WORK — ATEEZ: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
What does “WORK” by ATEEZ mean?
ATEEZ's “WORK” is a swaggering flex about a nonstop hustle that has made the group rich, famous and always in motion. They fly between Los Angeles and Tokyo, wear a classic watch and a fur coat, and see themselves as a goose laying golden eggs.
What the song is about
Socializing and dancing girls can wait, because they keep building their tower around the clock, high above everyone.
Key lines
4 lines from the song in Korean, with how they sound and what they mean. The full line-by-line breakdown lives in the app.
허나 내 시간은 금이라서 adiósListen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): heo·na nae si·ga·neun geu·mi·ra·seo a·dyos
Meaning: But my time is gold, so adiós
Words in this line- 허나heo·nabut
- 내naemy
- 시간은si·ga·neuntime
- 금이라서geu·mi·ra·seobecause it's gold
시간은 금 means 'time is gold', the Korean version of 'time is money'. 금이라서 adds 'because it is gold', giving the reason for leaving.
24 시간 탑을 쌓는 중Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): i·sip·sa si·gan ta·beul ssan·neun jung
Meaning: I'm building my tower 24 hours a day
Words in this line- 시간si·ganhours
- 탑을ta·beultower
- 쌓는ssan·neunstacking
- 중jungin the middle of
탑을 쌓다 means 'to stack a tower', i.e. build up success brick by brick. 중 at the end means 'in the middle of doing'.
딱 봐라 딴따라는 멋 따라 ㄱㄱListen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): ttak ppwa·ra ttan·tta·ra·neun meot tta·ra go·go
Meaning: Look, entertainers follow style, go go!
Words in this line- 딱ttakjust
- 봐라ppwa·ralook
- 딴따라는ttan·tta·ra·neunentertainer
- 멋meotstyle
- 따라tta·rafollowing
딴따라 is slang for a performer or musician, once a bit disparaging, here worn proudly. 멋 means style or flair and 따라 means 'following'. ㄱㄱ is online shorthand for 고고, 'go go'.
지금 바빠 넌 좀 빠져줘 빠져줘Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): ji·geum ba·ppa neon jom ppa·jeo·jwo ppa·jeo·jwo
Meaning: I'm busy now, step aside (step aside)
Words in this line- 지금ji·geumnow
- 바빠ba·ppabusy
- 넌neonyou
- 좀joma bit
- 빠져줘ppa·jeo·jwostep out
- 빠져줘ppa·jeo·jwostep out
빠져 alone means fall out or drop out, and 줘 means do it for me. Together 빠져줘 means get lost, step out of the way, with a casual edge.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “WORK” — ATEEZ. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Song facts
- Lines
- 63
- Key lines explained
- 4
- Words explained
- 18
- Length
- 3:15
Mini-lesson: fill in the missing word
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Ask JaeminSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가도 | ga·do | even if I go |
| 가자 | ga·ja | let's go |
| 가족임 | ga·jo·gim | is family |
| 고른 | go·reun | chosen |
| 관심 | gwan·sim | interest |
| 괜찮아 | gwaen·cha·na | I'm fine |
| 그녀들은 | geu·nyeo·deu·reun | those women |
| 나는 | na·neun | I |
| 나와 | na·wa | comes out |
| 노래가 | no·rae·ga | song |
| 눈이 | nu·ni | eyes |
| 달려 | dal·lyeo | run |
| 도모는 | do·mo·neun | pursuit (topic) |
| 도착 | do·chak | arrival |
| 돌고 | dol·go | going around |
| 서둘러 | seo·dul·leo | hurry up |
| 없지 | eop·jji | there's none |
| 친목 | chin·mok | friendly ties |
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Questions about “WORK”
What is “WORK” by ATEEZ about?
ATEEZ's “WORK” is a swaggering flex about a nonstop hustle that has made the group rich, famous and always in motion. They fly between Los Angeles and Tokyo, wear a classic watch and a fur coat, and see themselves as a goose laying golden eggs. Socializing and dancing girls can wait, because they keep building their tower around the clock, high above everyone.
What does “허나 내 시간은 금이라서 adiós” mean in “WORK”?
In “WORK” by ATEEZ, “허나 내 시간은 금이라서 adiós” means: But my time is gold, so adiós.
What does “24 시간 탑을 쌓는 중” mean in “WORK”?
In “WORK” by ATEEZ, “24 시간 탑을 쌓는 중” means: I'm building my tower 24 hours a day.
How do you pronounce “딱 봐라 딴따라는 멋 따라 ㄱㄱ”?
“딱 봐라 딴따라는 멋 따라 ㄱㄱ” from “WORK” by ATEEZ is romanized as “ttak ppwara ttanttaraneun meot ttara ㄱㄱ”. In the recording it sounds like “ttak ppwa·ra ttan·tta·ra·neun meot tta·ra go·go”: that is how it is actually sung, sound changes included, not the textbook spelling.
Where can I see every line of “WORK” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Jaemin goes through all 63 lines word by word, in sync with the song; the first verse is free and needs no sign-up.
Official music video
The video loads from YouTube only when you press play. YouTube ↗
How we make these breakdowns
theIDOL builds every breakdown with AI assistance and automated checks, and publishes a page only after it passes them. An AI model writes the meaning of each line and the word-by-word glosses from the song's timed lyrics. The pronunciation comes from our own rule-based Korean transcriber, which spells how the words sound when sung, sound changes included, not a letter-by-letter romanization. Pages that fail the audio-sync or translation checks are not published, and we quote only a few key lines. If you spot a mistake, write to support@theidol.ai and we will fix it.
Credits and sources
- Artist
- ATEEZ
- Official video
- KQ ENTERTAINMENT · YouTube
Lyrics and music belong to their rights holders. This page quotes no more than four lines for commentary; the translations, pronunciation and explanations are written by theIDOL.