Baepsae by BTS referenced by Harvard Law Review

The impact of their lyrics

For all those who haven't the masterpiece, here it is

Meaning explained by the great Doolset

Note: There’s an idiom “뱁새가 황새 따라가다 가랑이가 찢어진다,” meaning “If a crow-tit (or parrotbill) tries to follow a stork, it’ll split its legs.” It teaches how you should tailor your ambitions to the measure of your abilities or the resources given to you. BTS often call themselves as 뱁새 (crow-tits; pronounced baepsae): underdogs, those who started with disadvantages, the powerless in the society, and so on. (They nonetheless refuse to frame themselves within the limit of crow-tits. They rather challenge the norm and gladly split their legs. Though it’s painful and takes a whole lot more of efforts, they do succeed in walking along, or even past, storks.) 황새 (storks; pronounced hwangsae) in this context means those who are born with advantages. The contrast highlights the severe socioeconomic inequality in Korea.

The English title of this song is Silver Spoon, which is synonymous with (inherited) wealth. So the Korean title (뱁새; crow-tit) and English title (Silver Spoon) actually mean the opposite to each other. They might have decided to title it Silver Spoon in English to emphasize that this song is about socioeconomic inequality and injustice.

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They call me 뱁새

They call me a crow-tit

욕봤지 이 세대

This generation has suffered

빨리 chase ’em

Hurry and chase ’em

황새 덕에 내 가랑인 탱탱

Thanks to the storks, my legs are all swollen

So call me 뱁새

So call me a crow-tit

욕봤지 이 세대

This generation has suffered

빨리 chase ’em

Hurry and chase ’em

금수저로 태어난 내 선생님

My teacher who’s born as a gold spoon

Background information: 수저계급론 (Spoon class theory)

Spoon class theory refers to the idea that individuals can be classified into different socioeconomic classes (spoon classes) based on the income or assets of their parents and that one’s success in life depends entirely on being born into a wealthy family. The most commonly talked-about spoon classes are (in hierarchical order): the gold spoon, the silver spoon, the bronze spoon, the dirt spoon. (side note: there’s something called “the diamond spoon class” even above the gold spoons.)

알바 가면 열정페이

At the part-time job, there’s passion pay

Background information: 열정페이 (Passion Pay)

Passion pay refers to low wages (or no wages at all) paid by employers for young workers. The term has been coined from the phenomenon where young and desperate workers accept extremely low wages hoping that their hard work and passion will bring them decent jobs in the future.

학교 가면 선생님

At school, there are the teachers

상사들은 행패

The bosses are harassing

언론에선 맨날 몇 포 세대

The media talks about N-po Generation every day

Background information: N-po Generation basically means a generation that has given up on N things because of social pressures and economic situations.

Sampo Generation (Hangul: 삼포세대; Hanja: 三抛世代; RR: samposedae, “Three giving-up generation”) is a neologism in South Korea referring to a generation that gives up courtship, marriage, and having kids. Many of the young generation in South Korea have given up those three things because of social pressures and economical problems such as increasing cost-of-living, tuition payments, and affordable housing scarcity. There is also the opo sedae, or “five giving-up generation”, which takes the same three and adds employment and home ownership. The chilpo sedae (“seven giving-up generation”) further includes interpersonal relationships and hope, while the gupo sedae (“nine giving-up generation”) extends to physical health and appearance. Finally, the sippo sedae (“ten giving-up generation”) or wanpo sedae (“total giving-up generation”) culminates in giving up life. The Sampo generation is similar to the Satori generation in Japan, and generally overlaps in age with Western millennials.
Source: Wikipedia

룰 바꿔 change change

Change the rules change change

황새들은 원해 원해 maintain

The storks want to maintain [the rules]

그렇게는 안 되지 BANG BANG

But I can’t let them have it BANG BANG

이건 정상이 아냐

This is not normal

이건 정상이 아냐

This is not normal

아 노력노력 타령 좀 그만둬

Ah stop talking about effort, more effort

Seeing that the current young generation suffers from unemployment, lack of future opportunities, economic problems, etc., the old generation often insists that it’s because the young generation does not put enough effort or lacks passion. “Kids these days don’t try hard.” Some tend to think that “kids these days” who grew up without knowing much of the extreme economic problems (like ones they have in the past) are just complaining about little problems that they can overcome had they tried. See 21:40 of this VLive.

아 오그라들어 내 두 손발도

Ah it makes me cringe

아 노력 노력 아 노력 노력

Ah effort effort, ah effort effort

You can clearly hear that 노력 (noryuk; effort) is pronounced as 노오력 (no(n)ooryuk), with the “o” extended. This is not just for a rhythmic effect. From around 2015, being blamed for not exerting enough effort, the young generation started to make self-mocking jokes, “just an effort (노력) is not enough, we need to put an eeeeeffort (노오력).” See 23:25 of this VLive or 17:39 of this VLive.

