ZEN – English Lyrics

• By: JENNIE
• Album: Ruby

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into JENNIE's 'ZEN,' a captivating song that offers more than just a melody. Its introspective lyrics and powerful message of self-empowerment and inner peace make it a unique listen. Exploring 'ZEN' can provide insight into modern Korean artistic expression and the deeper philosophical themes that resonate across cultures, making it a great song to engage with the language and its nuanced meanings.

[English]

I tell 'em, "Down, now"

On that energy, yes

I am what you think about me

Cross me, please, I'ma keep it Z

Zen, presence, bless

Money can't buy sixth sense

Baddest, 'kay, so make me better

Fire aura, quiet chatter

Shoot, shoot, shoot, I make them scatter

They can't move my matter

Nobody gon' move my soul, gon' move my aura, my matter

Nobody gon' move my light, gon' touch my glow, my matter

Nobody gon', all this power make 'em scatter

No, nobody gon' touch my soul, gon' match my glow, like, I dare you (hey)

(Ah, ah) shake me

(Ah, ah) hey

Thick skin layer like chains on chains on chains

Wear the pressure on my neck and rings

Rain, midnight bloom

In the dark, I grew

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot (freeze)

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot (gleam)

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot (one hunnid, one hunnid), shoot, shoot (ten)

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot (one hunnid)

Money cannot buy no real friends

Baddest, they can't make me badder

Fire aura, quiet chatter

Shoot, shoot, shoot, I make 'em scatter

They can't move my matter

Nobody gon' move my soul, gon' move my aura, my matter

Nobody gon' move my light, gon' touch my glow, my matter

Nobody gon', all this power make 'em scatter

No, nobody gon' touch my soul, gon' match my glow, like, I dare you (hey)

(Ah, ah) shake me

(Ah, ah) hey

(Ah, ah)

(Ah, ah) can't be two of one

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
energy /ˈenərdʒi/ B1	noun - the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity
presence /ˈprezns/ B2	noun - the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing
bless /bles/ B2	verb - to consecrate or dedicate to some holy purpose; to invoke divine favor upon
sense /sens/ A2	noun - a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch
aura /ˈɔːrə/ B2	noun - the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke
chatter /ˈtʃætər/ B2	noun - rapid talk about matters of little importance.
scatter /ˈskætər/ B2	verb - throw in various random directions
matter /ˈmætər/ A2	noun - physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
glow /ɡloʊ/ B1	noun - a steady radiance of light or heat
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality
skin /skɪn/ A1	noun - the outer protective layer of the body
pressure /ˈpreʃər/ B1	noun - the exertion of force upon a surface by an object, fluid, etc., in contact with it
rain /reɪn/ A1	noun - moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops.
bloom /bluːm/ B2	noun - a flower
dark /dɑːrk/ A1	adjective - with little or no light.

Key Grammar Structures

• I am what you think about me

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'what'

  ➔ The word "what" acts as both the subject/object of the relative clause and the conjunction connecting it to the main clause. It refers to 'the thing that'. Example: I am *the thing that* you think about me.

• I'ma keep it Z

  ➔ Informal Contraction ('I'ma'), Object Complement

  ➔ "I'ma" is a contraction of "I am going to". "Z" functions as an object complement, describing the state that the speaker will keep "it" (likely referring to her attitude or composure).

• Money can't buy sixth sense

  ➔ Modal verb of ability ('can't')

  ➔ "can't" expresses inability. Here, it indicates that money lacks the ability to purchase a sixth sense.

• Nobody gon' move my soul, gon' move my aura, my matter

  ➔ Double negative with 'Nobody' and 'gon'' (going to)

  ➔ "Nobody" already implies negation. "gon'" is a colloquial shortening of "going to". While grammatically, a double negative can sometimes imply a positive, here it emphasizes the impossibility of someone moving her soul, aura, or matter.

• Wear the pressure on my neck and rings

  ➔ Metaphorical use of 'wear' to describe handling pressure

  ➔ While literally 'wear' means to have clothing/accessories on your body, here it is used metaphorically to suggest that the speaker handles pressure as if it were something tangible she can carry. She 'wears' it like jewelry.

• In the dark, I grew

  ➔ Simple Past Tense, Implied Contrast

  ➔ The simple past tense "grew" describes a completed action in the past. The phrase implies a contrast: even in difficult circumstances ('the dark'), the speaker experienced growth. This creates an undertone meaning regardless of challenges, she still thrived.

• can't be two of one

  ➔ Modal verb of impossibility (can't), prepositional phrase (of one)

  ➔ "can't be" expresses impossibility, in this case, that two things can exist when there is essentially only one. The prepositional phrase "of one" modifies "two" emphasizing the unique or singular nature of what is being discussed. It means there cannot be two of the same unique entity.