Tony's Web
I Look Around
(두리번거린다)
| performed by | Yang Hee-eun (양희은) | |
|---|---|---|
| lyrics and music by | Kim Min-gi (김민기) | |
| year released | mid 1970s | |
| album (Yang Hee-eun) | Like the Lush Pines in the Barren Field (거치른 들판에 푸르른 솔잎처럼), 1979 | |
| album (Kim Min-gi) | Kim Min-gi 1 (김민기 1집), 1993 |
| 두리번거린다 | I Look Around | |
|---|---|---|
| 헐벗은 내 몸이 뒤안에서 떠는 것은 | My tattered body is trembling in the back | |
| 사랑과 미움과 배움의 참을 | Because I have not learned from you | |
| 너로부터 가르쳐 받지 못한 탓이나 | The truth of love and hate and learning | |
| 하여 나는 바람 부는 처음을 알고파서 두리번거린다 | So I look around, wanting to know the beginning of the wind | |
| 말없이 찾아온 친구 곁에서 | Beside a friend who dropped in unannounced | |
| 교정 뒤안의 황무지에서 | In the backside wasteland of the campus | |
| 무너진 내 몸이 눌리어 우는 것은 | My slumped body is crying under the weight | |
| 눈물과 땀과 싸움의 참이 | Because you have blocked my sight | |
| 너로부터 가리워 아지 못한 탓이나 | To the truth of tear and sweat and struggle | |
| 하여 나는 바람 부는 처음을 알고파서 두리번거린다 | So I look around, wanting to know the beginning of the wind | |
| 말없이 찾아온 친구 곁에서 | Beside a friend who dropped in unannounced | |
| 교정 뒤안의 황무지에서 | In the backside wasteland of the campus | |
| 텅 빈 내 마음이 굶주려 외침은 | My hollowed mind is crying out in hunger | |
| 꿈과 노래와 죽음의 참이 | Because you have now lost in you | |
| 너로부터 사라져 잃어버린 탓이나 | The truth of hope and singing and death | |
| 하여 나는 바람 부는 처음을 알고파서 두리번거린다 | So I look around, wanting to know the beginning of the wind | |
| 말없이 찾아온 친구 곁에서 | Beside a friend who dropped in unannounced | |
| 교정 뒤안의 황무지에서 | In the backside wasteland of the campus |
| 두리번거린다 |
|---|
| 헐벗은 내 몸이 뒤안에서 떠는 것은 |
| 사랑과 미움과 배움의 참을 |
| 너로부터 가르쳐 받지 못한 탓이나 |
| 하여 나는 바람 부는 처음을 알고파서 두리번거린다 |
| 말없이 찾아온 친구 곁에서 |
| 교정 뒤안의 황무지에서 |
| 무너진 내 몸이 눌리어 우는 것은 |
| 눈물과 땀과 싸움의 참이 |
| 너로부터 가리워 아지 못한 탓이나 |
| 하여 나는 바람 부는 처음을 알고파서 두리번거린다 |
| 말없이 찾아온 친구 곁에서 |
| 교정 뒤안의 황무지에서 |
| 텅 빈 내 마음이 굶주려 외침은 |
| 꿈과 노래와 죽음의 참이 |
| 너로부터 사라져 잃어버린 탓이나 |
| 하여 나는 바람 부는 처음을 알고파서 두리번거린다 |
| 말없이 찾아온 친구 곁에서 |
| 교정 뒤안의 황무지에서 |
| I Look Around |
|---|
| My tattered body is trembling in the back |
| Because I have not learned from you |
| The truth of love and hate and learning |
| So I look around, wanting to know the beginning of the wind |
| Beside a friend who dropped in unannounced |
| In the backside wasteland of the campus |
| My slumped body is crying under the weight |
| Because you have blocked my sight |
| To the truth of tear and sweat and struggle |
| So I look around, wanting to know the beginning of the wind |
| Beside a friend who dropped in unannounced |
| In the backside wasteland of the campus |
| My hollowed mind is crying out in hunger |
| Because you have now lost in you |
| The truth of hope and singing and death |
| So I look around, wanting to know the beginning of the wind |
| Beside a friend who dropped in unannounced |
| In the backside wasteland of the campus |
I Look Around (두리번거린다) is another Kim Min-gi-Yang Hee-eun song in the vein of Morning Dew (아침 이슬) and Evergreen (상록수). It is a direct, scathing indictment of the not so hopeful situation of Korea at the time, declaring in no sparing terms what the author believes has led to the pathetic state of affairs. It takes us back to the political stalemate of the 1970s Korea, when the country was in a throe of dictatorship-or-democracy conflict amidst the breakneck speed industrialization which left the weaker class suffering on the wayside.
Details aside, the reprising line I look around, wanting to know the beginning of the wind rings powerful and familiar, as if we have all been there. It seems a human nature to wonder about the beginning of things, when we're up against a direness of reality, or when simply piqued by the naggig questing about self deep in our minds. Isn't that why great religious (and secular) scriptures often start with this question of the origin.
The general message in Kim Min-gi songs was like a thorn on the side to those in power at the time, even though his words never amounted to a direct call to action. He was under such a close watch that Yang Hee-eun had to release the song posing as the song's author. This perfectly illustrates the kind of dark times Kim is deploring in the song.
