Tony's Web
By the River
(강변에서)
| performed by | Kim Min-gi (김민기) | |
|---|---|---|
| lyrics and music by | Kim Min-gi (김민기) | |
| year released | 1973? |
| 강변에서 | By the River | |
|---|---|---|
| 서산에 붉은 해 걸리고 강변에 앉아서 쉬노라면 | I sit by the river as a red sun hangs over the westerly hill | |
| 낯익은 얼굴이 하나둘 집으로 돌아온다 | Watching the familiar faces return home one by one | |
| 늘어진 어깨마다 퀭한 두 눈마다 빨간 노을이 물들면 | As the twilight tints those gaunt eyes and drooping shoulders | |
| 왠지 맘이 설레인다 | My heart stirs for some reason | |
| 강 건너 공장의 굴뚝엔 시꺼먼 연기가 펴 오르고 | Black plumes rising from the factory across the river | |
| 순이네 뎅그런 굴뚝엔 파란 실오라기 펴오른다 | A bluish wisp floats from the forlorn chimney at Soony's | |
| 바람은 어두워 가고 별들은 춤추는데 | As the wind turns darker and the stars dance | |
| 건너 공장에 나간 순이는 왜 안 돌아오는 걸까 | I wonder why Soony isn't back yet from her factory job | |
| 높다란 철교 위로 호사한 기차가 지나가면 | An imposing train rumbles along the lofty steel bridge | |
| 강물은 일고 일어나 작은 나룻배 흔들린다 | Ruffling up the calm river to shake the little rowboat | |
| 아이야 불 밝혀라, 뱃전에 불 밝혀라 | Light the lantern, my boy, brighten up the boat | |
| 저 강 건너 오솔길 따라 우리 순이가 돌아온다 | Our Soony is coming down that trail across the water | |
| 라~라라 라라라 노 저어라 | La la la la la la, keep rowing | |
| 열여섯 살 순이가 돌아온다 | Soony the sixteen-year-old is returning | |
| 라~라라 라라라 노 저어라 우리 순이가 돌아온다 | La la la la la la, keep rowing, for Soony's coming home | |
| 아이야 불 밝혀라, 뱃전에 불 밝혀라 | Raise the lantern, my boy, brighten up the boat | |
| 저 강 건너 오솔길 따라 우리 순이가 돌아온다 | Our Soony is coming down that trail across the water |
| 강변에서 |
|---|
| 서산에 붉은 해 걸리고 강변에 앉아서 쉬노라면 |
| 낯익은 얼굴이 하나둘 집으로 돌아온다 |
| 늘어진 어깨마다 퀭한 두 눈마다 빨간 노을이 물들면 |
| 왠지 맘이 설레인다 |
| 강 건너 공장의 굴뚝엔 시꺼먼 연기가 펴 오르고 |
| 순이네 뎅그런 굴뚝엔 파란 실오라기 펴오른다 |
| 바람은 어두워 가고 별들은 춤추는데 |
| 건너 공장에 나간 순이는 왜 안 돌아오는 걸까 |
| 높다란 철교 위로 호사한 기차가 지나가면 |
| 강물은 일고 일어나 작은 나룻배 흔들린다 |
| 아이야 불 밝혀라, 뱃전에 불 밝혀라 |
| 저 강 건너 오솔길 따라 우리 순이가 돌아온다 |
| 라~라라 라라라 노 저어라 |
| 열여섯 살 순이가 돌아온다 |
| 라~라라 라라라 노 저어라 우리 순이가 돌아온다 |
| 아이야 불 밝혀라, 뱃전에 불 밝혀라 |
| 저 강 건너 오솔길 따라 우리 순이가 돌아온다 |
| By the River |
|---|
| I sit by the river as a red sun hangs over the westerly hill |
| Watching the familiar faces return home one by one |
| As the twilight tints those gaunt eyes and drooping shoulders |
| My heart stirs for some reason |
| Black plumes rising from the factory across the river |
| A bluish wisp floats from the forlorn chimney at Soony's |
| As the wind turns darker and the stars dance |
| I wonder why Soony isn't back yet from her factory job |
| An imposing train rumbles along the lofty steel bridge |
| Ruffling up the calm river to shake the little rowboat |
| Light the lantern, my boy, brighten up the boat |
| Our Soony is coming down that trail across the water |
| La la la la la la, keep rowing |
| Soony the sixteen-year-old is returning |
| La la la la la la, keep rowing, for Soony's coming home |
| Raise the lantern, my boy, brighten up the boat |
| Our Soony is coming down that trail across the water |
with scenes of factory workers of the 1970s
(posted by "willowy")
From YouTube video by Seoul View Channel
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0AG_dC12Ao)
While most of Kim Min-gi's songs are thoughtful with a message, this one seems special even among his works, with a warm, loving touch of looking at the downtrodden people in a riverside neighborhood. From start to finish, it evokes an imagery of a closely nit group of people, the familiar faces with gaunt eyes and frail shoulders who work at a factory across the river, those who are stacked against the formidable forces of a changing society. The refrain of Soony the sixteen-year-old coming home is such a simple line yet it effectively carries the underlying sentiment of the song, as you feel in the singer's voice an unmistakable affection for the people. They are probably struggling to get by each day without a particularly bright future to look forward to, the way many Koreans were in those days, and still are in many cases.
Kim Min-gi is said to have worked with manufacturing laborers at one time in his youth, as well as a farmer and other incarnations of working man at different times. His whole life, it appears, has been dedicated to working with fellow men and women to help improve their lot, as he deliberately chose jobs that are neither glamorous nor paying handsomely, despite his well recognized genius as a singer-songwriter. As he mentioned in one of his rare interviews, he seems to have been born with a soft spot in his heart for the weak and the unfortunate, as well as an innate repulsion for worldly wealth and fame.
