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"seoul" by RM ( @BTS_twt ): An explanatory thread-
#TheRside♡
#mono
P.s: strictly based on my interpretation.
#TheRside♡
#mono
P.s: strictly based on my interpretation.
'seoul' is predominantly a song which highlights the sense of belonging to, nurtured love n trust for, a sense of familiarity w a flawed entity, n over here, Joon addresses his current home city, 'seoul', confessing how he has grown to love the city w its people, its monotony+
Its busyness, its environment, its birds n animals, n everything else about it to the extent he believes he is very much a part of the city now, the city which has given him more than he could have imagined, both glee n pain, so he presents a serenade n so I'm in love w his mind+
The way I see it, Joon pays tribute to his current home city via this song, by not only confessing how unconditional the love is but also how his soul is now a part of 'seoul'. Anything "cold" is usually anything harsh, unfriendly n indifferent, Joon perhaps intends to say+
That at some point, the "cold" was unfamiliar, indifferent n cruel to him, but over time he's become familiar to it- the "cold" seldom hurts him, but often warms him, as he secretly opens his eyes: maybe he wants to alert none as he wakes up in the embrace of the cold dawn+
N absorbs it's familiar n impeccable beauty, how the entity that was once cruel to him is now a friend.. The" harmony" of the city perhaps refers to not only the harmony the city has w its people n nature but also the city's "harmony" w him, an outsider who settled down+
Oblivious of the impending future, the "harmony" he is now aware of after spending years in the city, smth grown n nurtured tenderly in oblivion. Realization dawns on him as he admits the "days of his youth" are far behind cuz he left Ilsan to begin his new life in 'seoul'+
N has spent majority of his life in this monotonous city, which is fascinated w materialistic wealth like "buildings n cars", Joon implies that the boy from Ilsan who dreamed big has now found his home in the city of 'seoul', which definitely has its flaws, but this is where he+
Feels accepted, n he loves the place unconditionally, in a way he is stating how the city n Joon have grown to accept n befriend each other over the years they've spent together. In this very city, all of his major hardships began, the trainee life, the mistreatments meted out+
The disrespect shown, the invalidation of hard work, n the additional responsibilities that come w being the leader, the city of 'seoul' has given Joon tons of horrible memories, specially back when this song was written, we know what a terribly difficult year it was for them+
There weren't many pleasant memories made in 'seoul' which he would like to reminisce about, so Joon contemplates over exactly what emotionally attaches him to the city, what it is about the city that captivates him. Joon applies word play here, two onomatopoeic synonyms: Seoul+
N soul n goes to contemplate over what exactly is so soulful about 'seoul'- a city bustling w energy, focused on materialistic wealth, busy round the clock while leading a regular, monotonous life, only to realize how his soul is now entangled w the 'soul' of 'seoul' so even+
If he is sick n tired of this bustling city of evermore monotony, shaded in greys n ash, he can't help it cuz he is now a part of it n that scares him, to have his life shaded in greys n monotony is probably the last thing he wants, as the monochrome colour palette of Grey is+
Loaded w tones of melancholy n gloom, exactly the kind of feelings Joon experienced in 'tokyo' whilst engulfed in loneliness, however over here he feels the kinship, the emotional attachment, this city has given him more pain than joy, but it has also given him acceptance+
N all of it perhaps collectively holds him back by it's side. Unlike 'tokyo' which made him feel desolate, lonely n bleak, 'seoul' makes him feel accepted n happy as is evident is the way he executes the track. In 'tokyo', Joon mentions about "love" and "hate" sounding the same+
To him, in 'seoul' he raps, "If love and hate are the same words, I love you Seoul. If love and hate are the same words, I hate you Seoul.", the difference lies in the way he expresses the same statement in the two songs, in 'tokyo' he is evidently miserable about the statement+
Being true: the reason for loving someone could be the reason for some to hate the person in context- Joon's talent was a reason for many to love him, however the same was the reason for many to hate him. In 'seoul' he is rather obvious about the statement and seems completely+
Fine w it, perhaps because he now realizes how obvious it is, with growing fame n exposure of talent, people are bound to love n hate him for it, but he has made up w it, for he feels homely n loved here when at some point in the past, when he felt lonely, devastated n desolate+
N felt the bitter cold following him everywhere, like in 'tokyo', he felt miserable admitting the fact but now that he feels loved, warm n comforted, he knows the fact which is actually one of our many realities- the reason why someone loves us could be the exact reason for some+
To hate us, its a statement that is universally true cuz the concept of love n hate is rather subjective hence they serve as synonyms for each other. He applies the same theory to 'seoul', to put into simple words: the reason why he loves 'seoul' could be the reason for many+
