Annotated lyrics — pink lines have K-pop slang & culture notes (tap to read). Or highlight any line to add your own.
한국어 (Korean)
English Translation
물처럼 흘러내려
Mulcheoreom heulleonaeryeo
Flowing down like water
내 몸을 타고 흘러
Nae momeul tago heulleo
Running down my body
Water, Amapiano vibes
Water, Amapiano vibes
Water — Amapiano vibes
Namapreuikaue simjangi ttwio
The heart of South Africa beats
Drop it low, let the rhythm take over
Drop it low, let the rhythm take over
Drop it low — let the rhythm take over
Water, 몸을 맡겨봐
Water, momeul matkyeobwa
Water — give your body to it
Grammyga injjeonghan soriya
A sound recognized by the Grammys
물처럼 자유롭게
Mulcheoreom jayulopge
Free like water
Fan Annotations (2)
“Grammy-ga injeonhan soriya” Grammy가 인정한 소리야
"인정" (injeong) means "recognition" or "acknowledgement," so "Grammy가 인정한 소리야" reads as "this is a sound the Grammys recognised" — and it's literally true: Tyla won the inaugural Grammy for Best African Music Performance for "Water" at the 2024 ceremony (CBS News; Grammy.com). Folding a song's own real-world accolade into its lyric is an unusually self-referential move. The line leans on 인정 the way fans use it as slang — a stamp of "respect, that's legit."
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“nam-apeurika-ui simjang-i ttwieyo” 남아프리카의 심장이 뛰어
"남아프리카의 심장이 뛰어" means "the heart of South Africa is beating," using 심장 (simjang, "heart") — common in Korean lyrics for emotional truth — to stand in for a whole country's pulse rather than one person's feelings. It's geographically grounded: Tyla is South African, born in Johannesburg (CBS News), and "Water" is built on amapiano, the South African dance genre (Grammy.com). After the song's global run — it hit number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 (CBS News) — the "beating heart" image plays like an introduction of that sound to the world.
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