오르내림 (OLNL) – 유학생 (Foreign Student)

 

I actually added this song to my phone, planning to translate it just because I liked it. Then a request came through, and I got even more excited! Unfortunately (?), I was busy on vacation and didn’t get to upload it right away. But at least I got it up eventually!

 

One note is that I don’t always use “foreign student” in my translation. As someone living overseas, I’ve come to hate the word “foreign,” especially hearing Koreans using it. It labels you as “other,” as something that doesn’t belong, and is often used quite derogatorily. I know it’s usually quite benign, and based on the Korean word, it would be more accurate to use “foreign,” but it’s just my personal choice to use other terms.

 

Finally, the burning question is whether OLNL was ever actually an exchange student. According to this interview with Genie, the answer is he was not, but his girlfriend was and, in listening to her, he empathized with her feelings and put them into these lyrics.

 

 

한국어:

 

내가 선택한 게 아닌 것 같은 나의 하루

가끔 느껴 유학 생활같애

그래 나도 위로 받고 싶은 일이 있는데도

말도 안 통하고 혼자 같애

 

나만 이해못해 쟤네 이해관계

나만 다른 생각하고 공감 못해

세계공용어로 기분 표현 못 해

우리나라 가면 친구 많을 듯해

 

그래 가끔 이런 생각들이나

고민은 저 만치야 혼자 있긴 싫으니까

나를 집에 보내지는 마 난 이런 기분이야

내 꿈이 아닌걸 이루기 위한 기분이야

난 지금 비행기 안에서

 

구름 아니면 바다 위를 날아

나의 유학생활 내 유학생활

 

한살이라도 어릴 때 배워야만 해

유학생 이 삶은 가끔 비행기 안

창 밖의 색은 보라색

낮과 밤이 교대를 할 때

생각없이 난 그 위를 날아가

비행기 날갠 휘청거리고

내 기분이 균형을 맞춰

지나가는 바깥 풍경을

피부로는 못 느껴

이 안에서 뭐라도 해야 돼

그러지않으면 도착했을 때 하는

유학생활은 생각보다 끔찍해

비행기 무지개 위를 달려

이제는 돌아갈 수가 없어

창 밖을 내다보니 어느새

비행긴 착륙하려 해

 

우리나라에서 공부한 세계공용어로

입국 심살 마치고서 짐 가방을 찾았어

짐 가방의 무겐 나의 나이처럼 어리네

돌아갈 때쯤엔 늘겠지 이 가방의 무게도

 

아니 지금 내게 소중해도

그땐 전부 내려 놓을래

아니아 니 지금 내게 소중한 것보다

더 소중한 걸 찾을게

 

그래 그래 나의 유학생활

여기서 뭐를 배우고 갈 진 몰라

그래도 돼 우리나라나 여기나

지나가는 거는 똑같아

 

구름 아니면 바다 위를 날아

나의 유학생활 내 유학생활

 

 

English:

 

My days seem like something I haven’t chosen

Sometimes I feel like an exchange student

Yeah, there are things I want to be comforted about, too

but it’s like I can’t speak, like I’m alone

 

I’m the only one who doesn’t understand; they all get each other

I’m the only one who thinks differently and can’t relate to them

I can’t express my feelings in a universal language [1]

although I think I’d have lots of friends in my home country [2]

 

Yeah, sometimes these kinds of thoughts come up

That’s the extent of my worries, because I hate being alone

I really don’t feel like being sent home

I feel like I’m working to realize a dream that isn’t mine

It’s like I’m in a plane

 

I fly over the clouds and sea

My life as an exchange student

 

It’s something you have to learn young, even one year old,

The life of an exchange student is like being in a plane

Outside the window, the color is purple

when day transitions to night

I fly over it all without a single thought

The wings of the plane waver

and my mood wavers with them

The scenery on the ground that I pass over

I can’t feel it on my skin

I’ve gotta do something here

If I don’t do something, when I arrive

life as an exchange student will be even worse than I thought

 

The plane soars over a rainbow

I can’t go back anymore

As I look ahead out the window, without realizing it

the plane is about to land

 

In the English [1] I learned back home,

I pass through immigration and find my luggage

The weight of my bag is a low number, like my age

When I go back, both numbers will be higher

 

Nah, even if it’s important to me now,

I want to let go of all the things from back then

[Nah, nah, I’ll find something even more significant

than the things that are precious to me now]

 

Yeah, yeah, my overseas student life

I don’t know what I’ll learn from here on out

but that’s fine, whether it’s Korea or here,

everything going by is the exact same

 

 

 

[1] The literal Korean means “universal language,” but the context probably makes it English, although the music video was obviously shot in Japan so maybe it’s Japanese ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[2] In the Korean language, a lot of Koreans refer to their country literally as “our country,” which can generally be taken to mean Korea but I changed it to “home country” here to make the lyrics a little bit more universal.