MAMA – Bilingual Lyrics Korean/English

• By: EXO-K, EXO-M
• Album: MAMA (First Mini Album)

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the Korean language through EXO's powerful debut, "MAMA"! This song is special not only for its epic sound but also for its deep message. By learning its lyrics, you can explore themes of modern society and emotion, all while grasping the nuances of the word '마마' (Mama), which means 'Your Majesty' in a historical context. It's a fantastic way to dive into both the language and the rich storytelling of K-pop.

[English]

Careless, careless

Shoot anonymously, anonymously

Heartless, mindless

No one, who cares about me?

It feels like I’m just ignoring what I’ve lost

I have no choice but to endure, closing my eyes

...

Mama, now answer me

Why did people change?

Did the beautiful days even exist?

Now I’ve forgotten how to love

And I've lost the caring heart

Living with my back turned away, busy just surviving

Hatred behind a mask of anonymity, full of jealousy

Is it satisfied, even after seeing the end, feeling still hungry?

Won’t we stop making eye contact?

Won’t we communicate? Won’t we love?

Tears flow again in this painful reality

Tell me we can change, that it’s okay to change, Mama, Mama

Somewhere along the way, we voluntarily got trapped in a smart prison

Entrusting our identity to digital worlds built on dragons and wars

There’s no life, no emotion, no warmth, only language

Only trash, scattered across a dull, barren field

Day by day, loneliness only grows

Our need to be human is because we get hurt, yeah

Meeting, holding hands, feeling, crying, laughing together

Growing closer, connecting, if you want to turn back

Won’t we stop making eye contact?

Won’t we communicate? Won’t we love?

Tears flow again in this painful reality

Tell me we can change, that it’s okay to change, Mama, Mama

...

Turn back

...

Kill, fight, shout, this isn’t a war

Help us, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, turn back

Realize, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, rolling back

Punch, kick, divide into sides, fight—this isn’t a game

Help us, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, turn back

Yeah

Careless, careless (Mama)

Shoot anonymously, anonymously (Mama)

Heartless, mindless. (Mama)

No one, who cares about me? (Mama)

Be thankful for the blessed days granted in life

Create new bonds every day

In hearts that have shattered, let’s share joyful love

If we can smile

Won’t we stop making eye contact?

Won’t we communicate? Won’t we love?

Tears flow again in this painful reality

Tell me we can change, that it’s okay to change, Mama, Mama

Careless, careless

Shoot anonymously, anonymously

Heartless, mindless

No one, who cares about me?

...

[Korean]

Careless, careless

Shoot anonymous, anonymous

Heartless, mindless

No one, who care about me?

잃어버린 채 외면하는 것 같아

참을 수밖에 없어, 눈을 감지만

마마, 이젠 내게 대답해줘

왜 사람들이 달라졌는지?

아름다운 시절이라는 게 존재하긴 했는지

이제 더는 사랑하는 법도 잊었고

배려하는 맘도 잃었고

등을 돌린 채로 살아가기 바쁜걸

익명의 가면에 감췄던 살의 가득한 질시

끝을 봐도 배고픈 듯한, 이젠 만족해?

우린 더 이상 눈을 마주하지 않을까?

소통하지 않을까? 사랑하지 않을까?

아픈 현실에 다시 눈물이 흘러

바꿀 수 있다고 바꾸면 된다고 말해요, 마마, 마마

언젠가부터 우린 스마트한 감옥에 자발적으로 갇혀

용과 일로 만든 디지털에 내 인격을 맡겨

거긴 생명도, 감정도, 따듯함도, 없고 언어

쓰레기만, 나뒹구는 삭막한 벌판

날이 갈수록, 외로움만 더해져

우리가 인간일 수밖에 없는 건 상처 받는 것, yeah

만나고, 손을 잡고, 느끼며 함께, 울고, 웃고

닮아가고 서로 연결돼, 돌이키고 싶다면

우린 더 이상 눈을 마주하지 않을까?

소통하지 않을까? 사랑하지 않을까?

아픈 현실에 다시 눈물이 흘러

바꿀 수 있다고 바꾸면 된다고 말해요, 마마, 마마

Turn back

죽고, 죽이고, 싸우고, 외치고, 이건 전쟁이 아니야

도와줘요, 마마, 마마, 마마, 마마, turn back

깨닫게, 마마, 마마, 마마, 마마, rolling back

박고 치고 편을 나누고 싸우고, 이건 게임도 아니야

도와줘요, 마마, 마마, 마마, 마마, turn back

Yeah

Careless, careless (마마)

Shoot anonymous, anonymous (마마)

Heartless, mindless. (마마)

No one, who care about me? (마마)

삶에 허락된 축복받은 날들에 감사하고

매일 새로운 인연들을 만들고

깨져버린 마음에 보다, 기쁜 사랑을 모두 함께

웃을 수 있다면

우린 더 이상 눈을 마주하지 않을까?

소통하지 않을까? 사랑하지 않을까?

아픈 현실에 다시 눈물이 흘러

바꿀 수 있다고 바꾸면 된다고 말해요, 마마, 마마

Careless, careless

Shoot anonymous, anonymous

Heartless, mindless

No one, who care about me?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
careless /ˈkɛr.ləs/ B2	adjective - not giving enough attention to what one does
heartless /ˈhɑːrt.ləs/ B2	adjective - lacking compassion or kindness
mindless /ˈmaɪnd.ləs/ B2	adjective - acting without thought or consideration
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to have a deep affection for someone
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort
tears /tɪrz/ A2	noun - drops of clear salty liquid produced by the eyes
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2	verb - to make something different noun - the act of making something different
war /wɔːr/ B1	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country
help /hɛlp/ A1	verb - to assist someone
digital /ˈdɪdʒ.ɪ.təl/ B1	adjective - relating to or using signals or information represented by discrete values
blessing /ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/ B2	noun - a beneficial thing for which one is grateful
connection /kəˈnɛk.ʃən/ B1	noun - a relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else
reality /riˈæl.ɪ.ti/ B1	noun - the state of things as they actually exist
suffering /ˈsʌf.ər.ɪŋ/ B2	noun - the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship

Key Grammar Structures

• Why people have changed?

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense (have/has + past participle)

  ➔ Indicates actions or states that started in the past and continue to the present.

• Living in a digital prison

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense (am/is/are + verb + ing)

  ➔ Describes an action ongoing at the moment of speaking or in the current period.

• Can't help but cry

  ➔ Expression with 'help + verb-ing' indicating inability to prevent an action

  ➔ Expresses an uncontrollable emotional response or habitual reaction.

• If only I could change

  ➔ Second conditional (if + past simple, would + base verb)

  ➔ Expresses a hypothetical situation contrary to reality and a wish.

• Living with a blessed day

  ➔ Gerund phrase indicating an ongoing action or state

  ➔ Uses a gerund to describe an ongoing or habitual action or state.

• If only I could love again

  ➔ Second conditional (if + past simple, could + base verb)

  ➔ Expresses a wish or regret about a hypothetical ability or situation.