Heartbreaking love (지독하게 가슴 아픈 사랑) – Bilingual Lyrics Korean/English

• By: ZIA

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant world of Korean ballads with ZIA's "Heartbreaking love (지독하게 가슴 아픈 사랑)." This song beautifully captures the universal experience of enduring heartbreak and persistent longing, allowing you to immerse yourself in rich emotional vocabulary and expressive phrasing unique to the Korean language. Its evocative lyrics and ZIA's powerful vocals make it a perfect piece to appreciate the depth of Korean emotional expression.

[English]

Why is it that love is always so painful?

Even when I try hard to hold it in, tears well up.

I try to smile in the cloudless sunshine,

but without knowing it, my heart grows colder.

Trying hard to hide all the beautiful memories,

I've been keeping busy, but why am I like this?

This heartbreaking love,

the memories of the past still come to mind.

Even now, I'm still sobbing in your arms,

I miss you so much it's driving me crazy, so I try to bring back our past,

Even if I try to take out our memories,

they've already disappeared.

You and I, who loved each other so much.

It took so long to erase you, who was like an enemy.

I didn't know it would be this hard.

I didn't know back then.

This heartbreaking love,

the memories of the past still come to mind.

Even now, I'm still sobbing in your arms,

I miss you so much it's driving me crazy, so I try to bring back our past,

Even if I try to take out our memories,

it's no use, because I keep remembering.

Let go of this love,

Even if I try,

Even if I try to erase it,

it's like a pencil mark that can't be erased.

I told myself it was just a so-so love,

but even if I try to soothe myself, the tears keep flowing.

My longing for you, on the contrary,

is growing bigger.

I miss you so much it's driving me crazy, so I try to bring back our past,

Even if I struggle to take out our memories,

they've already disappeared.

You and I, who loved each other so much.

[Korean]

참 사랑이란 왜 이리 아프기만 한지

애써 꾹 참으려 해도 눈물이 핑 돌아

구름 한 점 없는 햇살에 웃어보지만

나도 모르게 더 가슴이 시려

헝 아름다웠던 모든 기억들 애써 감추며

바쁘게 지냈는데 웬 물이 나

지독하게 가슴 아픈 사랑

지나 버린 기억 여전히 더 떠올라

아직까지 난 너의 품에서 흐느끼고 있는데

미치도록 니가 그리워서 우리 지난

추억 꺼내 보려 해봐도

이미 사라져 버린

너무 사랑했던 너와 나

참 오래 걸렸어 너라는 적을

지워 내는 게 이토록 어려울 줄

그땐 몰랐어

지독하게 가슴 아픈 사랑

지나 버린 기억 여전히 더 떠올라

아직까지 난 너의 품에서 흐느끼고 있는데

미치도록 니가 그리워서 우리 지난

추억 꺼내 보려 해봐도

아무 소용없는 걸 떠오르니까

이 사랑을 놓아 버려

애를 써 봐도

지우려 노력해도

지울 수 없는 연필 자국 같아

그저 그런 사랑이었다고 했어

달래 봐도 눈물이 흐르잖아

너를 향한 그리움은 반대로

더 커져 가는데

미치도록 니가 보고 싶어 우리 지난

추억 꺼내 보려 애써도

이미 사라져 버린

너무 사랑했던 너와 나

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
사랑 /saɾaŋ/ A1	noun - love
아프다 /apʰɯda/ A2	adjective - to be painful
눈물 /nunmul/ A2	noun - tear
구름 /kuɾɯm/ A1	noun - cloud
햇살 /hɛts͈al/ B1	noun - sunshine
가슴 /kasɯm/ A2	noun - chest, heart
기억 /kiʌk/ B1	noun - memory
지독하다 /tɕido̞kʰa̠da̠/ B2	adjective - severe, terrible
지나다 /t͡ɕina̠da̠/ A2	verb - to pass, to go by
떠오르다 /t͈ʌ̹o̞ɾɯda̠/ B2	verb - to come to mind
품 /pʰum/ B1	noun - bosom, embrace
추억 /t͡ɕʰuʌk/ B1	noun - memory, recollection
사라지다 /sʰa̠ɾa̠d͡ʑida̠/ B1	verb - to disappear
적 /t͡ɕʌ̹k/ B2	noun - enemy
그리움 /ɡɯɾium/ B2	noun - longing, yearning

Key Grammar Structures

• 참 사랑이란 왜 이리 아프기만 한지

  ➔ -(기)만 하다: only, just (emphasizes exclusivity). Used with verbs and adjectives.

  ➔ This sentence translates to 'Why is true love only painful like this?' The grammar `-(기)만 하다` emphasizes that the love is *only* painful.

• 애써 꾹 참으려 해도 눈물이 핑 돌아

  ➔ -려/으려 하다: To intend to, to try to. Indicates intention or attempted action.

  ➔ The sentence means 'Even if I try to suppress it, tears well up.' `참으려 하다` means 'try to suppress'.

• 웬 물이 나

  ➔ 웬: What kind of, what sort of, unexpected, surprising. Used to express bewilderment or questioning about something unexpected.

  ➔ This phrase translates to 'What water is this coming out?' or more idiomatically, 'Why am I crying?' `웬` indicates surprise or questioning.

• 지나 버린 기억 여전히 더 떠올라

  ➔ -아/어/여 지다: To become, to get (indicates a change in state)

  ➔ Meaning: "The memories that have passed are still coming up even more." The grammar `떠올라` comes from 떠오르다 (to come to mind, to recall) and with -아/어/여 지다 implies change and becoming even more prominent.

• 아직까지 난 너의 품에서 흐느끼고 있는데

  ➔ -고 있다: Present progressive tense. Indicates an ongoing action or state.

  ➔ The sentence means 'Even until now, I am sobbing in your arms.' `흐느끼고 있다` means 'am sobbing', indicating an ongoing action.

• 미치도록 니가 그리워서 우리 지난 추억 꺼내 보려 해봐도

  ➔ -아/어/여 보다: To try to do something, to attempt something.

  ➔ I miss you like crazy, even if I try to take out our past memories... '꺼내 보려 해봐도' contains the grammar pattern that means 'even if I try to...'

• 참 오래 걸렸어 너라는 적을 지워 내는 게 이토록 어려울 줄 그땐 몰랐어

  ➔ -는/은/ㄹ 줄 몰랐다: Didn't know, had no idea (expresses surprise or realization).

  ➔ It took so long. I didn't know it would be this difficult to erase you, an enemy, back then. The structure '-(으)ㄹ 줄 몰랐다' shows that the speaker didn't know something.