BTS Fire Lyrics Translation

From the 화양연화 (HYYH) : YOUNG FOREVER Album

Original Lyrics copied from Genius

My commentary in green.
Original Korean Lyrics in black.
Translation in purple.

[Intro: SUGA, All]
불타오르네 It's burning up! Wow, it's on fire!"
Fire, fire, fire, fire

"불타오르네" (booltaoreunae) = is an observation meaning [something] is on fire

I actually had to look up if this was slang that existed before this song or if this was popularized because of this song and as far as I can tell, this song is what popularized this phrase - if I find anything that says different, I'll update this post!

Other than maybe in poetry (?) - doesn't seem that people really used these words outside of their literal meaning before this song came along

But I do want to mention, as many of you know, I've taken on translations as a way (first and foremost, actually) to stay in touch with Korean because as a Korean-American I hardly ever need to read/write/type in Korean. And while I do speak it, almost exclusively, with my parents and older relatives - as such, Korean slang is one of the things that trip me up the most - because I'm not always up to date on Korean slang/internet meme culture

But that said, to contextualize - I'm FULLY AMERICAN (born and raised) but don't know like 90% of gen alpha slang these days either so.. this is kinda what I mean ...but a little worse off or my Korean because I don't have any Korean youths directly baked into my life- even our 7 bingbongs are approaching/in their 30s!

But like with gen alpha slang in America, re: whatever is popular in Korea, I am made aware through things like entertainment/social media content. All this to say, I'll never feign certainty when I don't know something for sure! 🥰

(*I accidentally deleted RM/j-hope's verse in my YouTube.. go figure - so here's that chunk of translated content)

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[Verse 1: j-hope, SUGA]
When I wake up in my room (Room)
난 뭣도 없지
I don't have anything
해가 지고 난 후 비틀대며 걷지
After the sun goes down, I stagger/wobble as I walk
다 만신창이로 취했어 취했어
I'm completely drunk, drunk
막 욕해 길에서 길에서
I swear like crazy in the streets, in the streets
나 *맛이 갔지 미친놈 같지
I know I've lost it, I look crazy don't I?
다 엉망진창 livin' like 삐이
I'm a hot mess, livin' like [censor beep noise]

*맛이 갔지 (mashi gatji) = literally means "the taste has left" and is used to describe spoiled food

So if you discovered some milk that had gone bad, you could say "우유 맛이 갔다" (ooyoo mashi gatda) which would be understood as "this milk has gone bad" or "this milk has turned"

When these words are used to describe a person, it specifically means that this person doesn't seem right in the head/seems "off"

SUGA says this about himself and then doubles down by saying "I look crazy, don't I?"

[Pre-Chorus: Jung Kook, Jimin]
니 멋대로 살어 어차피 니 꺼야
Live the way you want, it's your life anyway
애쓰지 좀 말어 져도 괜찮아
Don't try so hard, it's okay to fail/lose
Everybody say, la-la-la-la-la (La-la-la-la-la)
Say, la-la-la-la-la (La-la-la-la-la)
손을 들어 소리질러 Burn it up
Raise/lift your hands, scream/shout, burn it up!

[Chorus: SUGA, Jung Kook, V]
불타오르네
It's on fire/it's ablaze
(Ayy, ayy-oh, ayy-oh)
싹 다 불태워라 Bow-wow-wow
Burn it all (leave nothing) Bow wow wow
(Ayy, ayy-oh, ayy-oh)
싹 다 불태워라 Bow-wow-wow

[Verse 2: RM, j-hope]
Hey (Hey) burn it up (Burn it up)
전부 다 태울 것 같이
Like we're gonna burn it all up
Hey (Hey) turn it up (Turn it up)
새벽이 다 갈 때까지 (So what)
We're gonna go all the way until dawn (re: the burning activities.. all night. fire.)
그냥 살아도 돼 우린 젊기에
We can just live, because we're young
그 말하는 넌 뭔 수저길래
Who do you think you are/what *class are you from to be talking??
수저수저 거려 난 사람인데 So what
*Spoons.. spoons.. I'm a person

*수저 (soojuh) = spoon, but in this context and in Korean idioms and likely whenever you see this lyric in BTS music, it'll be referencing socioeconomic classes

Kinda like the phrase "born with a silver spoon in their mouth" describing people who were born into wealth - Koreans have this "spoon class" system (gold=elite, silver=upper middle, dirty/black=poor/disadvantaged, etc.)

RM and j-hope conclude that verse with the last line that essentially means [you're talking about] this spoon, that spoon - but I'm a person

You'll hear 수저 in 'Silver Spoon/Baepsae' - 'Mic Drop' and more! Listen for it and you'll recognize they're talking about class/classist stuff. This is important because sometimes they're talking about rebelling against societal expectations and norms or capitalism - and sometimes they're pushing back against the haters that gave them the hardest time when they were just starting out - SM, YG, JYP were some of the biggest names in the entertainment/kpop space and artists/execs from these spaces gave little to no regard to BTS' budding artist journey because they were from a small potatoes company, Big Hit Entertainment.

[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus]

[Bridge: Jin, Jin & Jimin, Jimin]
(Fire) 겁 많은 자여 여기로
All those who have a lot of fear/are feeling scared, come here/gather here
(Fire) 괴로운 자여 여기로
All those who are suffering (more like enduring the emotional pain of suffering) come here/gather here
(Fire) 맨주먹을 들고 All night long
Raise up/lift up/hold up your bare fists - all night long!
(Fire) 진군하는 발걸음으로
With marching footsteps/footsteps marching forward
(Fire) 뛰어봐, 미쳐버려 다 (Ow!)
Try running - let's all just go crazy together!

[Chorus]

[Outro: SUGA]
용서해줄게
I'll forgive you

I believe the 'recipient' of this forgiveness is intentionally left a bit ambiguous.
From BTS' perspective, perhaps they're forgiving all their haters and the systems that made it so difficult for them when they were starting out
From the listeners' perspective, seems we're invited to fill in that blank. You may need to forgive yourself for not working hard enough, for being too hard on yourself?? Maybe you need to forgive the systems that stiffled your progress or the people that kept you down...

In any case, in a country/culture that - for better and for worse - galvanizes its people to always be aiming for the BEST, shooting for the TOP SPOT, the first place, etc. this song serves as an anthem for those that are frustrated, fed up, exhausted, and angry - it's okay to feel it all.

---

Now you've made it plenty far so you're welcome to call it a day. No offense taken but for those that want a longer story time that ties into why this song is so liberating for me, as a Korean-American, straddling two cultures/two worlds - constantly feeling the benefits and pitfalls of both worldviews, read here!