Welcome to the sixteenth article in our series, “K-Pop Lyrics Explained”, where we break down the lyrics to some of your favorite songs. From new releases to old classics, OSTs to non-Korean songs, we’ve got all the bases covered. If you would like to request a song to be featured in this series, please leave a comment below.!
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This week, we’re diving deep into a song that rings true, now more than ever: DREAMCATCHER’s latest title track, ‘Maison’ from their second full-length album “Apocalypse: Save us”. Evidently, ‘Maison’ (French for ‘home’) serves as a fair warning against the not-so-distant apocalyptic future that awaits us if we continue to plague the Earth with listless overconsumption.
The lyrics directly correlate and resonate with a global sense of crisis evoked by the unfathomable dangers of climate change through the story of heavenly saviors who take it upon themselves to revive Earth when it is abandoned by the very people who call it home. Gaia transforms into the Grim Reaper as an emblem of Earth’s desert and chaos reigns in the form of Satan. Now it’s up to the supergirls of DREAMCATCHER to restore paradise.
“I can’t breathe / Tomorrow is fading away / Oh, stay / Make the ground shake / In this ruined place / With a clear sign of death / And someone who’s used to it“
The first verse begins with a sense of desolation and helplessness as the future of the world looks bleaker by the day. Not being able to breathe is a direct consequence of overwhelming air pollution, as well as being a metaphor for Mother Earth’s inability to sustain herself. DREAMCATCHER attempts to rouse passive observers from their indifference (“Break your habit now“) and put them into action before it’s too late.
“Save my home in the jungle / Save my home in the polar / Protect my home / Please someone fight for us / Save my home in the ocean / Save my home in the desert / Protect my home / Please someone fight for us“
DREAMCATCHER’s Twitter
Speaking for those who silently suffer from the destruction imposed by human indifference, DREAMCATCHER guarantees life in any and all forms that deserve to be protected, diverting the focus from man’s self-centeredness. In dire situations like these, the troubled need to be comforted and the comfortable troubled, and that’s exactly what DaMi’s verse conveys: “You won’t see the future, no matter how long you wait / Know it’s too late to regret it / Want the easy way out, you’ll get hurt.”
“Isn’t it strangely hot? / The laws of this planet, so dry / As well as your conscience“
With the human collective choosing ignorance over awareness, there is little hope to cling to. Global warming is just the tip of the iceberg and it is also melting. However, DREAMCATCHER continues to present Earth in its former glory in an effort to bring about change (“Go back to the moment when each season is vivid“). After all, the moment you look away, everything turns to dust (“Pretending you don’t know, you disappear too“). In the end, it is we who must fight for the world, our maison.
With the music’s profound social importance, coupled with the extraordinary songwriting, vocals and rapping, ‘Maison’ is a masterpiece, to say the least. What did you think of the song? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section below!
