Most of the songs in mono were created by RM as meditations on life, meant to comfort his listeners by assuring them that the hardships and loneliness they endure are struggles he has also faced, and continues to face alongside them. Among these is “Moonchild,” a song of uncommon beauty whose lyrics, wrapped in vivid metaphors and imagery, are sincere, eloquent, and deeply emotional.

The term moonchild, loosely defined as someone idiosyncratic or out of step with the world, becomes in RM’s hands the embodiment of a person lying awake deep into the night, gripped by anxiety about an uncertain future, a feeling he knows all too well. “Moonchild” unfolds like an imagistic poem designed to heighten their senses. It’s as if RM is whispering in their ear, telling them that even in the roughest seasons of life, it’s okay, as long as they remember that other moonchildren are out there, ready to lean on one another. You can feel, in the very rhythms of his delivery, that he wants them to absorb every word; the melodies and beats follow the inflections of the lyrics, as though shaped around their emotional contours.

In the intro and first verse, he offers paradoxical and almost pessimistic counsel: We’re born to be sad, so start to be glad; pain is our destiny, so dance in it; only you can console yourself. By the second verse, he seems resigned to the moonchild’s reality: We’re trapped in a life of sadness and hurt; the moment we speak of free will, it slips away.

But in the third verse, his voice turns fierce and defiant, refusing to go quietly into the night, declaring that each of us matters and can be a light for others. This verse alone is layered with meaning, brimming with metaphors and wordplay. Even a single word, “가시 (gah-sih),” unfolds into multiple nuances: its primary meaning is “thorn,” but it can also mean “a thing visible to the eye,” “appearance,” or even connect to the scientific term “가시광선 (gah-sih-gwang-suhn),” meaning “visible light.”

I’m no scientist (math and physics were never my strengths) but I still remember learning about visible light in freshman physics: the narrow spectrum discernible to the human eye, composed of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. How do I know RM intended “가시 (gah-sih)” here to mean “light,” not “thorn”? The music video makes it clear: at the start of the third verse, the visuals shift to display the seven colors of visible light, continuing until the verse ends. Elsewhere in the song—in the intro, bridge, and outro—the palette is muted, in monotone or limited color blends.

Korean itself is an expression-rich language, where even the simplest phrase can carry layered meaning. Take the line “너의 창 (nuh-eui chahng),” literally “your window.” In context, RM isn’t just talking about a physical window; he’s implying “the window of your soul.” This kind of nuance is what made translating “Moonchild” such a challenge, especially the second and third verses, which showcase the full reach of RM’s intellect and lyrical talent. I poured my effort into unearthing every nuance and deeper meaning he wove into this song for the ARMY moonchildren who listen to him with open hearts.

The bridge and outro bring the song to a tender close: Lean on each other, don’t cry anymore, you will shine, it’s your time. Few artists in the world can speak about sadness, loneliness, and pain with such empathy and warmth.

Lyrics:

Intro:

We’re born in the moonlight

Ain’t no fantasy

Can’t breathe in the sunlight

Gotta hide your heart

We born to be sad

Suffer to be glad

Verse 1:

Come on ya’ll Moonchild, Moonchild

That’s how it’s supposed to be

Yeah all these pain and all these sorrows

That’s our destiny, see?

You and my life was like this

We gotta dance in the rain

Dance in the pain

Even though we crash down

We gon dance in the plane

We lean on the nightscape to endure

For only I can bring myself comfort

It’s okay to shed the tears

But don’t you tear yourself

Chorus:

Come on ya’ll

Moonchild don’t cry

When moon rise, it’s your time

Come on ya’ll

Moonchild don’t cry

When moon rise, it’s your time

Come on ya’ll

Verse 2:

You imagine leaving this place

Yet you never go

You say you don’t mind dying

Yet you fight hard to live

You claim you’ll stop grasping at straws

Yet you tie another knot

You tell yourself not to think

Yet even that thought is still a thought

You know

We’re stuck in this cycle of life

You know

We can only laugh through the constant pain

You know

The moment we speak of free will, it slips away

You know

Do you know?

Verse 3:

When the moon comes

Peer at the sky 

Through the eyes of your soul

The lights will be visible to you

As they pass through your window

And your time will standstill

Do you know

Even those dim streetlamps emit visible lights?

Take a good look at what their flickers illuminate

The nightscape of heartbreaking lives

That make up the spectacle of the night

Don’t despair, for each one of us radiate own light

That could be comforting for someone else

Our lights make up the nightscape

Comforting each other like the moon

Bridge:

Our lights make up the nightscape

Comforting each other like the moon

Outro:

Come on ya’ll

Moonchild don’t cry

When moon rise, it’s your time

Come on ya’ll

Moonchild don’t cry

When moon rise, it’s your time

Come on ya’ll