Hence, Agust D is saying it is a luxury for an unemployed person (unemployed fucker/백수새끼) to be wasting money on alcohol

3 The language used in this verse is pretty archiac. Most commonly used (at least in modern times) in history dramas to emphasize that someone is being really serious with their words. (reword this later)

4 The last line of this verse is a direct reference to a bible verse - Job 8:7: ‘And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.’ (ESV) It’s been changed only a little from the Korean: ‘네 시작은 미약하였으나 네 나 중은 심히 창대하리라’ (욥 8:7)

5 ‘무섭네’ (it’s scary/is frightening) is pretty much whispered - you can’t hear it that well









Literal translation





it’s really shit not to have anything to want to do (with your life) 1

I know that not to even have such a common thing as a dream is pathetic

I know all that

you said it would be ok as long as I just did what you told me to do

it will all be ok when you go to college

I who believed those words am a stupid fucker

I live because I can’t die





just give me some alcohol

today I want to be drunk so please don’t try to stop me

anything is good

although for an unemployed SOB to be drinking alcohol is a uselsess luxury





if I can’t even be drunk I can’t stand it

everyone is running but why am only I here (x2)

everyone is running but why am only I standing here





so far away / if I had a dream too 2

had a dream of flying (away)

don’t fall away / if I had a dream too

had a dream of flying (away) 3





dream / I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy life

dream / mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

dream / mayest thou be finally after the end of tribulations be in full bloom

dream / even though the beginning may be weak, mayest the end be grand





yeah fuck I live because I can’t die

you know, to not have anything I want to do is

more painful than anything, lonely

but around me as one they only tell me to wake up

to take it out on somebody, well the other person (in this) is only me so what do you mean, take it out on somebody 4

every morning opening my eyes, breathing is scary





even from friends and family I’m becoming farther apart

the more time flows the more urgent it gets

the feeling that I am alone, now, where I am alone

I wish everything would disappear like a mirage wish it would disappear wish it would disappear

now I wish even fucking myself would disappear

like this I’m thrown away to the world

in that moment I become farther from the sky

I’m falling





so far away / if I had a dream too

had a dream of flying (away)

don’t fall away / if I had a dream too

had a dream of flying (away)





dream / I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy life (don’t fall away)

dream / mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

dream / mayest thou be finally after the end of tribulations be in full bloom

dream / even though the beginning may be weak, mayest the end be grand

(x2)





I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy life

mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

mayest thou be finally after the end of tribulations be in full bloom

even though the beginning may be weak, mayest the end be grand





so far away (x4)





so far away / if I had a dream too

had a dream of flying (away)

don’t fall away / if I had a dream too

had a dream of flying (away)





so far away / don’t fall away / so far away / don’t fall away





dream / I will be with there for thee in thy birth and the end of thy life

dream / mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

dream / mayest thou be finally after the end of tribulations be in full bloom

dream / even though the beginning may be weak, mayest the end be grand





–

1 ‘하고 싶은 게’ in Korean here implies something be- yond wanting something to do - it implies ‘what you want to do in the future,’ a career path



2 I wish I could translate the ‘나에게’ better, but it’s hard to find an English equivalent. This roughly means ‘to me,’ and it should roughly translate to ‘if I had a dream to me too,’ This doesn’t fully capture the beauty of the Korean word though, which is almost a possessive thing, like you have it for yourself, but it comes to you. I tried to capture that in the interpretive translation.

3 ‘날아가다’ in ‘날아가는 꿈’ doesn’t really mean ‘flying’ straight out - it means more like ‘taking wing’ or ‘flying away to there.’ Envision a bird flying across the sky (‘flying away to there’) rather than the strict motion of a bird flying (‘flying’). However, in English ‘flying away’ means something more like ‘escaping something,’ which is not the meaning of ‘날아 가다. So the translation of this phrase I compromised and put ‘away’ in parenthesis next to ‘flying’ so that both meanings of the English phrase could be implied.

4 Basically he is asking a rhetorical question of how is he supposed to follow their advice at all when the other person in this is only him









Interpretive translation





to not have anything to want to do is really shit

to not even have such a common thing as a dream is pathetic I know

I know all of it

“it will be ok as long as you just do as you’re told,” you said,

“if you go to college it will all be alright”

to have believed those words, I’m a stupid fuck

I live because I can’t die





just give me some alcohol today I want to get drunk

so don’t try to stop me

anything’s good

though for an unemployed fucker to be drinking is a useless luxury

if I can’t even get drunk I can’t stand it

everyone’s running but why am only I here

everyone’s running but why am only I here

everyone’s running but why am only I standing here





so far away / if I had a dream for me also

had a dream of flying

don’t fall away / if I had a dream for me also

had a dream of flying





dream / I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy life

dream / mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

dream / mayest thou after the end of tribulations finally be in full bloom

dream / mayest the end be grand, even though the beginning may be weak





yes, fuck, I live because I can’t die

to not have anything you want to try

is more than anything, painful, lonely

but around me like one person, “wake up”

they just say, “take it out on someone”

the other person’s just me so, what’d you mean, “take it out on someone”

at every morning, to open my eyes, to breathe, is frightening





even from friends and family I’m drifting away

the more time flies and flies it’s more urgent

the feeling I’m alone, now where I am alone

wish everything disappeared wish





like a mirage it disappeared wish it disappeared

now wish even fucking myself disappeared

like this I’m abandoned to the earth

in that moment I fall apart from the sky





I’m falling





so far away / if I had a dream for me also

had a dream of flying

don’t fall away / if I had a dream for me also

had a dream of flying





dream / I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy life

dream / mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

dream / mayest thou after the end of tribulations finally be in full bloom

dream / mayest the end be grand, even though the beginning may be weak

(x2)





I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy life

(don’t fall away)

mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

mayest thou after the end of tribulations finally be in full bloom

mayest the end be grand, even though the beginning may be weak





so far away (x4)





so far away / if I had a dream for me also / had a dream of flying

don’t fall away / if I had a dream for me also / had a dream of flying





so far away / don’t fall away / so far away / don’t fall away





dream / I will be with thee in thy birth and the end of thy life

dream / mayest thou be treated generously wherever thy seat may be

dream / mayest thou after the end of tribulations finally be in full bloom

dream / mayest the end be grand, even though the beginning may be weak









Please do not repost. Annotation and translation by dansmesyeux (dansmes-yeux @tumblr). Feel free to ask any questions in the ask box :)

