The lyrics resonate with many millennials who are struggling to land a stable job after college and instead are forced to wallow in the “YOLO” mindset by living in the moment - which means more spending and less saving.
A song for the struggling millennials
Another word that is repeated throughout the song is “Tangjin Jam,” a modern lingo that is used amongst the younger generation of Korea. It is a blend word of tangjin, which means “to waste away,” and jam, which means “fun.” The word roughly translates to “the fun of wasting all the money away.”
I piss it all away in a day
I earn the money, and then I splurge
I wanna be cruisin' on the bay
I don't have the money but I want to get away, to somewhere far away
I don't have the money but I want to put my worries to rest
I work hard to get paid, and I eat all of my money away
Just let me be, I'm gonna splurge
There's no tomorrow
There's no point in saving
We're pretty young to be worrying
Piss it all away in a day
- excerpt from BTS' Don't Worry Just Go
I earn the money, and then I splurge
I wanna be cruisin' on the bay
I don't have the money but I want to get away, to somewhere far away
I don't have the money but I want to put my worries to rest
I work hard to get paid, and I eat all of my money away
Just let me be, I'm gonna splurge
There's no tomorrow
There's no point in saving
We're pretty young to be worrying
Piss it all away in a day
- excerpt from BTS' Don't Worry Just Go
Suga, a member of the group, explained that “it’s not a BTS album without a social commentary," and that “not much thought is given to the reasons behind the circulation of phrases such as ‘YOLO,’ or ‘Tangjin Jam' and what [the group] tried to do is interpret the popular slangs in [their] own way.”
By Goldbin and Arin Kim kim.arin@joongang.co.kr