Translation: Story of a Small Child (Year 3, Day 55)

This is one of my favorite songs in Korea. Besides just having a very groovy feel, the lyrics are positively inspiring, particularly to me. (That'll make sense if you've met me.) I've been devoting extra practice to it this morning in the hopes that the next time I go singing with the teachers I'll have something besides my usual repertoire to sing.

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A disclaimer: Please understand that this is a very rough translation by a humble student of Korean. While I'm pretty sure it'll be more accurate than any internet translation engine to date, it still may not even be close to the original since I typically have to look up every three words when I try to read anything. (Hanja constructions are killer...) If you can translate Korean yourself, I would appreciate your constructive criticism. Leave your mockery at the door.

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Lyrics taken from Unfinished Work on 2009.10.19

하하의 "키작은 꼬마 이야기"

준비된 So~ 손 들어 My Brother and Sister~

동훈~ 하하 키 작은 꼬마 이야기 Yeah~

준비됐어 Come on yo,ok ok Let's go 하하

Everybody 모두 put your hands up

Everybody 모두 throw your hands up

Everybody 모두 put your hands up

Everybody 모두 죽지않아

키가 작은 꼬마 동훈이~yeah

내 얘기를 들어보세요오오~

받아쓰기 20점

동네꼬마 비웃어

나랑 키도 비슷해

이것참 난 석사인데

키도작고 못생겼는데 (oh yeah yeah)

가진것도 하나 없는데

키가 작아서 나는 행복해

세상 모든것을 우러러 볼수 있으니까

나는 행복해 oh~

니노막시무스 카이저 쏘제

쏘냐도르 앤 스파르타~

죽지않아 나는 죽지않아

오오오 나는 죽지않아

니노막시무스 카이저 쏘제

쏘냐도르 앤 스파르타~

죽지않아 나는 죽지않아

나는 키작은 꼬맹이니까~

꿈이 많은 꼬마 동훈이 yeah

하고 싶은게 참 많았지

노래하고 싶다고(come on)

무대서고 싶다고

앨범까지 냈는데

이것 참 아무도 몰라

마음대로 안풀린다고

마음먹기 나름이라고 oh oh

절대 놓치고싶지않아~

넘어지면 또다시 일어나면되니까

나는 괜찮아 ~oh

니노막시무스 카이저 쏘제

쏘냐도르 앤 스파르타~

죽지않아 나는 죽지않아

오오오~나는 죽지않아 ~

니노막시무스 카이저 쏘제

쏘냐도르 앤 스파르타~

죽지않아 나는 죽지않아

나는 키작은 꼬맹이니까

사랑에 실패해도 절대 죽지않아

사업에 실패해도 절대 죽지않아

시험에 떨어져도 절대 죽지않아

You&I we are never die

니노막시무스 카이저 쏘제

쏘냐도르 앤 스파르타~

죽지않아 나는 죽지않아

나는 키작은 꼬맹이니까

Haha's "Story of a Small Child"

Everybody's ready so put your hands up my brother and sister

Donghun, Haha's "Story of a Small Child" Ye-eah

Everybody's ready. Come on! Yo, okay, okay. Let's go, Haha!

Everybody everybody put your hands up

Everybody everybody throw your hands up

Everybody everybody put your hands up

Everybody everybody we don't die

Small child Donghun, yeah

Listen to my story, please

My dictation score was 20 points

The village's child of ridicule

I was about your size

But I was really the master of this

I was small and ugly (Oh yeah, yeah)

I didn't have even one thing

But I was happy because I was small

Because I can see all things in the world

I am happy, oh!

Nino, Maximus, Keyser Söze

Sonador, and Sparta*

They don't die, I don't die

Oh, oh, oh I don't die

Nino, Maximus, Keyser Söze

Sonador, and Sparta

They don't die, I don't die

Because I am a small child

Donghun has a lot of dreams, yeah

Aren't the things I want to do so many?

I said I want to sing (come on)

I said I want to in my field

And I even got an album

I really don't know what else

My wishes have no explanation

My intentions really depend [on things] Oh, oh

Total failure is undesireable

Because if I fall and once again I rise up,

I'm okay, oh!

Nino, Maximus, Keyser Söze

Sonador, and Sparta

They don't die, I don't die

Oh, oh, oh I don't die

Nino, Maximus, Keyser Söze

Sonador, and Sparta

They don't die, I don't die

Because I am a small child

Even to fail in love is not total death

Even to fail in an enterprise is not total death

Even to fall through a test is not total death

You and I we are never die!

Nino, Maximus, Keyser Söze

Sonador, and Sparta

They don't die, I don't die

Because I am a small child

*It seems that Haha is listing people (and city-states) who he thinks are emblematic of the invincibility and forever positive spirit of his protagonist, Donghun. Though Maximus, Keyser Söze, and Sparta (popularized in Korea by the movie 300) are readily familiar to an American audience (they are small forces though confident and seemingly invincible, able to take on huge tasks), the other two are more obscure. As far as I can determine from a Yahoo! Korea Q&A site, Nino refers to Japanese actor, singer, and songwriter Ninomiya Kasumari who some might recognize from Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima. He's relevant to the song I suppose because he started out his career so young and was able to achieve so much. According to the same site, Sonador is the horse protagonist from the movie Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story.

An issue in translation:

Because I am not a native Korean speaker, it is hard for me to tell who the narrator is. It could be a nameless narrator telling the story to Donghun, or it could be Donghun himself telling us our story. I have done the best I could with this and have assumed that an unnamed narrator is relating his childhood story in order to encourage Donghun, a small child.