This is the song Man-dong has playing on the radio in EP01 when Young-ro and Seol-hee sneak down to retrieve the ddeok parcel Young-ro left outside when she made her daring climb through the dorm window. I’ve thought this before, but Snowdrop does with music what JK Rowling did with character names in Harry Potter. If you pay attention, the lyrics provide clues to different characters’ trajectories and hint at reveals that happen later on. Those who’ve watched to the show’s end will understand why this song suits Man-dong so well.
The song was released by Han Jeong-mu in 1950 as a single, and then as part of an album produced by Domido Records in 1954, but some claim an earlier version by Song Dal-hyeop predates it. The song is of a genre commonly known as trot, which emerged during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) and takes inspiration from genres of Korean, Japanese, and Western music. Like many of the songs that came out around the time of the Korean War (1950-1953), it captures the sense of loss, displacement, and longing experienced by those who found themselves separated from their homes and families when the 38th parallel was drawn.
Vocals: Han Jeong-mu (1950)
Composition: Kim Gi-tae | Lyrics: Park Doo-hwan
고향이 그리워도 못 가는 신세
gohyang-i geuriwo-do mot ganeun shinse
Though I long for my hometown, my lot is such that I cannot go to it
저 하늘 저 산 아래 아득한 천리
jeo haneul jeo san arae adeukhan cheolli
Beneath that sky, those mountains, that far-off distance
언제나 외로워라 타향에서 우는 몸
eonjena oerowora tahyang-eseo uneun mom
Alas, I’m ever lonely, I who cry in a strange land
꿈에 본 내 고향이 마냥 그리워
ggum-e bon nae gohyang-i manyang geuriwo
The hometown I dreamt of, I miss it endlessly
뜬 구름아 물어보자 어머님의 문안을
ddeun gureum-ah mureo-boja eomeonim-ui moonan-eul
Oh, floating clouds, let me ask you how my mother fares
달님아 비춰다오 인성이와 정숙이의 얼굴을
dalnim-ah bichwo-dao inseongi-wa jeongsooki-ui eolgul-eul
Mr Moon, pray shine down upon the faces of Inseong-ie and Jeongsook-ie
생시에 가지 못할 한 많은 운명이라면
saengshi-e gaji mot-hal han manheun unmyeong-iramyeon
If it’s my bitter fate to never be able to return in reality
꿈에라도 보내다오 어머님 무릎 앞에
ggum-erado bonae-dao eomeonim mureup ap-e
At least in my dreams, send me to my mother’s knee
아 아 어느 때 바치려나 부모님께 내 효성을
ah ah eoneu ttae bachiryeona bumonim-kke nae hyoseong-eul
Oh, oh, when will I be able to dedicate myself filially to my parents?
꿈에 본 내 고향이 마냥 그리워
ggum-e bon nae gohyang-i manyang geuriwo
The hometown I dreamt of, I miss it endlessly
고향을 떠나온지 몇몇 해던가
gohyang-eul ddeonaonji myeotmyeot haedeonga
How many years has it been since I left my hometown?
타관 땅 돌고돌아 헤매는 이 몸
tagwan ddang dolgo-dora hemaeneun i mom
I, who have gone round and round wandering strange lands
내 부모 내 형제를 그 언제나 만나리
nae bumo nae hyeongje-reul geu eonjena mannari
My parents, my siblings, may I meet them whenever [in dreams]
꿈에 본 내 고향을 차마 못 잊어
ggum-e bon nae gohyang-eul chama mot ijeo
The hometown I dreamt of, I cannot possibly forget it
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