BTS – Mic Drop (English translation and Ramblings)

Track 7 of Love Yourself “承 ” Her album.

Korean lyrics are from Naver Music.

 

I haven’t looked at the lyrics to all the songs in detail yet, but most of them seem straight forward.  This one’s not too complicated either but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song!!!

 

…an hour later….

And… the lyrics on second look is more complicated than I thought.  This is first draft.  Will proofread later. Some of the stuff doesn’t translate well….

Lots of adaptations done..because it’s next to impossible to translate and get meaning across…

September 30, 2017 – tried to proofread.  Meh.  I think I just made it more rambly and I can’t seem to get it to sound smooth…but I guess that’s how it goes with interpretations/translations like this.

Written by:  Pdogg, Supreme Boi, Bang PD, J-Hope, Rap Monster

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Yeah, who says my spoon is dirty 
reference to being called “dirt spoon”, see my Baepsae post for details about spoons as metaphor for social status.
I don’t care, I hold the mic and beat up many gold spoons.
Suddenly yelling out in anger
those who are undercooked/unripe .  
Many “stekki”s, 
I’ll chew (diss) on it repeatedly
At the dinner of a star.
There are lots of eating references here.  Even the spoons as social classification are extending the eating imagery.

“Undercooked” could refer to “steaks” but could also mean “unripe” –> the actual phrase is more like “failed to ripen well.”  The term seems to imply “failed to mature well/immature”.

“Stekki” is a slang for “steak”, so eating/chewing the steak, where the steak is the hater??

“Stekki” is also a trick in a card game –> so could mean tricks.  Watch example here.  Ie.  The haters/those who failed to mature uses tricks?

“To chew” also means “to diss” in Korean.

 

Superficially, the lyrics mean:  I’ll chew on the undercooked steaks (as metaphor for haters).
Extended meaning includes:  The angry haters who failed to mature have various tricks up their sleeve but I can diss them repeatedly because I’m a star.

Core of World Business 
#1 in being invited to perform, sold out
There aren’t many of this class’ worth, enjoy it
A stink is a foul among the good fragrance
they use the word “foul/cheat” type of foul here, not foul smelling type of foul…although it’s interesting the English “foul” also goes well with the line about smell.
Mic mic bungee

 

Mic mic bungee
Bright light forward
Must have looked like we’re gonna fail but, I’m fine, sorry
I’m sorry.  “Billboard”
I’m sorry.  “Worldwide”
This part is obviously not saying they’re sorry to Billboard.  They’re saying they’re sorry, but they’re on Billboard.  It seems more obvious with this in Korean, but looked kinda strange when I translated it to English – thus the “” around the English words.
I’m so sorry for being too successful, mommy 
I’ll take care of the parents well instead of you who couldn’t do it.
There are never empty spots at our concerts.
Literally, “There are never grapes at our concerts.”
The grapes are the purple dots indicating unsold seats at concerts.  “No grapes” mean that they’re sold out..and sold out so fast that most people can’t even see these purple dots.

I do it I do it, you’re a tasteless ratatouille 
If you’re jealous, that’s great
Sue it.
Lots of word play here, again some about eating as well.  (Maybe they were hungry when they wrote these lyrics?)

라따뚜이- ratatouille is obviously a dish.
but the syllables 라 (la) 따 (ta) 뚜 (too) are sounds often used in music/beats (eg. when people are doing dance practice, they’d sing along with these syllables).
So it can mean, “you have tasteless music”

The word reminds me of “tan-ta-la” which was an old derogatory term for pop-music in Korea (implies cheap/garbage music).

EDIT:  also interesting info from Sofia in comments (thank you~!):

“I think it’s worth noting that ratatouille is traditionally viewed as a peasant dish; it’s like saying, the only people who are interested in you, in digesting you and your opinions, are peasants, are “lesser”. Not only are you a peasant dish, but you’re a tasteless one; not even the peasants want you. ”

 

The next line, “if you’re jealous” – is literally, “if you’re getting indigestion”.
Based on Korean saying “if your relative buys land, it gives you indigestion (because you’re so jealous)”.  – continuation of food/eating metaphor.

