CyA - 아무것도 없었다는 듯이 (Like There Was Nothing) [HAN | ROM | ENG LYRICS]

☆ LINK TO SOUNDCLOUD:
/ gfvuifsjhdp9
TITLE: 아무것도 없었다는 듯이 (Like There Was Nothing)
ARTIST: CyA of ONEWE (원위)
RELEASED: 20.08.22
☆ Lyrics & Mixing: CyA
☆ Beat: mediumrarecookies
www.beatstars....
(Shout out to LightishRedGummi for finding the instrumental beat for this track!)
☆ TRANSLATION CLARIFICATIONS
Before we dive into a few translation clarifications, I wanted to apologize for uploading this a little late! I've been unexpectedly busy, so future lyrics uploads will also be a little staggered but I am currently working through requested ones for sure! (That being said, if you had any other lyrics translations, please let me know and I'll that to my to-do list)
00:27 - Acroville is a term referred to as the highest floor in an apartment complex!
00:30 - According to gaming terminology, "snowballing" is when someone secures success or a victory after a period of gradual improvement (hence the "Keep rolling" that CyA mentions)
00:48 - The Holy Grail seems to be a reference to the object from the King Arthur legends - an item that is always being pursued by knights
01:49 - 'Pandora's Box' is a special object in Greek Mythology, typically known as this box that looks enticing enough to be a gift, but in actuality, holds evil
Looking at this song as a whole though, it seems like he's referring to a game (especially with mentions of modifiers, swords, shields) though I'm unsure which game he's referring to LOL could be a roleplaying game with fantasy and medieval elements!
☆ TRANSLATIONS:
studioweus
curiouscat.me/g...
/ studioweus
May contain minor translation inaccuracies!
Future corrections will be added in closed captioning!
#ONEWE #latecya

[@TheCatOfficiel]

Ooh I'm so happy you translated this song ! I instantly fell in love with it as soon as I heard it for the first time. It might be my second favorite song of his, right after Alchemy !
By the way, I find it interesting how it seems like he used lots of video games references to tackle another topic. Like I don't know if it is only me, but this sounds almost like a diss track directed towards people on the internet. Some of the lyrics make it seem like he addresses mean or malicious comments, cyberbullying, constant scrutiny over public figures, and stuff like that. As always, this is only me theorizing over nothing because we all know our genius maknae loves cryptical lyrics and references 😂
Actually, there are not that many diss parts. He says at the beginning of the song that he'll keep on rising and working towards his dream despite the adversity (0:28-0:34), but as soon as the lyrics "replace the Holy Grail here in this bad atmosphere" (0:48) comes up, it's like the true topic of the song unveils. This lyric by the way seems like a pretty simple metaphor of his goal/dream as the Holy Grail. The said adversity could then be referring to what is said and "tackled" (0:18) constantly over the internet, which leads to a toxic and "bad atmosphere".
1:32 : The invention of the Internet brought with it a new way of expressing oneself anonymously, thus an "innovative" definition of what's "good and evil". Morals play a huge part in defining what's good or bad, but the internet is a tribunal with no morals involved. By the way, he mentions his dream again but not as a reachable Holy Grail anymore - now it seems weak and at the edge of being crushed. Finally at 2:07, "the remaining bud is eventually cut". As if there was no hope left because people will keep on crushing it.
0:53 is then pretty self-explanatory. The next lyrics "You always cause avalanches" (0:55) is really interesting since public figures might know better than us how everything can get out of hand so fast. A single word on twitter can ruin someone's career or life. Hence the avalanche ; the more snow rushes down a mountain, the more snow it drags.
I feel like the important turning point is that those people are not in the right because their hearts are "tangled with resentment all day long" (0:46) and have "thorns" in them (0:40). They do not want to spread positivity but are the first ones to complain when it backfires. This is what the lyrics "you always raise your spear and shield" (1:03) made me think of. But it could also be about how we often see people creating rumors about someone, to divert everyone's attention from someone else's mistake or whatever. Lastly, it could mean how some people are aggressive because they're insecure, they attack others to defend themselves from their own problems somehow.
This is further detailed at 2:05 : it feels good when you say certain things, but they have consequences.
Because to get there, they make use of very hurtful and heavy words "like it was nothing", like they "held no value" (1:12). To the point where it made CyA question his every move and every word even when he had nothing to be ashamed of. He says "admitting bit by bit that I was in the wrong" (1:14) without stating what he may have done wrong. It sounds almost like he's forced/is forcing himself to apologize for being a human being, to begin with. This can be linked to the "exaggerated expectations" (0:35) put over idols. They're expected to be perfect to the point that they might not allow themselves to behave like humans anymore. 1:50 The "fierce skills" that make him who he is are "forbidden", stuck in Pandora's box (is it a metaphor of the kpop industry as a poisoned gift - all sparkly and shiny on the outside, but dark or even rotten on the inside ?)
But Pandora's box is leaking because his forbidden and fierce skills are emerging from it. He's no longer containing this pressure as he's "about to explode" (1:46), and he literally describes himself as a drone, i.e. a robot in a way. This is also interesting because a drone usually flies high enough to see lots of things. It might be a reminder that public figures surf on the internet the same way we do, so if we stumble upon hatred comments, then they can see them too.
Therefore, those toxic netizens better not be listened nor answered to, because it would mean giving them the attention they crave : 0:57-1:01, 1:05.
"Little concern for the hate reveals frightening decisions" (1:27) sounds like it holds a double meaning. On the one hand, it could mean that the way a person has no problem with throwing hate shows how bad of a person they are, and how bad they are at making decisions. But on the other hand, it could also mean that the hate random people throw on the internet can push those targeted to make very extreme decisions, which I will not further develop because I don't want to trigger anyone.
1:45 : "I keep drawing the line" this reminded me of IU's song "Bbibbi" which tackles the topic of privacy, private life and stuff like that. In Bbibbi, there's a lyric saying "yellow C.A.R.D" as a warning given to people who would cross the line between their lives and their idols'. I think it refers to soccers' yellow and red cards, and CyA also mentions a "red card" at 0:24. "Crossing the line" could also simply mean going too far in targetting someone. Or maybe it refers to people who think they're friends with their idols, to the point they forget that they're literally strangers to each other. (is it the right timing to mention that yes, I hold a grudge against Pocketdols ? 😂)
This song sounds like a piece of advice to anyone who listens to it. But it could also be a description of his everyday life : 1:07, "When another day passes by anyway", he sounds like he's used to it and almost bored of it at this point, since it has become a daily thing for him to expect. He describes himself as "the dull edge of the sanctuary blade, that shines after installation" (1:52) : it could mean that everything was ok at the beginning but as time passed by (a sanctuary is often seen as something old and ancient), his whole environment took a toll on him and he slowly became dull.
I don't know if he talks specifically about him or if he depicts his artist acquaintances' lives as well, but either way, I think this can apply to every public figure out there.
The title of the song also leads me to this conclusion. "Like there was nothing" could be an advice to ignore the negativity, but It could also be a plain description of his state of mind : all of this is so common to him that it has almost become unnoticeable.
Wow, this was kind of a long one ! I just want to add a reminder that this is all only my interpretation - I love analyzing CyA's lyrics because they always hold way more meaning than we think ! 😊 It's just a fun thing for me to do. Plus, I'm using the English translation but I'm sure that the original Korean lyrics have more nuances and double meanings that could be interesting to analyze as well. And of course @studioweus, thank you again for translating the song ! ♥️

