Tony's Web
Evergreen
(상록수)
| performed by | Yang Hee-eun (양희은) | |
|---|---|---|
| lyrics and music by | Kim Min-gi (김민기) | |
| album (Yang Hee-eun) | Like the Lush Pines in the Barren Field (거치른 들판에 푸르른 솔잎처럼), 1979 | |
| album (Kim Min-gi) | Kim Min-gi 3 (김민기 3), 1993 |
| 상록수 | Evergreen | |
|---|---|---|
| 저 들에 푸르른 솔잎을 보라 | Look at the lush pine trees in the field | |
| 돌보는 사람도 하나 없는데 | Out there with no one looking after them | |
| 비바람 맞고 눈보라 쳐도 | Facing wind and rain, taking snowstorms | |
| 온 누리 끝까지 맘껏 푸르다 | They are thriving green all over the world | |
| 서럽고 쓰리던 지난날들도 | The old times of sorrow and hardship | |
| 다시는 다시는 오지 말라고 | We pray not again, we pray never again | |
| 땀 흘리리라 깨우치리라 | We will toil, we will enlighten ourselves | |
| 거칠은 들판에 솔잎 되리라 | To be the evergreen in the barren field | |
| 우리들 가진 것 비록 적어도 | Though we have little in our possession | |
| 손에 손 맞잡고 눈물 흘리니 | Holding hands in hands we shed a tear | |
| 우리 나갈 길 멀고 험해도 | Long and hard though our road may be | |
| 깨치고 나아가 끝내 이기리라 | We'll lead ourselves to prevail in the end | |
| 우리 가진 것 비록 적어도 | Though we have little in our possession | |
| 손에 손 맞잡고 눈물 흘리니 | Holding hands in hands we shed a tear | |
| 우리 나갈 길 멀고 험해도 | Long and hard though our road may be | |
| 깨치고 나아가 끝내 이기리라 | We'll lead ourselves to prevail in the end | |
| 깨치고 나아가 끝내 이기리라 | We'll lead ourselves to prevail in the end |
| 상록수 |
|---|
| 저 들에 푸르른 솔잎을 보라 |
| 돌보는 사람도 하나 없는데 |
| 비바람 맞고 눈보라 쳐도 |
| 온 누리 끝까지 맘껏 푸르다 |
| 서럽고 쓰리던 지난날들도 |
| 다시는 다시는 오지 말라고 |
| 땀 흘리리라 깨우치리라 |
| 거칠은 들판에 솔잎 되리라 |
| 우리들 가진 것 비록 적어도 |
| 손에 손 맞잡고 눈물 흘리니 |
| 우리 나갈 길 멀고 험해도 |
| 깨치고 나아가 끝내 이기리라 |
| 우리 가진 것 비록 적어도 |
| 손에 손 맞잡고 눈물 흘리니 |
| 우리 나갈 길 멀고 험해도 |
| 깨치고 나아가 끝내 이기리라 |
| 깨치고 나아가 끝내 이기리라 |
| Evergreen |
|---|
| Look at the lush pine trees in the field |
| Out there with no one looking after them |
| Facing wind and rain, taking snowstorms |
| They are thriving green all over the world |
| The old times of sorrow and hardship |
| We pray not again, we pray never again |
| We will toil, we will enlighten ourselves |
| To be the evergreen in the barren field |
| Though we have little in our possession |
| Holding hands in hands we shed a tear |
| Long and hard though our road may be |
| We'll lead ourselves to prevail in the end |
| Though we have little in our possession |
| Holding hands in hands we shed a tear |
| Long and hard though our road may be |
| We'll lead ourselves to prevail in the end |
| We'll lead ourselves to prevail in the end |
Kim Min-gi's Evergreen (상록수) is known as a song written for the occasion of a mass wedding (or it could have been multiple weddings) of friends he was working with as a laborer. It comes across as a solemn declaration by people embarking on a new journey in their quest for a better future, regardless of who it might have been written for originally. In the newfound courage and resolve, the protagonists vow to change themselves, to be strong and resilient like the evergreen pines, no matter how long and hard the road may be, and all this by working hard and enlightening themselves rather than blaming or antagonizing others.
Much like the earlier Morning Dew (아침이슬), the song is a message of hope, inspiring many who have fallen on a hard time and serving as a rallying cry of solidarity for citizens on many momentous occasions of recent Korean history. It has left the creator's hand, as he once mentioned in an interview, and gone to the hearts of the mass, to become an anthem for the resilient ordinary people.
The song ends with a determined self-declaration that they'll lead themselves to prevail in the end. Carried by Yang Hee-eun's refreshing voice that seems to appeal to the soul, it stays with you as a resolute message of peace and hope, as an unwavering will to march on in search of good.
