Welcome back everyone to the 6th track of Mono: everythingoes (지나가).
I hope you had a wonderful Jin day and that you’re all enjoying Indigo!
I am absolutely in love with Indigo oh my goodness. Did you identify some wordplay, parallels and connections to Mono and Namjoon’s story?
My favourite wordplay of the moment is in No.2 with Parkjiyoon. In the Outro, it sounds like they are singing, “No looking back, no.”
But the word “No” sounds like 너 which means “You”.
So the Outro could also be heard as:
So 너
No looking back 너 x2
너 looking back don’t look back no more
No looking back 너 x2
You’ve done your best
This interpretation sounds more directive and strict. Like: Hey you. Yes you. Don’t you look back no more.
Just brilliant isn’t he?
Okay, let’s get back to everythingoes, let’s go!
This post unfortunately requires a trigger warning: Mentions of death and depression.
New readers, you’re about to jump into the middle of Namjoon’s life and if you haven’t read my previous blog posts where I’ve tied together Namjoon’s story from 2013 up to 2018 through his lyrics (mostly from the Love Yourself albums), you may lack context. In my blog we build on existing knowledge and I’ve designed it to be read in chronological order.
I was able to create the chronology based on two principles:
- BTS has said over and over again that all of their songs are written based on their past experiences. This means that when a song was written in 2018, it can only be about something that happened prior to 2018.
- While a writer can write a song for someone else to sing, ultimately they are still writing their own story. It is not possible to write an accurate story about someone else’s intimate life and love for their partner in the first person without their input (e.g. Serendipity).
1. Suffering
지나가 언젠가
Everything goes, one day
분명히 확실히
Surely, without a doubt
지나가 언젠가
It shall pass, some day
밤이 가고 아침이 오듯이
Like how morning comes after night goes,
봄이 가고 여름이 오나
And summer comes after spring
꽃이 지고 열매가 익듯이
Like how fruits ripen after flowers wither away,
모든 것은 아파야만 해
Everything must suffer
Namjoon philosophises that we are all destined for suffering. Even the comfort of night, hope of spring and the beauty of flowers will fade.
But that also means that suffering itself must end. And that is knowledge we can hold on to in our dark times.
Your dark times will pass, everythingoes.
2. Drinking it
세상을 안고 숨을 훅 들이마셔 봐
I embrace the world and take a quick, deep breath
내 폐 안에 가득 들어찬 따가운 공기가 모든 걸 말해
The stinging air that fills my lungs says it all
그래 수없이 도망치고* 싶었던
Yeah, I who wanted to escape countless times
*This can also be heard as: 그래 수없이도 마시고 싶었던
Yeah, I who wanted to drink so many times
나 아파하고 무뎌지던 오랜 시간들
The long times I suffered through and became numb
바로 그 아래
Right underneath that
The language here is beautifully descriptive.
The words 들이마셔 in the first line means to suck in, to inhale, to breathe in. The two characters coloured in blue 마셔 is the verb for drinking.
The third line can also be heard as 그래 수없이도 마시고 싶었던, which means I, who wanted to drink (it) so many times.
If you have read my blog, the imagery of this verse should hit you differently as you should hopefully be able to make an instant connection to Sea, Always and I’m Fine.
In Always, we saw Namjoon at the sea contemplating his life and we can easily draw parallels with I’m Fine. In I’m Fine, we hear the sound of the waves and Namjoon saying: “I open my eyes under the painfully blue sky… I breathe in fully and my heart pounds, I can feel it so easily that I’m alive.”
With respect to the lyrics “the long times I suffered through and became numb, right underneath that” , I found it to be a bit awkward. What do you mean right underneath those long times of suffering? That does not make much sense.
However, if we consider this in the context of Sea, Always and I’m Fine (and now also Indigo’s teaser trailer of Namjoon floating in water), it is possible (and consistently poetic) that Namjoon meant right underneath that.
The water, the waves of the sea. Be it an actual or metaphorical sea representing hardship and suffering.
3. Wind and Wishes
Everyday I pray
내가 좀 더 나은 어른이 될 수 있게
That I may become a slightly better adult
And everyday I stay
사람도 아픔도 언젠가는 죽기에
Because all humans and all the pains eventually die
무뎌지려면 바람을 맞아야 하잖아
We have to face the wind to become numb
꿈 속에서는 영원할 수가 없잖아
Nothing can last forever in the dream
힘내란 뿌연 말 대신
Instead of those vague words to cheer me up,
다 그렇다는 거짓말 대신
instead of those lies that this is how it is supposed to be,
그저 이 모든 바람 바람처럼 지나가길, I pray
That it shall pass like the wind, I pray
바람 means (1) wind or (2) a wish.
Therefore it can also mean “That all these wishes pass like the wind, I pray”
When you listen to this verse, Namjoon voice is desperate and passionate. This, with the above lyrics, conveys Namjoon’s re-kindled spirit and will to live. We can observe his change in mindset as he goes from wanting to die (badbye and Always) to choosing to live and face the inevitable wind of suffering.
Namjoon sees the wind as an elemental force that makes him stronger, “we have to face the wind to become numb” and takes comfort in the face of these harsh winds that one day his suffering will end.
We can observe that this is the same wordplay from Trivia Love.
In Trivia Love, Namjoon sings:
넌 나의 바람, 바람, 바람
You’re my wish, wish, wish
Or, “You’re my wind, wind, wind”
In Trivia Love, 바람 is symbolic of his Love.
