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안녕하세요 여러분! Hey everyone! I got yet another request for a breakdown! If you have a song you’d like to see broken down, let me know! I linked my full-length lessons about the featured grammar points throughout as well in case you want to learn more about them!

I translated all these lyrics myself, but I did refer to this lyric videoandNaver Dictionary to help me out :) Let’s start!

나를 스쳐가는 그대 / 내 말을 들어줘 / 걸음을 멈추고 / 내 노랠 들어줘

You brush against me / Listen to what I have to say / Stop in your tracks / And listen to my song

  • 나를 = me 
  • 나 is the informal way to say “I,” while -를 is an object particle. More about particles here!
  • 스쳐가다 = to brush against; to pass by
  • 그대 = you -> This is a poetic/romantic way to say “you” and isn’t really used in everyday spoken Korean.
  • [verb stem] + 는 allows you to describe nouns with that verb. 나를 스쳐가는 그대 literally means “you who brushes against me.”
  • 내 = my (informal)
  • 말 = words
  • 듣다 = to listen; to hear
  • 듣다’s stem ends in ㄷ, so it becomes 들어줘 when conjugated.
  • [verb stem] + 아/어주다 means that a verb is done forsomebody and can be used when pleading that someone do something for you. In this case, he’s commanding that you listen to him. 
  • Literally, this line means “listen to my words.”
  • 걸음 = step(s) -> from the verb 걷다, meaning “to walk”
  • 멈추다 = to stop
  • -고 is a connector that means “and.” This line means “stop in your tracks and…”
  • 노래 = song

축 처진 고개들과 / 비틀거리는 그림자 / 그렇게 나는 불청객이 돼 / 아무도 모르는 yeah / 노래를 부르며 yeah

Among the drooping heads / And staggering shadows / I become an uninvited guest / While I sing a song / That nobody knows

  • 축 처지다 = droop; hang; sag
  • 고개 = head
  • Attach -들 to nouns to make them plural
  • [verb stem] + ㄴ/은 allows you to describe a noun with that verb in the past tense. So 축 처진 고개들 literally means “heads that drooped.”
  • 과/와is attached to nouns to mean “and” or “with.” 과 is attached to nouns ending in a consonant, while 와 is attached to those ending in a vowel. 
  • 비틀거리다 = stagger; stumble; falter; totter
  • 그림자 = shadow(s) (it can still be implied that a noun is plural without the -들 depending on the context!
  • 그렇게 = like that
  • 불챙객 = uninvited guest
  • 되다 = to become
  • These lines were a little tricky to translate, but I think it essentially means “the drooping heads and staggering shadows, like that, I become an uninvited guest” as if he is an uninvited guest because the drooping heads and staggering shadows make him one. 
  • 아무도 = nobody
  • 모르다 = to not know
  • 아무도 모르다 sounds like a double negative – nobody doesn’t know. But in Korean, this is the correct way to say “nobody knows”! When using indefinite pronouns like 아무것도, 아무데도, (nothing, nowhere), etc., you need to use a negative verb like so.
  • 부르다 -> when paired with 노래, means “to sing.”
  • [verb stem] + (으)며means “while [verb]” and is used when two actions are happening at the same time.

아무도 모르는 / 노래를 부를래 / 지나가는 너의 / 마음을 붙잡을 수 있길 바라며

I’ll sing a song / That nobody knows / Hoping that I can grasp your heart / As it passes

  • [verb stem] + ㄹ/을래(요) means “I will [verb]” or “I want to [verb].” It expresses a strong intention to do something.
  • 지나가다 = pass; go by
  • 너의 = your(informal)
  • 너 means “you” (informal), and -의 is a possessive marker.
  • 마음 = hear
  • 붙잡다 = grasp; grab; hold
  • [verb stem] + ㄹ/을 수 있다 = can [verb]
  • [verb stem] + 기를 바라다 = to hope that [verb]
  • Those last two lines literally mean “while hoping I can grasp your passing heart.”

That’s about it for this breakdown! Hope it was helpful :) See you in the next lesson! 화이팅!

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