[@studioweus]

WOW 😱 it’s always such a treat reading your theories because they’re always so fully-explained (and I SO wish I could access TH-cam on my work computer so I can give a proper response regarding the important points you mentioned but I’ll have to pin this here for future reference - and for other onlookers as well to comment on because I just ... can’t even wholly describe in words how amazing this theory is.)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea that this is about responding to negative comments - be it from toxic gaming communities or even just the entertainment industry in general. I especially love the avalanche metaphor you pointed out, like an onslaught of words in a sense! It was a good subtle callback to the snowball that CyA gradually rolls up to improve himself (and like snowballs, maybe to chuck at incoming enemies 😌🤙🏼)
Equating Pandora’s Box to the industry was also a great analogy! On the outside it looks perfect, flawless - but on the inside, it may be that we’ve taken a quick glance but perhaps we’ll never truly know the reality of the turmoil within. Yet try as they might to write about their struggles, problems that need to be addressed, it seems like they’re still being held back, and they’re still stuck inside the box (which now that I point it out here, being trapped in a box of conformity sounds familiar)
There’s so much I want to say (just because of how well thought-out this was!) Thank you for sharing your insightful comments, Marie! 😌

[@TheCatOfficiel]

@@studioweus @studioweus Oh your answer is so heart-warming ! I love discussing about CyA's songs with you haha 😆
Your take on the snowball thing is interesting ! I didn't connect the dots but CyA never leaves anything to chance right ? His lyrics are always so well-thought. Sometimes I wonder about his thinking process, because it feels like he builds a whole treasure hunt every time (or writes an Alchemy essay !). As if he was thrilled just thinking about the listeners taking time to decrypt the lyrics. It makes the lyricist part of his works more worthy of the time he spent on it which makes me glad !

[@sarahnaz1544]

My interpretation was kinda the same and I love how you've made it all so clearer

[@garfiled1412chesire]

thank you for writing this!!! I have a feeling that this is a diss track too but couldn't explain why and now that I read your interpretation I can start to think more about it! I find it interesting though that this is a track he chose to be released as his 10k subscribers celebration :)))

[@wahyurockman]

Maybe Cya one of the best rapper-bassit-producer-artist right now in SK music scene
Folk, we all seing how a legend make a path in music industry right now.

[@einsame_Maria]

This is a bop. It's so good, like even not taking the lyrics into consideration. It's just so cool wow
Cyaaaaaaa our little genius

[@TheSonafox]

아 이 곡 참 좋네요. 키아는 참 곡을 잘 쓰고 가사도 잘 쓰는 듯.

[@CarlaGLara]

I really like this song. Cya is so good composer.

[@billieeilishpieinthesky5939]

역시 우리 키아 오빠 랩 작사 진짜 잘해 예쁜 가사도 있어서 그 노래만 며칠째 듣는
1인..0ㅅ0...

[@ri-kr5ok]

so young yet so talented

[@May-xh9wb]

i love this kid

[@PLANET_NO831]

이 노래 너무 한곡 반복하고 싶어ㅠ 이렇게 좋아도 되는건가요😭❤

[@pstfu5265]

I’m in love

[@TheSonafox]

들으면 들을 수록 좋네요

[@ReminisceAboutAll]

Thank you so much for translating another masterpiece from our genius maknae 🥺 my mind still can't proceed how all those metaphors and wordplay come to his mind 🥺💕
Also special thanks to you for compiling & explaining all those references, bet it was hard 🥺

[@kc9494]

thank you for this!! ngl this recent release of cya's made me so curious as to what he was actually referring to and your translation made it clear!! hehe some terms do still confuse me cs i'm not a gamer but this is really interesting! his genius mind, really!!
also.. i was worried why you haven't been uploading recently but at least we know already! hehe fighting!! and please don't pressure yourself too much. again, thank you for your hardwork!

[@studioweus]

Haha I play games often -maybe more often than I’d like to admit- but I still didn’t quite catch half the jargon in his lyrics LOL truly a genius 😌
And thank you 🥺 I hope you’re also taking care of yourself!!

[@SunnySeaMonster]

Yay! I clicked so fast on this notification... Thank you! I'm addition to appreciating the thoughtful translations, I like adding your videos to various YT playlists, so that I can hear his tracks when the shuffle gods decide to bless me with his work. It reminds me to go poke his SoundCloud every time one plays!

[@cutelydead]

I LOVE YOU STUDIOWEUS AS MUCH AS I LOVE CYA'S SONGS ON SOUNDCLOUD 😭😭😭😭

[@bearyorange]

Not my bias, but maaaaaaaaaaan this boy can write and compose such good music. And I love him for that😊

[@Ollie0094]

Thank you for the translation! Studioweus here to bless us all again ~
Aaah his raps make me want to learn korean - if they are so cool even when translated, I'm curious to see just how cool the original is heheh
also I wish he'd share with us the kind of games he plays and loves referincing in his songs !
Thanks again, stay well! 💕💕

[@studioweus]

Yes!! I would definitely encourage the learning Korean 👀👌🏼 it can be challenging, but it’s always interesting to learn another language in general as well!
And yeah ikr? I feel like he’s dropped quite a few game references before but ???? _which_ games are they from 🤔🤔🤔

[@rei-oi4uy]

Its a really good song, thank you!

[@garfiled1412chesire]

Thank you so much for translating this!
This song is so... intense/? It's interesting how he uploaded this for 10k subs owo

[@RA-mw1yc]

I wish its available on spotify or apple music. 🔥🔥🔥

[@kanobelx5950]

We missed you!! Thank you so much for translating this and all your hard work

[@maggie3336]

Thank you!! This song is extra groovy and knowing the lyrics makes it all the better :)

[@naturegirl9981]

Groovy song. Great syncopation between lyrics and the beat.

[@lexday3862]

Thank you for the translation 🧡. The lyric is really interesting as espected from giwook

[@anaelleroberfroid1700]

I LOVE YOU 🤩

[@cat_goose9592]

this is so catchy oh man

[@SecilSahin36]

Thank you! 💕

[@norman9697]

Wow

[@지윤-x4m]

내가 이런스타일좋아하는거어케알고...진짜 나 이기욱한테 사랑에빠졌음... 오빠나가져....

[@꿈이생기고싶어요]

이거 왜 멜론에 앖어요?!??!ㅠㅠ

[@lililiiilllilill]

2:37 who is this

[@sharonchu6151]

cya

[@CxCcCcCcCcCCCCC]

thank you so much for the translation!!

[@Karhn2012]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@Yourclovercosplay]

Thank you so much!