Korean Music Time! #11: Lee Jae-Min - Alley (이재민 - 골목길)

Remember when I used to post Korean song translations here all the time? You don't? Wow, it's been that long, hasn't it? Never fear! I'm back with something that's a bit obscure. Thanks to the awesome blog G'old Korea Vinyl, I've discovered a bunch of retro Korean pop, and it's interesting stuff.

This song was one of the things I was introduced to through that blog. They translate the title as "Path," but judging by the context, I think "Alley" seems to make more sense. It was surprisingly easy to translate this song, so I figured I'd put it up here.

Here's a copy of the song on YouTube, though you can download it from the blog if you're so inclined.

골목길
Alley

오늘밤은 너무 깜깜해
Tonight is so very dark
별도 달도 모두 숨어 버렸어
The stars and the moon have all hidden away
니가 오는 길목에 나 혼자 서있네
I’m standing alone at the corner where you come

혼자 있는 이 길이 난 정말 싫어
I really don’t like this street where I’m alone
찬바람이 불어서 난 더욱 싫어
As the cold wind blows I like it less and less
기다림에 지쳐 눈물이 핑도네
Tired of the wait, I get teary

이제 올 시간이 된것도 같은데
Now it seems like it’s time for you to come
이제 네 모습이 보일것도 같은데
Now it seems like the sight of you will appear
혼자 있는 이 길은 아직도 쓸쓸해
But this street where I’m by myself remains deserted

골목길에서 널 기다리네
In the alley I wait for you
아무도 없는 쓸쓸한 골목길
The lonesome alley where there’s nobody

This is an interesting song. All the music is done with synths that give it a very futuristic sound, yet the lyrics evoke imagery of a developing country that's much closer to the basics of civilization. What a curious contrast.

I took some creative liberties with this translation. I tried to preserve what I believe was the intended meaning, but I prioritized understandability. It's pretty straightforward, so it's not like I spent that much time deliberating about these things, but still. It can be a bad habit to focus too much on literal meaning at the expense of smooth-sounding words.

I wish I knew more about Lee Jae-Min. It appears that he only released one full album of new material, and other stuff was all on compilations or shorter works. He seems to be sort of a one-hit wonder with this song. Well, one hit is better than none, I suppose.