Thursday, May 28, 2009

Who doesn't love cheap coffee?

I know this is a bit old, but I dare say that this song's play count is slowly creeping up to my iPod's Top 25. I love that it's random-chirpy-and-pensive-in-a-bottle (for lack of a more sophisticated term), and that for once, I don't have to listen to someone whine sing about love, love, or... yeah, love, in the overtly-obvious-my-tears-are-falling-like-the-rain-on-a-wet-summer-day-sense, at least.

장기하와 얼굴들 - 싸구려 커피



Particularly fun are the lyrics, which I wouldn't have been able to comprehend without the help of Arirang Radio's translation (below).

싸구려 커피를 마신다
I drink cheap coffee.
미지근해 적잖이 속이 쓰려온다
It’s lukewarm and makes my stomach hurt.
눅눅한 비닐장판에 발바닥이 쩍하고 달라붙었다 떨어진다
My feet stick to the soggy electric heating pad beneath me.

이제는 아무렇지 않어
Now I don’t feel anything.
바퀴벌레 한마리쯤 쓱 지나가도
Even if a cockroach crosses in front of me,
무거운 내일 아침엔 다만 그저 약간의 기침이 멈출 생각을 않는다
Tomorrow morning I don’t even flinch.
축축한 이불을 갠다
I fold my damp blankets.
삐걱대는 문을 열고 밖에 나가 본다
I open my creaky door and go outside.
아직 덜 갠 하늘이 너무 가까워
The overcast sky seems so close.
숨쉬기가 쉽지를 않다
It’s not easy to breathe.
수만번 본 것만 같다
I think I’ve seen this millions of times.
어지러워 쓰러질 정도로~ 익숙하기만 하다
I’m so used to this it makes me dizzy to the point of fainting.
남은 것도 없이 텅빈 나를 잠근다
With nothing left, I lock myself away from the world.

뭐 한 몇 년간 세숫대야에 고여 있는 물
The water that’s been trapped in my sink for years
마냥 그냥 완전히 썩어가지고
Has almost completely gone bad.
이거는 뭐 감각이 없어
But I am completely desensitized to this.

비가 내리면 처마 밑에서 쭈그리고 앉아서
When it rains, I crouch under the eaves,
멍하니 그냥 가만히 보다 보면은
And just stare off into space,
이거는 뭔가 아니다 싶어
And I feel like something’s wrong

비가 그쳐도 희끄므레죽죽한
Even when it stops raining,
저게 하늘이라고 하기에는 뭔가 너무 낮게
I feel like the overcast sky is too low to be called the sky.
머리카락에 거의 닿게 조금만 뛰어도
Even if I jump just a little to the point where it grazes my hair,
정수리를 쿵 하고 찧을 거 같은데
I feel like I can almost touch the sky with the top of my head…
벽장 속 제습제는 벌써 꽉 차 있으나마나
The humidifier in my closet is all full…
모기 때려잡다 번진 피가 묻은 거울을 볼 때마다
And every time I see the mirror with the smeared blood of the mosquito I squashed…
어우! 약간 놀라
Oh! I get surprised…

제 멋대로 구부러진 칫솔 갖다
Even if I take the toothbrush that I bent myself
이빨을 닦다 보면은 잇몸에 피가 나게 닦아도
And brush my teeth until my gums bleed,
당최 치석은 빠져 나올 줄을 몰라
The tartar on my teeth never goes away.

언제 땄는지도 모르는 미지근한 콜라가 담긴 캔을 입에 가져다 한 모금
I take the soda can that I opened God-knows-when and take a gulp of it…
아뿔사 담배 꽁초가
Oh! A cigarette butt…

이제는 장판이 난지 내가 장판인지도 몰라
Now I don’t know if I’m the electric heating pad or if the electric heating pad is me…
해가 뜨기도 전에 지는 이런 상황은 뭔가
Why does the sun set even before the sun rises?

11 comments:

The Korean said...

Absolutely love the song, but the translation could be better :)

Kim said...

Hi Cheri,

Sorry to do this in a comment, but I didn't see an email address for you anywhere. I'm a former native English teacher (lived and worked in Korea for two years) who is now a Master's student at the University of Glasgow. I found your blog through the Korean Blog List and the reason I'm writing to you is I'm hoping that you would be willing to complete a questionnaire that forms part of the research I am conducting for my MSc Information Management & Preservation dissertation.

My dissertation will examine the archival value of blogs, as well as their role (if any) in helping to form and shape a sense of community identity amongst expats living in South Korea. This is being done in order to determine if, and how, they should be preserved.

You can read more about my project as well as fill out my questionnaire by visiting http://2009msc.wordpress.com Some of the issues I'm examining are what happens to blogs when their authors decide to stop writing or leave Korea and if blog authors would be willing to have their blogs digitally preserved, so I'd be interested to hear your views on these matters. I’d really appreciate it if you could find the time to complete the questionnaire.

Thank you,
Kim.

P.S. After looking through your blog a bit, I am now sooo hungry!

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Thx.

Cheri said...

Wow, thanks for all the comments. I apologize for being MIA. My email's csaito@gmail.com.

Kerja Keras Adalah Energi Kita said...

Great song,..i love coffe, i;m drinking5 cup of coffe everyday for follow kerja keras adalah energi kita

Bontang Fc said...

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