땡 (DDAENG) – RM, SUGA, J-HOPE

Korean lyrics from BTS blog

Produced by SUGA, J.Pearl

(SUGA, J.Pearl, RM, j-hope)

Keyboard – J.Pearl

Synthesizer – J.Pearl

Additional Production – Supreme Boi

Recording Engineers:

– SUGA @ Genius Lab

– RM @ Mon Studio

– j-hope @ Hope World

Mix Engineer – Yang Ga @ Big Hit Studio

Mastering Engineer – Yang Ga @ Big Hit Studio

In addition to being a gift song for antis/haters, this song seems to be for the 어그로 (aggro?- from aggravation)… which is what they call internet trolls in Korea. BTS used to have lots of haters who would diligently spread hate hashtags/spread false rumors to public and reporters, etc. But they also have a lot of trolls who say things like, “BB200 is not important! We’ll acknowledge BTS once they get no. 1 on Hot 100.” Acknowledge BTS for what, I’m not sure… for success? If they claim that BTS is not successful, that’s not just dissing BTS – they’re also dissing all the other Korean acts who didn’t succeed as much.

It does seem like being 어그로/troll is the trend rather than to be a hater/anti nowadays, since BigHit said they will start suing for defamation. Of course, either way, they’re just wasting their own lives whether they’re trolls or haters.

<———38 ddaeng hand

It’s been really busy at work recently, so when I first listened to this song, my brain just…fried. Why?!! Why so complicated, BTS??!!

1.

18, 13, 38 ddaeng.

From the cards “hwatoo (name of card deck)”…which has a game named “섰다/섯다/seotda”. This game is specifically designed for gambling.

38 ddaeng is the highest hand you can get. Nothing wins against this hand. 13 ddaeng and 18 ddaeng are the 2nd highest cards, although I believe there are wild-card hands that can beat these.

The song also mentions 끗/kkeut. These are the low hands. If this was poker, these would be trying to see who has the high card in people who failed to even get a pair.

끗/kkeut is also homonym of 끝, which means “the end.” This is kind of ironic, because there is a Korean phrase “인생 종 치다/your life has rung the bell”…which means your life is over/ruined.

Which leads to the next meaning of….

2.

Ddaeng as sound of bell ringing.

The Pavolonian response of a Korean hearing “ddaeng” would be to think of this short kids’ song, titled “the school bell goes ddaeng ddaeng ddaeng.”

The lyrics are:

The school bell is ringing ddaeng ddaeng ddaeng, let’s gather around.

The teacher is waiting for us.

Not surprising that J-Hope used school imagery in his part..

3.

Ddaeng is also the sound of xylophone sound when you get something wrong.

You can say “ddaeng~!!!” instead of “wrong~!!!” …. as opposed to “ding-dong/ding-dong-daeng” if you get something right.

4.

Freeze-ddaeng

It’s a word they use in tag game called “ice/freeze – ddaeng.” In this game, you can say “freeze” which protects from being tagged by “it”. However, doing this leaves you frozen and unable to move, until someone “ddaeng” you. If everyone ends up freezing, the new “it” is picked out from the people who froze themselves.

BTS plays this game with zombies during the Run BTS! Ep 24.

5.

And…there are a bunch of other minor word plays.

– Ddaeng as description of swollen face – usually uses the term ddaeng ddaeng/tang tang.

– “Thang (thing)” written phonetically in Korean would be 땡(ddaeng).

– Play on the English word “dang”

Sigh…. I’m sure that’s enough rambling to start off with. Let’s actually get started on the song.

I’m gonna have to write meaning of certain words mixed with the lyrics. I’ll put these little explanations (in brackets in this colour)

18 13 38 ddaeng (ddaeng cards)

U wrong me right, look closely, ddaeng

either look closely but still wrong, or look closely at my ddaeng cards.