The line 고소해 I’ve translated as “that’s great” is literally, “that’s savory”.  This line is generally used to describe euphoria when people who wished you bad things do not so well.  It’s kinda like “hell yeah, take that karma” type of “that’s great.”

“고소해/that’s great/that’s savory” is also homonyms with “sue it” in Korean. 고소하다 – to sue.  Which they follow with English “sue it”  line.

Did you see my bag
Did you see my bag
My bag is full of trophies
How you think bout that
How you think bout that
Haters are already sweating

 

Already shining gold, already shining gold, my success
I’m so firin’ firin’, relaying the torch
You’re just hurriedly hurriedly running, shong shong (kinda…cute sound effects of running)
shining gold and hurriedly are very similar sounding words 황금빛 vs 황급히 (hwangeumbit vs hwangeuphi)
How you dare
How you dare
How you dare

 

I have too many trophies in my hands
Too heavy, I’m running out of hands
Mic Drop
Mic Drop
Mic Drop
watch your foot foot
You guys watch your words words
foot (bal) and words (mal) rhymes.

 

Lodi dodi, Ah too busy
Snoop Dogg has a song called Lodi Dodi (thanks Anony in comments)
Too busy, I’m running out of myself
this is a commonly used expression, like wishing they had additional self, so they can get more things done.
Mic Drop
Mic Drop
watch your foot foot
You guys watch your words words

 

These are totally words for you
“your words/words for you” 네 글자 is same as “four characters” = 네글자 (difference is space in between). There are four character words that tell a moral saying in Korean, usually called 사자성어 (which I think also means four character saying, but with more Chinese origin to the word)
사필귀정 (事必歸正) ah.
This is an example of one of these four character sayings.  It means something like “Everything will find and go back to it’s right path”.  For example, even if something was mislead in a wrong direction, it will eventually get back to its destined correct path. Or, justice will be done.  Or karma.
Once upon a time
Aesop’s fable Fly
The Aesop’s fable with fly is interesting where the moral is that in order to hurt someone else, you end up hurting yourself.
You look at your own reality, great karma
The line I translated as great karma is actually the exam same meaning as the “that’s great/savory” as above.. but just using slightly different expression.   Not quite how to translate it – there is no exact equivalent in English.  I’ve read translations like “serves you right” which is fairly good too.
Even if I die now, I’m fucking happy
using 개/dog, which is not quite as rude as the F word, but almost..and used in similar situations.
Going to whichever country this time
Being on the plane for whatever hours
Yeah I’m on the mountain
Yeah I’m on the Bay
Drop with exhaustion on stage
Mic Drop baam

 

 

Did you see my bag
Did you see my bag
My bag is full of trophies
How you think bout that
How you think bout that
Haters are already sweating

 

Already shining gold, already shining gold, my success
I’m so firin’ firin,’ relaying the torch
You’re just hurriedly hurridly running, shong shong 
How you dare
How you dare
How you dare

 

I have too many trophies in my hands
Too heavy, I’m running out of hands
Mic Drop
Mic Drop
Mic Drop
watch your foot foot
You guys watch your words words

Lodi dodi, Ah too busy
Too busy, I’m running out of myself
Mic Drop
Mic Drop
watch your foot foot
You guys watch your words words

 

Haters gon’ hate
Players gon’ play
Live a life, man
Good luck

 

There’s nothing I want from you, this is the last good-bye
Ther’s nothing to be said, don’t even bother to apologize
There’s nothing I want from you, this is the last good-bye
Ther’s nothing to be said, don’t even bother to apologize

 

Watch, you’ll become only that
We’re sharp tasting, like coke
literally, “we’re sharp-shooting”, which is used to describe the taste of coke in Korea…
but could also mean to sharp-shoot with their diss
Your cornea will be so suprised
It’s quite stylish, quite stylish