Reflections on BTS’ Fly to my room

The Korean title of “Fly to my room” is 내 방을 여행하는 법 or the way or method of travelling in my room.

The song begins with “떠나볼까 let me fly to my”. The line hangs incomplete. Unlike some translations, the Korean lyrics only mention the word, “방” or “room” 5 times in this song, including in the title. Although the destination is assumed to be one’s room, I wonder if there is also space for us to define what could follow the “my”.

The song seems to offer us a couple of suggestions:

• a shrunken world,
• where our real & imagined realities and the past collide,
• and a place of psychological safety and healing.

Before going on, here is my rough translation of the chorus -

떠나볼까 let me fly to my

Should we depart? Let me fly to my

시선을 낮추고 어디든 막 zoom

Drop [your] eyes. To wherever, just zoom

지금 나와 let me fly to my

With me now, let me fly to my

Get me outta my blues

And now I’m feelin’ brand new

The chorus implies that this is not a solo flight: “with me now” we have companions.

As an aside, the word play with “zoom” is just delightful, second only to the beat of this song.

Idea 1: The room as our world/세상

The first verse describes the feelings many experienced when first quarantined: feeling trapped & mourning the plans we made and the expectations that came with it. And then saying, “Anyway” and finding a way to accept how our world has shrunk.

Idea 2: The room as a surreal reality

The second verse describes how we can roam between our different realities (real and imagined) and in our memories. Our minds can allow us to move from the confines of our physical spaces into these surreal spaces.

One of my favorite lines is in this part — “Broken is beautiful”.

Idea 3: The room as a place of psychological safety & healing.

Suga and j-hope rap how we can find safety, comfort and happiness within our room. From the emotions we can freely release to the items that gives us comfort, our room can be a place where we can BE.

Overall, I love the beats, the lyrics, the message, and how they pull it all together. It holds so many keys to how we can remain sane and be mentally free when we find ourselves confined during this challenging time. As the chorus emphasizes: we are not alone.

For a full translation, I recommend Doolset.