(translated in 2024)

Like many other ARMYs, I eagerly anticipated Jimin’s new song last week, and on my first listen, I was taken aback. It wasn’t that I disliked the song; in fact, I rather enjoyed its bubbly art-pop sound and brass instruments. But I had anticipated another direction due to its connection with the Smeraldo Garden motif from BTS’s 2018 song “The Truth Untold.” It’s one of the saddest songs in pop history, and I assumed the lyrics of “SGMB” would echo that ambiance, if not fully adhere to it.

However, in contrast to RM’s somber lyrics, where the Smeraldo Garden blooms only solitude and thorns of despair, Jimin’s garden is a place of happiness, where flowers dance everywhere. The melody is blissful and florid, unlike the poignant vocals and melancholic sound of the earlier song. 

Many members of my online community shared my sentiments, with some even stating that “SGMB” was not their cup of tea. However, after five days of listening and contemplation, I shed my initial reservations. The more I listened, the more the song grew on me. Simultaneously, I began to understand why Jimin wanted to transform the garden from a place of melancholy into one of joy.

First, in his album “Face,” Jimin poured all his emotional struggles and self-doubts into songs like “Set Me Free Pt. 2” and “Like Crazy.” Having resolved some of his internal conflicts through those efforts, he appeared to have arrived in this garden of optimism and love. In addition, he crafted this song just before entering the military. The prospect of being away from ARMY was undoubtedly a sad affair for both him and his fans. I believe he aimed to soften the blow by offering something positive and wholesome for ARMY to enjoy while we eagerly await his return.

Furthermore, Jimin revealed that the song drew inspiration from the Beatles’ iconic album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” As someone who loves music, I consider this masterpiece the second best album in the history of rock music, only after the Beatles’ incomparable ‘Rubber Soul.’ Older ARMYs who cherish the Beatles know this album emerged three years before their breakup. Unique among their later works, it stands out for its bubbly, blissful sounds and lyrics, created during a time when the group was experimenting with drugs and grappling with ennui, burnout, and conflicts between members. The album cover itself is a vivid tapestry of colors and images, adorned with flowers in the foreground. Jimin must have aspired to capture this sense of cheerfulness in his song.

On a side note, when Jimin mentions ‘June 12th’ early in the song—“시작된 건 6월 12일 (sih-jahk-dwen guhn yuk-wol sihp-yi-il) (It started on June 12th)”—I believe he is paying homage to the Beatles’ opening track on the “Sgt. Pepper’s…” album, where they sing, “It was twenty years ago today” (referring to the fictional start of Sgt. Pepper’s band). Jimin also concludes his song with “막이 오르고 조명이 켜지면 (mahk-yi oh-leu-goh jo-myung-yi kyuh-jih-myun),” meaning “when the curtain rises and the lights come on,” followed by “turn up the music,” echoing the Beatles’ playful notion in their first track of the album that the world is a grand stage where music is performed joyfully, as they sing, “We hope you will enjoy the show… you’re such a lovely audience.”

It’s as if Jimin devised the prelude to the Beatles’ lines, seamlessly dovetailing into their lyrics:

(Jimin)

When curtain rises and lights come on

Turn up the music

(The Beatles)

We hope you’ll enjoy the show

You’re such a lovely audience

Finally, “TTU” was released during a time when BTS members were seriously contemplating disbandment. Their inner turmoil was fiercely externalized in the concurrently released song, “Love Yourself: Tear.” Perhaps the members are now ready to let go of any lingering bitterness. After all, when Jimin approached RM and the others with the idea of transforming the Smeraldo Garden, they must have embraced his vision.

Returning to “TTU,” the song’s core message is about self-love. It emphasizes that in order to truly love someone else, you must first love yourself. If you are not true to yourself, you risk living a life filled with regret. Jimin, in the pre-chorus, reinforces this message in ‘SGMB,’ assuring us that he will inspire and help us to be true to ourselves with these lines:

전하지 못한 말 

숨겨왔던 너의 맘 

다 전해줄 거야 

더는 고민하지 마 

우리가 함께니까 

솔직해져 봐

The truth untold, 

The feelings you’ve been hiding, 

I’ll relay them all for you. 

Don’t think too much, 

For we are together. 

Be true to yourself.

It’s intriguing that Jimin chose to take on the role of a muse (also the title of his upcoming album) in this song, encouraging the protagonist of the Smeraldo Garden to be true to himself. Jimin promises to relay the protagonist’s hidden truths and unspoken feelings to the girl who frequents his garden.

