One Candle
I find another candle, and three, and four and the darkness disappeared
Welcome to new subscribers and regular readers! Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “One Candle” by the band, g.o.d. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article. I am using the lyrics as they are provided in the video.
Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics which are written in italics. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below.
🔰Note: today’s article is written at a level of TOEIC (PBT) 350, Eiken Pre-2, CEFR A2.
(443 words)
In the year 2000, One Candle, a popular song by a well-known boy band became important during protests in South Korea. During the 2016-2017 “Candlelight Revolution”, people were upset with their president, Park Geun-hye*. She was accused of doing bad things like bribery, abuse of power, and working to get a lot of money unfairly from companies like Samsung.
Many South Koreans came together in the streets of Seoul. They held candles and asked for change in a peaceful way. The song’s words helped bring people together. The lyrics talk about how one small candle can lead to many more, and how even a little light can make a big difference. The song helped people feel hopeful and strong as they stood up for what they believed was right.
The lyrics are clear and simple. For learners of English, there are a few words that you might not know. I’ll highlight them here, but I will not include all of the lyrics. Please watch the video.
We have friends in the world who have less than we do
who have less than we do
who are struggling right now
I sing this song for those friends who are still struggling
Why is it so hard to live like this
Who said life is beautiful
Since I was born, all life has given me is endless hardship
All life has given me is endless hardships to overcome, and every time I do
I ask myself in the mirror, what did I do wrong?
What the hell did I do wrong that it's only me?
I don't think it will change, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow
But I shouldn't, if I sit back
No, just take what the world gives you
This unfair world is so unfair
If you just receive, everything will fight as it is
Will you give up or will you succumb to the fate given to you
Don't bow your head in front of the world, don't give up, and look at us
…a small candle
When I light it, so many things change
I believed there was nothing around me
Another candle was placed, so I lit it
The candle became two and with that light
I find another candle, and three, and four
and the darkness disappeared
…
I want to tell you guys, you can do it, too
K-Pop is quite political. They have done very creative projects to push back against political leaders, and not only in South Korea. They have supported organizations such as Black Lives Matter and protests such those against the murder of George Floyd.
*Park Geun-hye went to prison but was later pardoned.
Leaving a comment is a good way to practice your writing skills.
Vocabulary
bribery 賄賂
abuse 乱用
struggle 奮闘する
hardship 苦難
succumb 負ける
fate 運命
bow (your head) 頭を下げる
Video of Candlelight Revolution (2016)
Sources
From BTS to ‘squid game’: How South Korea became a cultural juggernaut (published 2021). https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/world/asia/squid-game-korea-bts.html. Accessed 17 May 2025.
Herman, T. (2018, May 7). 9 K-pop songs that recently became part of South Korean politics. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/k-pop-songs-politicized-south-korea-8436957/. Accessed 17 May 2025.
Keating, J. (2020, June 26). K-pop has always been political. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/kpop-politics-south-korea-floyd-protests.html. Accessed 17 May 2025.
South Korea removes president Park Geun-hye (published 2017). https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/world/asia/park-geun-hye-impeached-south-korea.html. Accessed 17 May 2025.
#TOEIC350 #Eiken Pre-2 #CEFR A2
"K-Pop is quite political." I never thought of it like that. Goes to show that one song or one candle can be a powerful message.
The band K-Pop became an unlikely craze here in France, so much so there weren't enough places in the universities for all the applicants wanting to learn Korean, restaurants opened everywhere! I wonder though if these young people linked the music and lyrics to politics... I must ask my daughter!