We saw from previous analyses that Namjoon went through a break up and struggled to move on as he deeply loved the person. Therefore, if we read the above lyrics in context of Trivia Love, we can derive the following meaning:
그저 이 모든 바람 바람처럼 지나가길 I pray
That my love for you shall pass like the wind, I pray
5. 지나가
First, a quick lesson in Hangul.
Firstly, the consonant “ㅇ” does not have any sound when it is placed first in a word. When it is placed first in a word, it takes on the sound of the preceding alphabet.
So for example: The consonant “ㄴ” makes an “N” sound, this is why “진 아가” (JinAGa) sounds the same as 지나가 (JiNaGa) because the 아 took on the “ㄴ” sound from “진” .
Secondly, 지나가 by itself is a verb. It is the equivalent of just saying “passing” or “pass” in English. A subject is needed to understand who is actioning the verb “Go” (e.g. The train is passing, we pass, they pass, etc etc.)
So if you imagine Namjoon pointing at a flower and saying 지나가, he is implying that the flower will pass one day. If you imagine Namjoon pointing at himself and saying 지나가, he is implying that he too will pass one day, and if he is making a gesture pointing at all of us, he is implying that we will all pass one day, etc.
Namjoon only actually says “Everything goes” once in Korean in the entire song. He only says it right at the end – 모든 건 지나가 (Modengorn, jinaga). 모든 건 = Everything.
Thirdly, tone and emphasis is important. If you say 지나가 wistfully in a questioning voice, it can be interpreted as “Does it pass?” If you say the 가 (meaning “Go”) in a supportive voice like “Go on, you can do it”, it conveys a supportive comforting message, if you say it in a quiet tone, it can convey a request to leave, or even a statement. A subtle shift in tone and body language can change the meaning.
And now, I will explain why this song is magical if your name so happens to be Jin.
Because of the way Hangul works, the following meanings are all phonetically the same:
지나가 = (Everything) passes, (Love) passes, (Suffering) passes, (Flowers) pass (or wither), (I) will pass, (You) will pass, (Your homework) will pass, etc
진 아가 = Jin baby (To be read with the meaning of a nickname like “Hey baby”)
진아 가 = Jin-ah, go (“Go” taking on the meaning of “Let’s go! You can do it! Fighting! Keep going.”)
진아 가 = Jin-ah go (“Go” taking on the meaning of pleading someone to leave. For example, “Jin, please go, I’m hurting”)
Therefore, those three simple words can take on different meanings:
Interpretation 1:
지나가, 지나가
(Flowers) wither, the day will pass and come to night
지나가, 지나가
(Our suffering) will pass, and this too will pass.
Interpretation 2:
진 아가, 지나가
Jin, baby, everything goes
진아 가, 진아 가
So Jin-ah you got this. Jin-ah fighting(!)
Interpretation 3:
진 아가, 지나가,
Jin baby, (Love) ends
지나가…
This is the end as “We” have come to pass…
진아, 가…
So go now Jin-ah…
Interpretation 4:
진 아가, 지나가?
Jin baby, will our suffering pass one day?
지나가, 진아 가
As everything ends, keep persevering Jin-ah
So play around, listen and explore interpretations!
Using the above principles, the following line 그저 이 모든 바람 바람처럼 지나가길 I pray can also have another meaning:
그저 이 모든 바람 바람처럼
진아 가길 I pray
That all these wishes be like the wind
and for Jin-ah to keep going, I pray
6. everythingoes
Assuming the above wordplay is intended, this explains why this song is stylised as “everythingoes” instead of “everything goes” like “forever rain”.
Namjoon intentionally styled the English title so that the letter “g” is being shared with the word “everything” and “goes” because in the letter “ㄴ” is being shared between 진아가 (Jinaga) and 지나가 (Jinaga) in the Korean title.
The sharing of the letter “g” hints that there is also a letter being shared in the Korean title.
Think about it, if this stylisation meant nothing, why didn’t Namjoon style “forever rain” as “foreverain” and give it a Korean title?
As we have seen in my blog, all Namjoon songs that have a Korean and English name hold some secret meaning.
Everything Namjoon does is intentional.
7. Rain
지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes)
(Everything, everything, everything goes)
비가 와
모든 건 지나가
Everything goes
비가 와 (bi ga wah)
비가 = Rain
와 = Come
Using the same principles before, the way Namjoon says 비가 와 is ambiguous. Depending on your mood, some days it can sound like it is a plea for rain to come (which is consistent with Namjoon’s mood in forever rain, “I wish it rained all day… I hope it rains all day” ), on others it can sound like a statement, “it is raining”. Or maybe even a sense of foreboding “the rain is coming”.
Rain, as we will soon explore, is a friend to Namjoon in forever rain.
But Rain can also represent sadness, loneliness, or even salvation like in uhgood (어긋).
And so depending on your interpretation of 지나가, one interpretation might be more meaningful to you than the other.
For example, on a bad day where I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, I sing it in my head like a plea 비가 와 (bi ga wah) “rain please come”. I draw parallels of my difficulties to being in a desert and so the rain is my salvation and relief.
On rainy days or days I feel a little melancholy, I sing it in my head as a quiet statement.
On a day where I experience a breakup or rejection, I sing it with loneliness.
Whatever the case is… the rain will come or stop one day.
jinaga ♡
~ ♡ 지
Lyric sources: