ALIEN LYRICS
The song talks about the label of 'Aliens' that BTS have on themselves while being a fully Korean group in the Western and Global music scene.
In 2023, RM of BTS talked about the 'K-pop label' and the Western label of 'the dark side of Korea' in an El País interview:
Q. Are you sick of the “K-Pop” label?
RM: “You can get sick of Spotify calling us all K-pop, but it works. It’s a premium label. It’s that guarantee of quality that our grandparents fought for.”
Q. The cult of youth, of perfection, of overachievement in K-pop… Are these Korean cultural traits?
RM: “In the West, people just don’t get it. Korea is a country that has been invaded, razed to the ground, torn in two. Just 70 years ago, there was nothing. We were getting aid from the IMF and the UN. But now, the whole world is looking at Korea. How is that possible? How did that happen? Well, because people try so fucking hard to better themselves. You are in France or the UK, countries that have been colonizing others for centuries, and you come to me with, “oh God, you put so much pressure on yourselves; life in Korea is so stressful!” Well, yes. That’s how you get things done. And it’s part of what makes K-pop so appealing, although, of course, there’s a dark side. Anything that happens too fast and too intensely has side effects.”
In 2025, RM gave a speech at the 2025 APEC CEO Summit, with the following quotes:
“At that time, the music of BTS was quickly called “non-English, foreign culture.” Trying to get on mainstream media through our music was like doing an experiment and a huge challenge. It was a test to see if “music in Korean can work on the global stage.” We tried to get on TV to show the world our music, but the doors were closed and would not move.
But, as you know, we couldn’t just sit around and wait. We tried to make our own opportunities. We danced in the streets. We handed out flyers to free shows. But there was something even more difficult than those. When we said, “We are artists from Korea.” They didn’t ask us about our music. They asked, “Are you from North Korea or South Korea?” “Where on Earth is Korea?” So, we had to explain where Korea was before we could even talk about music. And that was reality.
But we overcame those barriers, and now I’m here today sharing this precious moment with you. ARMY was the force that broke down those barriers. They use our music as the medium to carry out conversations that cross borders and languages.”
This gon’ be the jam of the year
지루하고 따분해 모든 게
시간은 참 빨라 tick-tock
Stadium으로 집합
도대체 뭘 더 고민해?
태생부터 다른 seven aliens
우릴 부러워하네 저 civilians
굳이 설명하기 입 아파
Stadium으로 집합
도대체 뭘 더 고민
This gon’ be the jam of the year
Everything's dull and boring
Time's quite fast tick-tock
Assemble at the stadium
What on earth are you worried about?
Seven aliens since our birth
Those civilians are envious of us
My mouth hurts too much to explain
Assemble at the stadium
What on earth are you worried about?
Hello this your, hello this your new honey
박수 쳐, 흔들어, 중모리¹
Oh my god, do I look too funny?
뭐 어쩔래 just move for me
Yeah move for me
Hello this your, hello this your new honey
Clap it, shake it, jungmori¹
Oh my god, do I look too funny?
Well, what about it, just move for me
Yeah move for me
From the 가나 to the 하²
우리 보고 배워놔
Yeah we aliens
If you wanna hit my house
Yeah we aliens
From the AB to the Z²
Learn from looking at us
Yeah we aliens
If you wanna hit my house
Yeah we aliens
어쩜 그래 shameless
예의를 차려 we aliens
해는 동쪽에서 risin’
Aliens, aliens
How are you so shameless
Get your manners together, we aliens
The sun from the east is risin’
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
시대가 우릴 원해
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
This era wants us
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
It goes
Let me, honey, talk about the business
Everybody know now where the K is
어디까지 가니 이런 제길
저주하니 아직? 흉즉대길³
Pardon 김구 선생님 tell me how you feel⁴
영어는 또 나밖에 못 해 but that is how we kill
눈만 또 허벌나게 큰 너희가 말하길
Are they for real? For real?
It goes
Let me, honey, talk about the business
Everybody know now where the K is
How far you gonna go, goddamn?
Are you still cursing me? Even curses turn to blessings³
Pardon Sir Kim Ku tell me how you feel⁴
Just me who speaks English, but that is how we kill
You all who have huge eyes, hope you tell us
Are they for real? For real?
Hello this your, hello this your new honey
박수 쳐, 흔들어, 중모리¹
Oh my god, do I look too funny?
뭐 어쩔래 just move for me
Yeah move for me
Hello this your, hello this your new honey
Clap it, shake it, jungmori¹
Oh my god, do I look too funny?
Well, what about it, just move for me
Yeah move for me
From the 가나 to the 하²
우리 보고 배워놔
Yeah we aliens
If you wanna hit my house
Yeah we aliens
From the AB to the Z²
Learn from looking at us
Yeah we aliens
If you wanna hit my house
Yeah we aliens
어쩜 그래 shameless
예의를 차려 we aliens
해는 동쪽에서 risin’
Aliens, aliens
How are you so shameless
Get your manners together, we aliens
The sun from the east is risin’
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
뭐든 더 빠르게
시대가 우릴 원해
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
Every night, every day
Whatever it is, even faster
This era wants us
Yeah we livin’ that
Aliens, aliens
(헛 둘) Yeah we land on it
(헛 둘) And stand on it
(헛 둘) 찍어 put that stamp on it, stamp on it, stamp on it
(One two) Yeah we land on it
(One two) And stand on it
(One two) Stamp, put that stamp on it, stamp on it, stamp on it
(헛 둘) Yeah we land on it
(헛 둘) And stand on it
(헛 둘) 찍어 put that stamp on it, stamp on it, stamp on it
(One two) Yeah we land on it
(One two) And stand on it
(One two) Stamp, put that stamp on it, stamp on it, stamp on it
NOTES:
1. 중모리 (jungmori) is a type of 12/4-beat 장단/jangdan (rhythm), often seen in Korean traditional music (국악).
2. The lyric says 가나 (GA, NA) to the 하 (HA), which is the beginning and the end of the Korean alphabet: 한글 (Hangeul). The lyrics have been translated to 'AB to the Z' to provide an equivalent in English.
3. 흉즉대길 (凶則大吉) is a 사자성어 [sajaseongeo] which is a Hanja-based four-character idiom that means that when someone wishes bad things upon you, they can turn to auspicious things.
4. Kim Ku is a well-respected activist and a leader of the Korean Independence Movement against the Japanese occupation.
5. Shoes are not worn inside the house as per Korean cultural norms.
6. Korea is renowned for having a very fast-paced 빨리빨리 (ppalli-ppalli) or 'hurry hurry' culture, which is seen in day-to-day life in delivery, workplaces, etc. Korea saw a massive economic growth from the 1960s to the 1990s, with a focus on speed and intense work. This also resulted in the norm of long work hours and overtime work to focus on rapid development and national recovery after the Korean War. This culture is still a part of day-to-day life due to high competitiveness in Korean society.
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Please note that I will keep working on improving the tone of this translation; therefore, this translation will keep being updated.