Ring the school bell, brr brr, ddaeng (bell sound)

Hey you, this turn at life is fail, you’re ddaeng (finished/wrong)

The wording, “this turn at life is fail” is commonly used in Korea. Based on the old belief that people went through various reincarnations (probably originating from Buddhism). Sometimes see characters in fiction being reincarnated as something like a snail, saying this line. Ie. This life is useless beyond hope of repair.

The following is J-Hope being sarcastic about the things that haters say:

Hip-hop? ddaeng (wrong)

Rap style? ddaeng

Just rapper, ddaeng

Bangtan = ddaeng (wrong/finished)

But reality, bang

Worldwide, bang

On the charts, bang bang, Ddaeng (dang/ddaeng cards)

Got money, woo

AP, woo

AP apparently means Audemars Piquet watch, usually $50-100 000

A nice home, woo

Someone’s dream life, woo

How bout you? uh

I like you! uh

This success, uh

Thanks to you, uh.

Below, 얘 can be “yeah” written phonetically in Korean. However, it can also be an informal “hey kid.” This is a very informal term, only to be used when talking to little kids. Even using it with peers would be considered semi-rude unless you were very close.

Isn’t it funny, Isn’t it funny, yeah?

OR: Isn’t it funny, Isn’t it funny, hey kid?

all the “yeah” can be replaced with “hey kid”

Don’t you feel it’s ridiculous/baffling, yeah?

Honestly, why are they the ones, yeah

To have so much hype, yeah.

Think calmly, yeah

Because there’s a lot of time, yeah

This is homework, homework, yeah

If you can’t solve it, your problem is, ddaeng (wrong)

Updated this section/edited translation a bit:

Regarding the lines: Don’t you feel it’s ridiculous/baffling, yeah?/Honestly, why are they the the ones, yeah/To have so much hype, yeah. The word “Hype” used here is almost like “over-hype/much ado about nothing/over-reacting”.

This reminds me of all the Korean media articles after BBMA 2017 when they were very confused why BTS was popular – and a lot of these articles were totally off the mark. With a lot of articles stating BTS only got popular because they posted often on twitter. As if good music wasn’t important…

Also, could be read as inviting the trolls to figure out the question of why there is so much hype about BTS.

Because subject/object is not clear in these lines, could also be read as “Why are they (the haters/trolls) the ones to have so much over-activity?” … like, isn’t it ridiculous that they are so worked up about BTS when BTS are just doing their thing and being successful?

18 13 38 ddaeng

U wrong me right, look closely, ddaeng

Ring the school bell, brr brr, ddaeng

Hey you, this turn at life is fail, you’re ddaeng

18 13 38 ddaeng

U wrong me right, look closely, ddaeng

Wait, hold on, freeze, ddaeng (the game)

Hey you, this turn at life is fail, you’re ddaeng

Ddaeng.

Mmmm… In my opinion, you guys are ddaeng.(wrong/finished)

We’re all ddaeng (ddaeng hands)

Regardless of whose high card is the highest (uses the “kkeut” hand term)

I’m ddaeng (ddaeng hands), don’t care at all.

Hunnit bae hunnit bar hunnit bbae hunnit bae ddaeng.

“bbae (빼)” means, “take out.”

Hip-hop slang for US dollar in Korean song using gambling metaphors..and of course, Suga has to sneak in a “take out a hunnit” among the “hunnit bae”s.

This song is shit, bae

I’m sure your tummy will hurt (from jealousy), but bae

this line starts with a Korean word that sounds like “bae”

What you claimed is all correct, bae.

We’re totally failing

Billboard is thanks to you, bae

There’s nobody above us

Because we’re totally failing, thanks

Thanks, thanks, thanks

Thanks for looking down on us all this time

Thanks to you, stadiums, dome, Billboard

Thanks to many, we ended up getting so much

My friends who are with small companies

I hope you guys will soon become the large corporations

These two lines about wishing friends becoming large corporations are not being sarcastic – it’s wishing those who are from small companies to become big as well.

