Hello!
Have you ever imagined your own funeral? Today we’re looking at a song that does exactly that: Funeral Hope by Lee Chanhyuk. You may remember I once introduced the sibling duo AKMU on Threads. This track is from the brother, Lee Chanhyuk’s solo album. I always say he’s a genius, so I’m excited to share this with you.
Before diving into the lyrics, we need to start with the title. It’s a clever play on words. In Korea, kids are often asked about their 장래희망, which literally means future hope. Basically it’s asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Chanhyuk twists this into 장례희망. Do you see the difference? 장래(future) is swapped to 장례(funeral). The two sound identical in Korean, but carry completely different meanings. This nuance gets lost if you only see the English title Funeral Hope.
As we go through the lyrics, you’ll notice some Christian imagery. Chanhyuk grew up in a Christian family, and it shows in the song. But even without a religious background (I don’t have one either), I think it’s a beautiful piece. (Curious about religion in Korea?) Now let’s dive into the lyrics!
아는 얼굴 다 모였네 여기에
All the familiar faces have gathered here
한 공간에 다 있는 게 신기해
It’s amazing to see everyone in one place
모르는 사람이 계속 우는데
Someone I don’t know keeps crying
누군지 기억이 안 나 미안해
Sorry, I can’t remember who they are
종종 상상했던 내 장례식엔
I often imagined my funeral
→ 종종: occasionally, from time to time
축하와 환호성 또 박수갈채가 있는 파티가 됐으면 했네
I hoped it would turn into a party filled with celebration, cheers, and applause
→ -네: Ending with -네 shows realization, reflection, or an emotional nuance. In this context it conveys a reflective wish. Also it’s used for the rhyme throughout the song.
왜냐면 난 천국에 있기 때문에
Because I’m in heaven
오자마자 내 몸집에 서너 배, 커다란 사자와 친구를 먹었네
As soon as I arrived, I befriended a grim reaper three to four times my size
→ 사자 here can be ambiguous but it is likely 저승사자(grim reaper) rather than a lion. If you’ve watched K-Pop Demon Hunters, they feature 사자보이즈 in a similar sense.
→ 서너 배: three to four times. Other numbers can also be grouped like 한두 개(1~2), 두세 개(2~3), etc. and months can be grouped as such also. 사오월(April and May), 오뉴월(May and June), etc.
땅 위에 단어들로는 표현 못 해
Words on earth can’t describe it
사진을 못 보내는 게 아쉽네
Too bad I can’t send you pictures
모두 여기서 다시 볼 거라는 확신이 있네
I’m certain we’ll all meet again here
내 맘을 다 전하지 못한 게 아쉽네
It’s a pity I couldn’t express all of my heart
→ 아쉽네 appears repeatedly. 아쉽다 is one of the Korean words that doesn’t have a perfect translation to English. Some traslations are: a pity, too bad, it feels lacking, I wish it were different. It describes a sense of regret or incompleteness. Used with -네 as 아쉽네, it carries a nuance more the neutral, as if the singer is quietly talking to himself and noticing the regret in the moment.
할렐루야 꿈의 왕국에 입성한 아들을 위해
Hallelujah, for the son who has entered the kingdom of dreams
할렐루야 함께 일어나 춤을 추고 뛰며 찬양해
Hallelujah, rise together, dance, jump, and praise
할렐루야 꿈의 왕국에 입성한 아들을 위해
Hallelujah, for the son who has entered the kingdom of dreams
할렐루야 큰 목소리로 기뻐 손뼉 치며 외치세
Hallelujah, clap your hands with joy and shout out loud
나와 그닥 뭐가 없던 여자의
The woman I didn’t have much with
→ 그닥: not really, not much. Appears with a negative expression
슬픔이 좀 과하게 보이길래
her grief looked a little too much
놀랐네 돌이켜보니 그러게
I was surprised, but thinking back, well,
→ 그러게: 그러게 can carry many meanings and nuances, but here it reflects a moment of acknowledging in hindsight.
우리도 미묘한 신호가 있긴 했네
maybe there were subtle signals between us
→ You can see the repeated -네 endings. It carries a nuance of the singer talking to himself and realizing things.
머리를 쾅 한 대 맞은 듯하네
It feels like being struck hard on the head
→ 듯하다: it seems like, it feels as if
이제 머리는 없지만 알기 쉽게
Now I don’t even have a head, but it’s easy to understand
모든 걸 알지 못했기 때문에
I never knew everything
뭣 같고 즐거웠어 삶이란 게
but life was shitty and fun at the same time
→ 뭣 같다 is a very colloquial, vulgar way of saying something feels “like crap / shitty.” Also it’s a toned down expression. If you know Radiohead’s “Creep,” the original lyrics say “so f***ing special” but a censored version says “so very special.” Similarly, there can be stronger words instead of 뭣.
한쪽엔 내가 생전 좋아했던 음식들이 놓였네 마치 뷔페
On one side, all the foods I loved when I was alive are set out like a buffet
→ I’ll prepare a separate newsletter issue for Korean funeral traditions and 제사!
꾸준히 당부해 두길 잘했네
It was good I kept reminding you
→ 당부하다: to ask earnestly, to request sincerely, to urge someone to remember
좋은 기억으로 남겨주길 바라
please remember me with good memories
→ 바라다: to hope, to wish. The lyrics say “바라” but when you listen to Chanhyuk’s performance you’ll here “바래.” 바라 is the standard but Koreans often pronounce it “바래.”
모두 여기서 다시 볼 거라는 확신이 있네
I’m certain we’ll all meet again here
내 맘을 다 전하지 못한 게 아쉽네
It’s a pity I couldn’t express all of my heart
할렐루야 꿈의 왕국에 입성한 아들을 위해
Hallelujah, for the son who has entered the kingdom of dreams
할렐루야 함께 일어나 춤을 추고 뛰며 찬양해
Hallelujah, rise together, dance, jump, and praise
할렐루야 꿈의 왕국에 입성한 아들을 위해
Hallelujah, for the son who has entered the kingdom of dreams
할렐루야 큰 목소리로 기뻐 손뼉 치며 외치세
Hallelujah, clap your hands with joy and shout out loud
Funeral Hope always tears me up. Such a thoughtful song with beautiful lyrics. Plus we have learned several useful vocabularies and expressions. Try exploring the conjugation -네 in your daily Korean practice!
Many more issues are planned this week, but I think there will be another lyrics issue this week. I just discovered a performance I want to share with you.
In the meantime, you can practice Korean with our Facebook group members.
See you soon!