[K-pop] ‘Amyeon’ – Sad and gloomy / Ko, Han-woo

The meaning of “amyeon” refers to the sad and depressed feeling when you hear the word of breaking up with your lover.

Korean Lyrics & English Translation

• 내겐 너무나 슬픈 이별을 말할때
  [nae·gen neo·mu·na seul·peun i·byeol·eul mal·hal·ttae]
  To me so sad, when you say goodbye
• 그댄 아니 슬픈 듯 웃음을 보이다
  [geu·daen a·ni seul·peun deus us·eum·eul bo·i·da]
  You show a smile as if you’re not sad
• 정작 내가 일어나 집으로 가려할 때는
  [jeong·jag nae·ga il·eo·na jib·eu·lo ga·lyeo·hal ttae·neun]
  Actually, when I get up and go home
• 그땐 꼭 잡은 손을 놓지 않았어
  [geu·ttaen kkog jab·eun son·eul noh·ji anh·ass·eo]
  At that time, you didn’t let go of the hand you held tightly

• 울음을 참으려고 하늘만 보다가
  [ul·eum·eul cham·eu·lyeo·go ha·neul·man bo·da·ga]
  You only looked at the sky to stop crying
  * To hold back tears, you only look at the sky
• 끝내 참지 못하고 내 품에 안겨와
  [kkeut·nae cham·ji mos·ha·o nae pum·e an·gyeo·wa]
  but in the end you couldn’t stand it and came into my arms
  * You can’t stand it anymore and come into my arms
• 마주 댄 그대 볼에 눈물이 느껴질 때는
  [ma·ju daen geu·dae bol·e nun·mul·i neu·kkyeo·jil ttae·neun]
  When I feel tears on your cheeks
  *When I feel tears on your cheeks touching each other
• 나도 참지 못하고 울어버렸어
  [na·do cham·ji mos·ha·go ul·eo·beo·lyeoss·eo]
  I couldn’t hold back and cried
  * I couldn’t take it anymore and cried

• 사랑이란 것은 나에게 아픔만 주고
  [sa·lang·i·lan geos·eun na·e·ge a·peum·man ju·go]
  Love only gives me pain
• 내 마음 속에는 멍울로 다가와
  [nae ma·eum sog·e·neun meong·ul·lo da·ga·wa]
  In my heart, come to me as a lump
• 우리가 잡으려 하면 이미 먼 곳에
  [u·li·ga jab·eu·lyeo ha·myeon i·mi meon gos·e]
  If we try to catch it, it’s already far away
• 그땐 때가 너무 늦었다는데
  [geu·ttaen ttae·ga neo·mu neuj·eoss·da·neun·de]
  Then it was too late

• 차마 어서 가라는 그 말은 못하고
  [cha·ma eo·seo ga·la·neun geu mal·eun mos·ha·go]
  I can’t even say the words to hurry up and go
• 나도 뒤돌아서서 눈물만 흘리다
  [na·do dwi·dol·a·seo·seo nun·mul·man heul·li·da]
  I also turn around and only shed tears
• 이젠 갔겠지 하고 뒤를 돌아보면
  [i·jen gass·gess·ji ha·go dwi·leul dol·a·bo·myeon]
  I guess you’re gone now, looking back
  * Thinking you’re gone now and looking back,
• 아직도 그대는 그 자리
  [a·jig·do geu·dae·neun geu ja·li]
  You are still there
  *You are still the place

• 사랑이란 것은 나에게 아픔만 주고
  [sa·lang·i·lan geos·eun na·e·ge apeum·man ju·go]
  Love only gives me pain
• 내 마음 속에는 멍울로 다가와
  [nae ma·eum sog·en·eun meong·ul·lo da·ga·wa]
  In my heart, come to me as a lump
• 우리가 잡으려 하면 이미 먼 곳에
  [u·li·ga jab·eu·lyeo ha·myeon i·mi meon gos·e]
  If we try to catch it, it’s already far away
• 그땐 때가 너무 늦었다는데
  [geu·ttaen ttae·ga neo·mu neuj·eoss·da·neun·de]
  Then it was too late

• 차마 어서 가라는 그 말은 못하고
  [cha·ma eo·seo ga·la·neun geu mal·eun mos·ha·go]
  I can’t even say the words to hurry up and go
• 나도 뒤돌아서서 눈물만 흘리다
  [na·do dwi·dol·a·seo·seo nun·mul·man heul·li·da]
  I also turn around and only shed tears
• 이젠 갔겠지 하고 뒤를 돌아보면
  [i·jen gass·gess·ji ha·go dwi·leul dol·a·bo·myeon]
  I guess you’re gone now, looking back
• 아직도 그대는 그 자리
  [a·jig·do geu·dae·neun geu ja·li]
  you are still there

• 아직도 그대는 그 자리
  [a·jig·do geu·dae·neun geu jali]
  you are still there
  *You are still the place

Story of K-pop

How was ‘Amyeon (암연 黯然)’ created?

What does Ko Han-woo’s song title ‘Amyeon’ mean? Amyeon (黯然) means sad and gloomy. Quite a few people think of it as another ‘Amyeon(암연 暗然)’ meaning ‘cloudy and dark’.

However, when looking at the lyrics of Ko Han-woo’s ‘Amyeon’, “sad and gloomy” seems more appropriate. The word ‘amyeon’ is a word that is not often used even among Koreans. So, I briefly explained the title of the song. ‘암연(Amyeon)’ is pronounced [A: Myeon] in Korean.

Ko Han-woo was born in Seoul in 1971 and is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and composer. He worked as an underground unknown singer in Myeongdong and Sinchon in Seoul in the 80s. He released his first album ‘Autumn Child’ in 1988. His major hits include his 3rd album ‘Amyeon(암연)’, released in 1997.

‘Amyeon’ became widely known to the public as it was inserted as an OST for the SBS drama ‘Woman’. Ko Han-woo worked as an unknown acoustic guitar singer during his college days. He then got to know a woman he was introduced to by a senior. She devotedly protected and loved him for three years, but one day she said her goodbyes to him and left.

It is said that Ko Han-woo expressed the distant feelings he felt when she left in his song ‘Amyeon.”