We’ll continue to keep failing like (they) wish

So keep worrying about us.

kkeut

the low hand (spelled this way/끗), which can also mean “the end/끝”

–> keep worrying about us, you low hands OR keep worrying about us – the end.





18 13 38 ddaeng

U wrong me right, look closely, ddaeng

Ring the school bell, brr brr, ddaeng

Hey you, this turn at life is fail, you’re ddaeng

18 13 38 ddaeng

U wrong me right, look closely, ddaeng

Wait, hold on, freeze, ddaeng

Hey you, this turn at life is fail, you’re ddaeng

Cashier calculating sound, ddaeng (bell)

I liked it as a child, freeze-ddaeng (game)

I’m ding-dong (the sound of correct answer), you’re ddaeng (wrong)

You’re 7 kkeut (7 high hand), I’m ddaeng (ddaeng hand)

The face in the morning after eating ramyeon at night, ddaeng (swollen)

“Ddaeng” (or sometimes “tang”) is a descriptive sound for swelling, kind of like “bouncy”.

The high salt content of ramyeon makes your face unhealthily puffy, which is considered unattractive in Korea (unless you’re JK eating 6 of them in one sitting)

Losers, do your thang

“Do your thang” is written phonetically in Korean which makes this line sound cute/silly, and lets him write “thang” as “땡/ddaeng”—> Losers, do your ddaeng/Losers, do your being wrong.

Also, lets it rhyme well with the next line:

Look at me, I’m your errthang

You’re dope? Cool? Damned ridiculous..

Uses 얼탱(ul-tang), which is slang for “ridiculous/baffling”. Written in Korean, it also sounds very much like “errthang” in previous line (ul = err in Korean).

얼 (ul) is the first character in 얼굴(face), which is commonly used to mean “face” when shortening phrases into slangs in Korea.

“Tang” is the other variation of “ddaeng”, to describe swollen face.

–> You’re dope? Cool? Damned swollen face.. (eg. not cool)

Because I’m so bewildered, if I end up s-s-stuttering

I hope you’ll forgive me, I’m a bit lacking in my a-ability to converse

But I’m still trying to say the r-right things, but my mouth keeps becoming c-c-crooked.

Because I feel so g-g-good, so good.

Based on the Korean saying “입이 비뚤어졌어도 말은 바로 해야지/even if your mouth is crooked, you should still say the right thing.” Means: Where the information comes out should not change what is the right information. A different shaped mouth should not change the content of the information, and you should speak the truth and not blame the situation.

Here, RM is saying: I’m trying to say the right thing, but my mouth keeps becoming crooked (implying he can’t keep himself from smirking) because I feels so good.

Those rappers who don’t even have haters should try to shut up a bit

Where do you have your haters?

Wash your eyes and face and look at the mirror

There is your hater, living and breathing

We’d rather celebrate than be celebs

OR: We celebrate more than celebs

Only accelerate, no break

Update based on discussion in comments:

Literally written as, “only accel (in Korean), no break (in English)” where “accel” means the accelerator of a car as well as accelerate. Probably wordplay to mean both: Only accelerator, no brake, as well as Only go accelerating forward without a break.

Who are you to acknowledge me?

The frogs who live up to their names

To die in the well

I will sincerely pray

Ddaeng

“Frog in a well” in Korean saying, is someone who thinks he’s great, only because he doesn’t know about the big wide world. In his little well, the frog thinks he’s the most powerful and doesn’t know how insignificant he is.

개구리/gae goorie/frog, also sounds like it means 개/dog/damned + 구리다/shitty/worthless.

So could mean:

The damned worthless shits who live up to their names,

To die trapped in their little world, not knowing how insignificant they are,

I will sincerely pray

Ddaeng

18 13 38 ddaeng

U wrong me right, look closely, ddaeng

Ring the school bell, brr brr, ddaeng

Hey you, this turn at life is fail, you’re ddaeng

18 13 38 ddaeng

U wrong me right, look closely, ddaeng

Wait, hold on, freeze, ddaeng

Hey you, this turn at life is fail, you’re ddaeng