Incidentally, the translation in the official YouTube music video is incorrect for the pre-chorus. The line “다 전해줄 거야 (dah juhn-hae-jool guh-ya)” is translated as “I’ll tell you everything now,” but anyone who speaks Korean knows “전해줄 거야 (juhn-hae-jool guh-ya)” means “I’ll relay/deliver/impart/tell on your behalf.” Given the preceding line, “숨겨왔던 너의 맘 (soom-gyuh-waht-duhn nuh-eui mahm) (the feelings you’ve been hiding),” the accurate translation should be: “The feelings you’ve been hiding, I’ll relay them all for you,” along with “전하지 못한 말 (juhn-hah-ji moht-hahn mahl) (the truth untold). 

Notably, the first line of the pre-chorus is written exactly as the Korean title of “The Truth Untold,” ‘전하지 못한 말.’

For your information, the Youtube translation of the pre-chorus is:

All the things we couldn’t say before

And your hidden feelings too

I’ll tell you everything now

The correct translation should be:

The truth untold,

The feelings you’ve been hiding,

I’ll relay them all for you.

I also love that Loco, in verse 2, sings as the protagonist of the garden now touched by Jimin, the muse.

Although I was perplexed after the first listen, I have come to appreciate “SGMB” not just as a separate song by Jimin, but as a BTS song that symbolizes out with the old and in with the new. Here are my translations of the lyrics for “TTU” and “SGMB.” The transformation of the Smeraldo Garden becomes especially conspicuous when you consider them together.

The Truth Untold

Verse 1 (V):

Solitude is fully

Blooming in this garden, 

With thorns of despair.

I’ve confined myself to this sandcastle.

Verse 2 (JK):

Wonder what’s your name?

Are you stranded all alone?

Oh, could you tell me?

I watched you hiding in my garden.

Pre-Chorus 1 (Jin):

And I know,

You’re not a figment of my imagination.

Those hands plucking a green flower,

I wish I could hold them.

Chorus (Jimin):

(but) My destiny’s already set.

Don’t smile on me, light on me,

For I refuse to get near you at all.

I can’t ever know your name to call.

Post-Chorus (JK):

You know that I can’t show you me, give you me.

I won’t reveal my sorry existence to you.

Masked again, I’ll watch you from afar.

But I still want you.

Verse 3 (Jin):

In my garden of loneliness,

A flower that befits you,

I wanted to hand it to you,

Without the silly mask on me.

Pre-Chorus 2 (Jimin):

But I know,

My hopes will never materialize,

For I must hide myself low,

Wallowing in the inferiority of my being.

Chorus 2 (V):

I’m terrified of my insignificance.

I’m so afraid,

You’ll flee like the rest.

Masked again, I’ll watch you from afar.

Post-Chorus (JK):

All I can do in this garden, this world

Is to grow a pretty flower resembling you

And persist to exist unbeknownst to you.

But I still want you.

Chorus 3 (Jin):

When you came,

If I’d summoned just a little courage

To reveal myself to you,

Would our destinies have turned out otherwise?

Bridge (Jimin):

I’m in tears.

In this perished, crumbled sandcastle, 

I’m left all alone,

As I stare at the shattered mask.

Outro (Jimin, JK):

And I still want you.

But I still want you.

But I still want you.

And I still want you.

Smeraldo Garden Marching Band

Verse 1:

Say, “oh”

For you, my harmony.

Oh, say, “love.”

Well, let me introduce:

It started on June 12th,

Offering bliss every day.

Say, “oh.”

(Let’s talk about us)

Pre-Chorus:

The truth untold, 

The feelings you’ve been hiding, 

I’ll relay them all for you. 

(Just for you)

Don’t think too much, 

For we are together. 

Be true to yourself.

(Let’s go)

Chorus:

Mmm, I love you, babe.

I’ll move closer to you.

I love you, babe.

(Yes, sir)

Mmm, I want you, babe

I wanna hold your hands.

I want you, babe

Verse 2 (Loco):

Reverse, fade away, everyday new.

I’ll call your name, you just keep blooming.

We match together, jam, keeping vibing.

Can’t talk to you directly, but for you,

Made a band.

I’ve been looking for love.

Just for you.

Quickening pace,

I can’t stop. (can’t stop)

No matter the date, you linger over me

All day long!

If I were to be tapped,

pop, I might burst, so large with love!

Jimin: (Let’s talk about us) 

Pre-Chorus 2:

The glittering sky

And the dancing flowers

Will join us.

(All for you)

So tell me how you feel.

Whatever you’re feeling,

Just go with that flow.

(Let’s go)

Chorus:

Mmm, I love you, babe.

I’ll move closer to you.

I love you, babe.

(Yes, sir)

Mmm, I want you, babe

I wanna hold your hands.

I want you, babe

(Take it to the bridge)

Bridge:

When curtain rises and lights come on,

Everyone will take their seats.

Turn up the music, we’re ready.

We’ll start one, two~

Put your hands up!

Outro:

Ooh, wee

Making of SGMB