The hidden meaning of BIBI's 'Sweet Sorrow of Mother'

 

*Hello, guys :) I'm here to tell you the hidden message in BiBi's new song, 'Sweet Sorrow of Mother'.

 

Even though my english is bad, I wrote this post because I wanted to share this interesting song especially with people who don't know korean and who are interested in BIBI. I'm not a professional translator, so there can be mistranslations. If you find any mistakes in my writing, please leave a comment so I can learn from it. Thank you!

 

https://youtu.be/wqGr9_zh0S0

비비 (BIBI) - 불륜 (Sweet Sorrow of Mother) Official M/V

 

Korean singer-songwriter BIBI unveiled the music video for "Sweet Sorrow of Mother" three weeks ago.

 

When you see only the English title and lyrics of the song, you might think "Sweet Sorrow of Mother" is a song about a mother's love and sacrifice. However, you will find out there is another meaning if you take a deeper look at the Korean title and lyrics. 

 

Double meaning behind BIBI's song, '불륜(Sweet Sorrow of Mother)' 

 

mother's love for her child or a woman's cheating

 

1. Korean Title : 불륜 

'불륜' means 'Infidelity(=an affair)' in English. BiBi intended for us to interpret her song in 2 different contexts. 

 

2. Lyrics Interpretation (in my own way)

When it's about 'an affair', the song might be about something comepletely different than you previously thought. 

 

Korean lyrics	English lyrics (translation in music video)
사랑 말입니다 1) 대중 없습니다 내 품조각을 도려가 당신의 배를 불려도 거뜬히 내어줄 만큼 2) 그대를 합니다	love, you see there's no calculating  even if you cut off a piece of me and fill your stomach I'm willing to give to you with no hesitation that's how much I do you
Two different interpretations 1. Mother loves her precious child so much that she can endure the pain and sacrifice for her baby.  2. Someone falls in love with her lover and keeps her affair a secret.

 

1) '대중없습니다.' has two meanings.

 

First, 'being hard to guess'.

 ex) 그녀의 행동은 대중없습니다. Her behavior is hard to predict. 

 ex) 그의 말은 대중없다. His remarks are inconsistent. 

 ex) 시댁의 대중없는 방문 A sudden visit by my in-laws.

 ex) 그는 대중없는 대답을 했다. He gave a vague answer. 

 

Second, 'being hard to set a standard or average'.

 ex) 퇴근 시간이 대중없다. There is no fixed time when I get off work. 

 ex) 대중없는 수입 an irregular income 

 

In the case of this sentence, '사랑 말입니다 대중없습니다' can be interpreted like 'love is something that we can't fathom', 'love is fathomless', 'love can't be measured', etc. So this sentence seems to imply about mother's great love or someone who fell in love with her lover. 

 

wordplay

 

Also, '대중' has a meaning of 'the public'. So when there is a space between 대중 and 없습니다, '대중 없습니다' can also mean 'there are no crowds'. Looking at the sentence, an image came to my mind. Cheaters hiding their affair from people. They hide themselves away in a place where there is no one, trying not to be found by their wife and husband or trying not to be blamed by the public. 

 

2) 그대를 합니다 = I do you

 

What she really wants to say is 'I love you'. However, instead of taking a word 'love', she uses 'do' as a verb. She hides  'love' because she either knows what she's doing is wrong or else cherish love so much that she can't even say it loud.

 

Korean lyrics	English lyrics
3) 약속 말입니다 자신 있습니다 내 머리칼을 오려가 그대 자식을 입혀도 거뜬히 기다릴 만큼 그때를 압니다	promise, you see I'm confident even if you cut my hair and dress your child I'm willing to wait no matter how long that's the moment I know
Two different interpretations 1. Mother promises to love her child forever. (also the grandchild) 2. (Check below▼)

 

3) Summary : However long it takes, she'll wait for him to come

 

She is confident to wait for her married partner until her hair gets so long. She says she can even dress his child with her longer hair. She waits for the moment to be together with him and maybe even wants to see his child. 

 

giving a love bite to an affair partner even she knows he goes home to his wife and kids

 

Korean lyrics	English lyrics
사랑을 합니다 몰래 해봅니다 4) 내 깊은 곳에 적어서 매일 밤 나를 떠날 때 5) 마지막 때 쓴 포옹에 묻혀 보냅니다	I love I do it secretly when you write somewhere deep inside of me and leave me every night I send it with the hug  leaving trace when you leave
Two different interpretations 1. Mother deeply cherish her child. 2. (Check Below▼)

 

4) Sexual intimacy

 

You don't need an explanation. Just see the lyrics. 'When you write somewhere deep inside of me and leave me every night' Even though I don't tell you the hidden meaning, you might already know what it means. After having a good time in bed, her lover goes back home.

 

5)  An affair never stays secret

 

"Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth." –Buddha
"Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears all things, and discloses all." –Sophocles

 

She says she loves him secretly, but she leaves trace when he leaves. Trace can be a hickey or something. Anyway, she's indirectly letting his wife know that she exists and might hope that he will be caught some day. She wants him to choose her, not his wife. 

 

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There are diverse interpretations about the last scene of the music video

 

As the title of this song is 'Sweet Sorrow of Mother', the audience in the music video might have thought it is just a touching song of mother's love. Or for people who didn't care about the title, they might have thought that it's a song about a crush. Yep, but actually, not an ordinary crush. She has crush on a married man and sang a song while thinking of him!

 

People didn't recognize what she was hiding, so they were impressed and applauded after BiBi finished a song. She looks at the audience for a long time with an awkward face and then smiles with a tear rolling down her cheek. What does the ending mean? We can interpret it in many ways.

 

In my opinion, she might have felt nervous to sing that kind of song at first. She might have felt guilty and ashamed, but she doesn't stop justifying her affair, saying she loves him sincerely. Of course, with circumlocution and metaphor. When she finally received applause, she felt relieved and understood. But at the same time, she knows people don't know her true intention. I think that's why she smiles sadly in the end.

 

What do you think of the last scene? Or do you have any other opinions? If you do, don't be afraid to share your opinion in the comments! Thank you for reading through :)