Stray Kids — Stray Kids: what the lyrics really mean
First verse: the song, every line and what it means — in sync어린 나의 분화구에 터져 나왔던 갈등eo·rin na·e bun·hwa·gu·e teo·jeo na·wat·tteon gal·tteungThe inner conflict that burst out of the crater of my young self.Play the first verse with translationNo sign-upWhat does “Stray Kids” by Stray Kids mean?
Stray Kids’ “Stray Kids” is the group’s proud self-portrait, a look back at a hard road and at the name they now carry with pride. Youthful frustration bursts out of a crater, chasing more leaves the team as their one true treasure, and a dark tunnel is where they draw up their own blueprint. They keep climbing toward the top on their own terms.
Key lines
4 lines from the song with the slang, wordplay and references behind them. The full line-by-line breakdown lives in the app.
어린 나의 분화구에 터져 나왔던 갈등Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): eo·rin na·e bun·hwa·gu·e teo·jeo na·wat·tteon gal·tteung
Meaning: The inner conflict that burst out of the crater of my young self.
Words in this line- 어린eo·rinyoung
- 나의na·emy
- 분화구에bun·hwa·gu·ein the crater
- 터져teo·jeobursting
- 나왔던na·wat·tteonthat came out
- 갈등gal·tteungconflict
Word for word: Young my in-the-crater bursting-out-came conflict.
What's behind the line: “분화구” alone is a volcano crater, and “터져” means bursting. Together they turn an inner struggle into an eruption that built up for a long time. “어린 나” means “young me”, so the conflict comes from early life.
속에서 버텼네 이젠 자랑스러운 그 이름 ’causeListen from this lineRomanization (as sung): so·ge·seo beo·tyeon·ne i·jen ja·rang·seu·reo·un geu i·reum ’cause
Meaning: I held on through it all, and now that name is something I'm proud of, because
Words in this line- 속에서so·ge·seoin the midst of
- 버텼네beo·tyeon·neI endured
- 이젠i·jennow
- 자랑스러운ja·rang·seu·reo·unproud
- 그geuthat
- 이름i·reumname
- ’causebecause
Word for word: Inside-in endured-it-turns-out now proud that name because
What's behind the line: 속에서 literally means 'inside', but here it means 'in the thick of the struggle'. 버텼네 is 'endured', and its ending -네 adds a note of realization, like 'look, I actually did it'. 그 이름, 'that name', points to the group's name they are now proud of, and ’cause hands the reason over to the next line.
청춘을 팔았다 생각 안 해 살 수 없는 꿈에 산 거지Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): cheong·chu·neul pa·rat·tta saeng·ga gan hae sal ssu eom·neun kku·me san geo·ji
Meaning: Don't think I sold my youth; I lived for a dream that can't be bought
Words in this line- 청춘을cheong·chu·neulyouth
- 팔았다pa·rat·ttasold
- 생각saeng·gathought
- 안gannot
- 해haedo
- 살sallive / buy
- 수ssuway, ability
- 없는eom·neunwithout, impossible
- 꿈에kku·mefor a dream
- 산sanlived / bought
- 거지geo·jithat's the thing
Word for word: Youth sold, thought not do; live/buy impossible dream in lived/bought, that's it.
What's behind the line: The syllable 살 can come from 'to live' or 'to buy', and 산 can mean 'lived' or 'bought', so the line plays on a dream you can't live without and a dream money can't buy. 생각 안 해 alone is 'I don't think', but here it means 'don't assume I threw my youth away'. The ending 거지 gives a firm 'that's just how it is' tone.
Go on and onListen to the first verse — freeWhat's behind the line: "Go" alone means to move, and "on" alone means forward or attached. But "go on" means to continue, and "on and on" means endlessly, again and again. Together the phrase is not about travelling but about persistence that never ends.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “Stray Kids” — Stray Kids. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Mini-lesson: fill in the missing word
A line from the song with one word missing: listen, then pick the right word. Hyunwoo checks your answer and saves the new words to your notebook.
Try the lessonAsk Hyunwoo about this song
Why this word and not another? What does that slang mean? Ask in your own words and your idol answers about this exact line.
Ask HyunwooSong vocabulary
Words from the song in alphabetical order, with what they mean here.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ain't | isn’t |
| last | final |
| stay | remain |
| still | yet |
| til | until |
| way | path |
| won't | will not |
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Questions about “Stray Kids”
What is “Stray Kids” by Stray Kids about?
Stray Kids’ “Stray Kids” is the group’s proud self-portrait, a look back at a hard road and at the name they now carry with pride. Youthful frustration bursts out of a crater, chasing more leaves the team as their one true treasure, and a dark tunnel is where they draw up their own blueprint. They keep climbing toward the top on their own terms.
What does “어린 나의 분화구에 터져 나왔던 갈등” mean in “Stray Kids”?
The inner conflict that burst out of the crater of my young self. “분화구” alone is a volcano crater, and “터져” means bursting. Together they turn an inner struggle into an eruption that built up for a long time. “어린 나” means “young me”, so the conflict comes from early life.
What does “속에서 버텼네 이젠 자랑스러운 그 이름 ’cause” mean in “Stray Kids”?
I held on through it all, and now that name is something I'm proud of, because. 속에서 literally means 'inside', but here it means 'in the thick of the struggle'. 버텼네 is 'endured', and its ending -네 adds a note of realization, like 'look, I actually did it'. 그 이름, 'that name', points to the group's name they are now proud of, and ’cause hands the reason over to the next line.
How do you pronounce “청춘을 팔았다 생각 안 해 살 수 없는 꿈에 산 거지”?
In the song it sounds roughly like “cheong·chu·neul pa·rat·tta saeng·ga gan hae sal ssu eom·neun kku·me san geo·ji”: that's how it's actually sung by Stray Kids, not the textbook romanization.
Where can I see every line of “Stray Kids” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Hyunwoo goes through all 70 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
- Stray Kids
- Official video
- Stray Kids · 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.