To hate it, the reason for many to love 'seoul' could be his reason to hate it, then again "love" and "hate" are apparently the same words hence if he loves 'seoul', he hates it too, n if he hates it, he loves it too, cuz every situation comes w two sides. Its interesting to+
Note how this is applicable for our individual home towns too, there are things we like about it, there are things we hate, for some the reasons could be opposites for that of love n hate, but at the end of the day we love it as much as we hate it since these two words are+
Afterall, synonymous. Joon goes on to narrate what it's like for him, to live in the city of Seoul- where life is forever flowing n fast paced yet monotonous w the same "9 to 5" job for most, everyday, the kinda of life which could be disgusting n bothersome for some but not+
For the rest, where the parks- places for people to gather n enjoy, pretend to be loving, warm n welcoming but are just bleak, empty n gloomy showing how, more often than not, people are just sorrowful n miserable w their lives m maybe themselves too as Joon raps, "People who+
Always have to wander and the Han River which bears too much Han", indicating how the monotony n regularity of life can be the cause of distress and anxiety to many to the extent they feel lost in space n time, and wander about in search of smth, smth they themselves don't know+
Which often happens w us too when we are stumbling through life, we tend to let ourselves wander, some do it physically while some do it mentally (into the deepest corners of our minds n imagination) to provide ourselves momentary relief n joy because this activity tends to+
Distract us from the distressing times of our respective lives, our losing fights so we escape n take shelter somewhere else, for some it's the imagination while for some, it's being outside. So people, when frustrated w life n themselves, wander. I've been told, the meaning of+
'Han' is sorrow, angst n agony. The 'Han River' is quite unfortunately a v popular destination for suicide, which is why there are motivating n encouraging lines of love, sincerity n hope written across the railings so that the person thinks twice. The 'Han River' bears too much+
'Han' because it is loaded w the pain n sufferings of the ones who took their lives in the River: it's just full of gloom n agony, regrets n sorrows left behind by the deceased. Joon smartly surfaces and addresses an issue hardly talked about in the world, but he doesn't stop+
There, he goes on to talk about children who are burdened, whose dreams have shattered into pieces, the ones who had to grow u faster than the rest n take up important responsibilities, courtesy to the fast-paced life so 'seoul', Joon thinks he is a little late as he sits still+
N observed the mass flowing w time. It might be a city full of flaws, but Joon loves n hates every bit of it, he is so emotionally attached to this place the thought of anyone leaving it saddens him a bit, he is reluctant to admit it but he does love every bit of the city+
No matter how small a detail or fragment it makes up, he loves it all, all pros n cons of living in the city, n he sends out love to all the people who are miserable n depressed. Joon incorporates another wordplay, "I'm leaving ya, I'm living ya" this, I believe refers to their+
Lives while on tour, he is "leaving" 'seoul' but he is also "living" it: even while on tour he lives by the culture n standards of his home country n city, he is "living" the 'seoul' life even when he is outside, it could also mean that even when he is outside of Seoul, his mind+
Wanders in 'seoul'- his mind lives in Seoul, unable to leave while physically he has left the place or it could also be the other way around, for instance when he is thinking of his family, physically, he is living in Seoul but mentally he has left the place. Onto auditory+
Effect, when Joon sing-raps this line, if you pay close attention on the left side, both "leaving and living" sound like "loving", this clearly indicates how much he actually loves the place w its people n nature n even tho the place has given him more worries than relief+
He is loving it all, in this city of 'seoul' which also means he is hating it all cuz love n hate are synonymous, as every situation has two sides to it. It clearly shows that even if he has certain things he doesn't like about the city, he loves it big n he loves it whole.
In conclusion, Joon talks about the life of hustle-bustle in 'seoul' to which his soul has now entangled itself, how people n are just miserable sufferers, but there are appreciative things about it, indicating how a situation always has its pros n cons, light n dark n how+
Considering both sides of a story makes it a lot easier to accept, he confesses his love for this sad city of monotony n wealth which has given him pain n acceptance, stating how you can criticize smth like absolutely loving n living it n how imp that is in life.
KIM NAMJOON IS A MAN OF FIRM MORAL VALUES
WHO EXCELS IN PERCEIVING BOTH ENDS OF A GIVEN SITUATION, HE NEVER SHYS AWAY FROM EXPRESSING HIS SINCERITY N GRATITUDE N DOES THE SAME BY PRESENTING THIS TRACK A SERENADE TO HIS HOME CITY, THEREBY ENCOURAGING MANY TO DO THE SAME
WHO EXCELS IN PERCEIVING BOTH ENDS OF A GIVEN SITUATION, HE NEVER SHYS AWAY FROM EXPRESSING HIS SINCERITY N GRATITUDE N DOES THE SAME BY PRESENTING THIS TRACK A SERENADE TO HIS HOME CITY, THEREBY ENCOURAGING MANY TO DO THE SAME
Now that you've got a better idea of Joon's words, give this song of acceptance n love a listen today: https://open.spotify.com/track/73ipE4lfZ53pvBbJPXkiEK?si=mkSyxRuxRn2OPxOFb6msIA
Here's the 'tokyo' thread! https://twitter.com/rkivelovelines/status/1312771359097982976?s=19
