Bittersweet — Baby DONT Cry: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
What does “Bittersweet” by Baby DONT Cry mean?
“Bittersweet” by Baby DONT Cry is about someone keeping her heart in check because a new pull toward closeness recalls how things ended before. She quiets her hopes and tries to laugh it off, weighed down by a first love and best friend who became a scar, and by the diary page where loneliness first found her.
What the song is about
These memories are both sweet and painful, but she also notes that far more has filled the empty space since.
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.
너무 가까워져서는 안 돼Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): neo·mu ga·kka·wo·jeo·seo·neu nan dwae
Meaning: but I must not get too close
Words in this line- 너무neo·mutoo much
- 가까워져서는ga·kka·wo·jeo·seo·neuif we get closer
- 안nannot
- 돼dwaeworks / allowed
Word for word: Too much having become close, not works
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 안 means 'not' and 돼 means 'works / becomes OK', and together 안 돼 is the everyday 'no, you can't'. The form 가까워져서는 means 'if one gets closer' and implies a bad result. So the natural English is a firm 'I must not'.
나는 이 게임의 엔딩을 기억하거든Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): na·neun i ge·i·me en·ding·eul gi·eo·ka·geo·deun
Meaning: Because I remember how this game ends
Words in this line- 나는na·neunI
- 이ithis
- 게임의ge·i·meof the game
- 엔딩을en·ding·eulthe ending
- 기억하거든gi·eo·ka·geo·deunsince I remember
Word for word: I this game's ending remember you-see
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 게임 'game' is a metaphor for the relationship, as if feelings were a game with a known ending. The ending 거든 means 'you see', explaining a reason with an 'I know how it goes' tone. The literal order also differs because the verb comes last.
늘 영원할 수 없단 걸 알았을 때Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): neul yeong·won·hal ssu eop·ttan geo ra·ra·sseul ttae
Meaning: When I realized nothing lasts forever.
Words in this line- 늘neulalways
- 영원할yeong·won·haleternal
- 수ssupossibility
- 없단eop·ttanthere is no
- 걸geothe fact
- 알았을ra·ra·sseulcame to know
- 때ttaetime, when
Word for word: Always eternal-be possibility there-isn't-the-fact knew-when.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 수 alone means 'way or possibility' and 없다 means 'there isn't', but 수 없다 together means 'cannot'. 알았을 때 is literally 'when I knew', yet it carries the sense of a moment of realization, not just receiving information.
날 떠날 리 없을 것 같아도 떠나가던Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): nal tteo·nal ri eop·sseul kkeot kka·ta·do tteo·na·ga·deon
Meaning: Even if it seemed they'd never leave me, they left.
Words in this line- 날nalme
- 떠날tteo·nalwill leave
- 리rireason, chance
- 없을eop·sseulthere is no
- 것kkeotthing, that
- 같아도kka·ta·doeven if it seems
- 떠나가던tteo·na·ga·deonkept leaving
Word for word: Me will-leave reason there-isn't thing seems-even, kept-leaving.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 리 없다 alone is 'no reason', but with 떠날 it means 'there's no way they'd leave'. 같아도 is 'even if it seems', and 떠나가던 with 던 shows the leaving happened again and again. The literal chain is tangled, but the meaning is bitter irony.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “Bittersweet” — Baby DONT Cry. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Song facts
- Lines
- 46
- Key lines explained
- 4
- Words explained
- 18
- Length
- 3:46
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Ask BomiSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가까워지고 | ga·kka·wo·ji·go | getting closer |
| 가지 | ga·ji | go |
| 것들 | geot·tteul | things |
| 것들을 | geot·tteu·reul | things (object) |
| 그때쯤 | geu·ttae·jjeum | around then |
| 그만큼 | geu·man·keum | that much |
| 그보다 | geu·bo·da | than that |
| 기대로 | gi·dae·ro | with hopes |
| 내게 | nae·ge | to me |
| 다신 | da·sin | never again |
| 다이어리에 | da·i·eo·ri·e | in the diary |
| 들키기 | deul·ki·gi | being found out |
| 모든 | mo·deun | every |
| 사라진 | sa·ra·jin | vanished |
| 싶진 | sip·jjin | want to |
| 아프고 | a·peu·go | hurt |
| 않거든 | an·keo·deun | don't, you see |
| 있다가 | it·tta·ga | being, then |
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Questions about “Bittersweet”
What is “Bittersweet” by Baby DONT Cry about?
“Bittersweet” by Baby DONT Cry is about someone keeping her heart in check because a new pull toward closeness recalls how things ended before. She quiets her hopes and tries to laugh it off, weighed down by a first love and best friend who became a scar, and by the diary page where loneliness first found her.
What does “너무 가까워져서는 안 돼” mean in “Bittersweet”?
In “Bittersweet” by Baby DONT Cry, “너무 가까워져서는 안 돼” means: but I must not get too close. 안 means 'not' and 돼 means 'works / becomes OK', and together 안 돼 is the everyday 'no, you can't'. The form 가까워져서는 means 'if one gets closer' and implies a bad result. So the natural English is a firm 'I must not'.
What does “나는 이 게임의 엔딩을 기억하거든” mean in “Bittersweet”?
In “Bittersweet” by Baby DONT Cry, “나는 이 게임의 엔딩을 기억하거든” means: Because I remember how this game ends. 게임 'game' is a metaphor for the relationship, as if feelings were a game with a known ending. The ending 거든 means 'you see', explaining a reason with an 'I know how it goes' tone. The literal order also differs because the verb comes last.
How do you pronounce “늘 영원할 수 없단 걸 알았을 때”?
“늘 영원할 수 없단 걸 알았을 때” from “Bittersweet” by Baby DONT Cry is romanized as “neul yeongwonhal ssu eopttan geo rarasseul ttae”: that is how it is actually sung, sound changes included, not the textbook spelling.
Where can I see every line of “Bittersweet” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Bomi goes through all 46 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
- Baby DONT Cry
- Official video
- Baby DONT Cry · 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.