[Korean Culture & Language] Cheap Coffee

Hello, this is Uptempo!


In the last article, I wrote that the term ‘싸구려’ refers to a ‘cheap and low-quality product’.

Chang Ki-ha has recently become more popular after releasing his first solo album ‘공중부양(Levitation)’. One of his oldest hit songs is titled ‘싸구려 커피 (Cheap coffee)’



The lyrics are as below:

싸구려 커피를 마신다
I’m sipping a cheap cup of coffee

미지근해 적잖이 속이 쓰려온다
It’s lukewarm and making my stomach hurt
(미지근하다 means lukewarm)

눅눅한 비닐장판에 발바닥이 쩍 달라붙었다 떨어진다
My feet keep sticking to the wet floor mat

이제는 아무렇지 않어 바퀴벌레 한 마리쯤 슥 지나가도
I’m no longer surprised when a cockroach passes by me.

무거운 매일 아침엔 다만 그저 약간의 기침이 멈출 생각을 않는다
Every heavy morning, I can’t seem to stop coughing

축축한 이불을 갠다
I fold my damp blanket and make my bed
(축축한 means wet or damp)

삐걱대는 문을 열고 밖에 나가 본다
I crack the door open
(‘삐걱’ is an onomatopoeia for the sound of door opening)

아직 덜 갠 하늘이 너무 가까워 숨 쉬기가 쉽질 않다
I can’t breathe because the morning sky feels too close to me
(숨 쉬다 means to breath)


He revealed in an interview that he wrote this song while serving in the military. Even though Ki-ha doesn’t enjoy coffee and it gives him heartburn, he couldn’t refuse the coffee because of the strong ‘상명하복(Seniors order, Juniors obey/top-down decision making)’ culture. Instead, he had to make and drink coffee for the seniors.

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