아 노랗구나 싹수가

Ah there’s no hope from the beginning

싹수가 노랗다, literally meaning that the sprout is yellow (rather than green), means that someone has no prospect of future. 노랗구나 (it’s yellow; norahguna) rhymes with 노력 (effort; noryuk).

역시 황새!

Stork, as expected!

노력타령 좀 그만둬

Stop talking about effort

아 오그라들어 내 두 손발도

Ah it makes me cringe

아 노력 노력 아 노력 노력

Ah effort effort, ah effort effort

아 노랗구나 싹수가

Ah there’s no hope from the beginning

(역시 황새야) 실망 안 시켜

(You’re indeed storks) You never disappoint

(역시 황새야) 이름 값 하네

(You’re indeed storks) You live up to your name

(역시 황새야) 다 해먹어라

(You’re indeed storks) Go have it all to yourself

(역시 황새야) 황새야

(You’re indeed storks) Storks

They call me 뱁새

They call me a crow-tit

욕봤지 이 세대

This generation has suffered

빨리 chase ’em

Hurry and chase ’em

황새 덕에 내 가랑인 탱탱

Thanks to the storks, my legs are all swollen

So call me 뱁새

So call me a crow-tit

욕봤지 이 세대

This generation has suffered

빨리 chase ’em

Hurry and chase ’em

금수저로 태어난 내 선생님

My teacher who’s born as a gold spoon

난 뱁새다리 넌 황새다리

I have crow-tit’s legs, you have stork’s legs

걔넨 말하지 ‘내 다린 백만 불짜리’

They say, “my legs are worth a million dollars”

내 게 짧은데 어찌 같은 종목 하니?

How can we compete in the same sport when mine are short?

They say ‘똑같은 초원이면 괜찮잖니!’

They say, “it’s fair if the field is the same!”

Never Never Never

룰 바꿔 change change

Change the rules change change

황새들은 원해 원해 maintain

The storks want to maintain [the rules]

그렇게는 안 되지 BANG BANG

But I can’t let them have it BANG BANG

이건 정상이 아냐

This is not normal

이건 정상이 아냐

This is not normal

아 노력노력 타령 좀 그만둬

Ah stop talking about effort, more effort

아 오그라들어 내 두 손발도

Ah it makes me cringe

아 노력 노력 아 노력 노력

Ah effort effort, ah effort effort

아 노랗구나 싹수가

Ah there’s no hope from the beginning

(역시 황새!)

(Stork, as expected!)

노력타령 좀 그만둬

Stop talking about effort

아 오그라들어 내 두 손발도

Ah it makes me cringe

아 노력 노력 아 노력 노력

Ah effort effort, ah effort effort

아 노랗구나 싹수가

Ah there’s no hope from the beginning

역시 황새야

You’re indeed a stork

내 탓이라니 너 농담이지

Saying that it’s my fault, you’re kidding, right?

공평하다니 oh are you crazy

Saying that this is fair, oh are you crazy

이게 정의라니 you mu be kiddin’ me!

Saying that this is justice, you mu be kiddin’ me!

You mu be kiddin’ me you you mu be kiddin’ me!

아 노력노력 타령 좀 그만둬

Ah stop talking about effort, more effort

아 오그라들어 내 두 손발도

Ah it makes me cringe

아 노력 노력 아 노력 노력

Ah effort effort, ah effort effort

아 노랗구나 싹수가

Ah there’s no hope from the beginning

(역시 황새!)

(Stork, as expected!)

노력타령 좀 그만둬

Stop talking about effort

아 오그라들어 내 두 손발도

Ah it makes me cringe

아 노력 노력 아 노력 노력

Ah effort effort, ah effort effort

아 노랗구나 싹수가

Ah there’s no hope from the beginning

(우린 뱁새야) 실망 안 시켜

(We’re crow-tits) We never disappoint

(우린 뱁새야) 이름값하네

(We’re crow-tits) We live up to our name

(우린 뱁새야) 같이 살자고

(We’re crow-tits) Let’s live together

(우린 뱁새야) 뱁새야

(We’re crow-tits) Crow-tits

Notice especially how they changed the third line– from “(You’re indeed storks) Go have it all to yourself’ to “(We’re crow-tits) Let’s live together.”

They call me 뱁새

They call me a crow-tit

욕봤지 이 세대

This generation has suffered

빨리 chase ’em

Hurry and chase ’em

황새 덕에 내 가랑인 탱탱

Thanks to the storks, my legs are all swollen

So call me 뱁새

So call me a crow-tit

욕봤지 이 세대

This generation has suffered

빨리 chase ’em

Hurry and chase ’em

금수저로 태어난 내 선생님

My teacher who’s born as a gold spoon

https://www.google.com/amp/s/d…baepsae-silver-spoon/amp/