Skyscraper by NCT 127 Lyrics Meaning – Reaching the Heights of Ambition and Expression
Lyrics
Strike while the iron’s hot
허점들이 보인 spot
빠짐 없이 shot
To the next we step on what
문득 난 stop and watch
시선 뒤로 이미 지나친 고지 closed it
한참 전에 깨버리는 border
드리워 있던 장막을 걷어 uh
Elevate 솟구쳐 더 위로 더 높게
Level은 one two seven floor (woo)
넘어서 let’s run away, yeah
Let’s run away, ah
I can tell you what you want
I can do just what you don’t (woo)
Take you up a higher notch
별 의미 없지 한계도
신선 놀음 하지 누워 구름
질주 go like 근두운
춤추듯 fly with my crew
하늘 정원 안엔 네온 그린 색의 you
Ah 무릉도원 같아 우리 tour, right
너만 괜찮다면 하루 종일 하지 난
You got it, got it, got, got it, got it, yeah
What you gon’ do now
What you gon’ do, when I pull up in a chopper
I go nonstop (nonstop)
Scrape up every hater stack
King Kong on a skyscraper
Too much to fit in one hand to finish in one life
내 꿈은 하늘을 가려버려
Ayy, the sun don’t come up, uh-uh
오랜 꿈의 최고 층에 도착해
Okay, go get 꽉 잡아 날
Harder, harder
Step up break the roof, roof
With my, with my whole crew
하늘 저 끝까지 level up, level up
Racin’ with the 구름 구름
힘껏 뻗은 scraper
우린 끝을 몰라 level up, level up (level up, level up, you)
더 높이 scrape our name
끝없이 fly away
Way up high 더 멀리 소리쳐 봐
We got up higher than you see
Holler, holler
Count the one, two, three
Then I’m gonna make you free
Animals 마천루 숲속을 거닐어
Like it all 매일이 carnival
난 이미 아스팔트 정글 안으로
Turn up hold on to the ropes (woo)
Like I’m the spidey there we go (go)
난 도시 위를 누비며 네게로
Where we go, here we go
We go 위로 soarin’, soarin’ up
We gon’ take it to the top
빌딩 별들로 빛난 도시 위
올라 가장 높은 곳
멀리 펼친 view 보여줄 테니
I wonder 하늘 경계 너머
Going through, oh, you and I
더 큰 세상으로 break the wall
Shining, let’s go
더 높이 get away
하늘 가린 구름의
짙은 색 흩어내
Faster, I’m okay
어둠을 다 scratch
점점 선명해져 잡힐 듯한 sky
Step up, break the roof, roof
With my, with my whole crew
하늘 저 끝까지 level up, level up
Racin’ with the 구름 구름
힘껏 뻗은 scraper
우린 끝을 몰라 level up, level up (level up, level up you)
더 높이 scrape our name
끝없이 fly away (oh, yeah)
Way up high 더 멀리 소리쳐 봐
We got up higher than you see
Holler, holler
이대로 하늘에 닿을 때까지 nonstop
난 너와 함께 날고 싶어
Baby, It’s our time, yeah
셀 수 없는 별빛처럼 더 높게
날 비추는 꿈 속에 (ooh)
Jumpin’, jumpin’, jumpin’, jumpin’, uh-ah
Sheesh, sheesh
끝없이 올라(올라) 끝을 난 몰라 (몰라)
Get it more, get it more (oh, wow)
Mayday, mayday (mayday)
짙은 색 하늘에 길을 잃은 듯해
Oh, hit the new way, oh
Bring it on 세상을 내게 ho (yeah, yeah)
마치 꿈을 꾼 느낌 oh, it’s real
더 손을 뻗어 하늘을 touch
가장 빛난 별을 steal
What’s the deal, baby
높이 데려 갈게 널 저 위 끝까지
Turn it up and up and up
Step up break the roof, roof
With my, with my whole crew (yeah)
하늘 저 끝까지 level up, level up (oh, level up)
Racin’ with the 구름 구름
힘껏 뻗은 scraper
우린 끝을 몰라 level up, level up (level up, level up, you)
더 높이 scrape our name
끝없이 fly away
Way up high 더 멀리 소리쳐 봐
We got up higher than you see, yeah
Holler, holler
In a world where popular music often strays towards superficial themes, NCT 127 swings the pendulum back towards poetic lyrical expanse with ‘Skyscraper’. This track isn’t just a sonic experience but also a philosophical climb up a towering edifice of aspiration and curiosity.
NCT 127, known for their experimental sound and intricate choreography, seemingly harness the skyscraper as a metaphor for their own soaring aspirations and the towering challenges that accompany them. Let’s deconstruct ‘Skyscraper’, noting the metre and rhyme, as we journey through its dense clouds of meaning.
Breaking Tethers: The Cry for Innovation and Struggle
The commencement of ‘Skyscraper’ articulates a departure from mediocrity. NCT 127’s lyrics suggest not just an upward motion but a deliberate breaking through the myriad ‘spots’ of weakness in society’s expectations. With an aggressive tempo, they encapsulate the struggle not just to adapt but to redefine and elevate.
The repetition of the phrase ‘level up’ signifies a struggle against gravity – both literal and metaphorical – as they describe their ascension as a challenge to the status quo. ‘Skyscraper’ becomes emblematic of a breakthrough, unceasing in the pursuit of elevation, and relentless in the vision of a wider horizon.
Urban Jungle and the Mythical Green Neon: The Hidden Meaning
In the verdant ‘neon green’ iteration of the world, NCT 127 paints an almost Utopian picture, possibly hinting at an idyllic escape within a ruthless urban setting. ‘Skyscraper’ becomes more than a song; it’s their vessel to traverse a ‘garden in the sky’, touching upon escapism and the yearnings for a personal paradise.
References to ‘구름’ (clouds) and a ‘neon green’ hue fuse modernity with nature, suggesting a coexistence that transcends mundane reality. There’s a paradise to be found, a ‘무릉도원’ (Peach Blossom Land) for the dreamers and the fearless, somewhere beyond the stifling confines of urban sprawl.
King Kong’s Domination Over the Concrete Jungle
The robust imagery of ‘King Kong on a skyscraper’ is not just a pop culture reference, but a nod to the indomitable spirit needed to vanquish adversaries. The lyrics entail a tenacious stronghold on one’s dreams – too massive to be grasped or obliterated – showcasing NCT 127’s determination to ‘scrape up every hater stack’.
The monstrous presence atop civilization’s peak also embodies resilience. Like King Kong, NCT 127 asserts their presence, unapologetic and towering. ‘Skyscraper’ becomes an arena where they grapple with their opponents, not with brute force, but with their stellar ambition symbolizing a beacon outshining the sun.
Nonstop Ascent: A Pursuit without Peaks
The recurring refrain, ‘level up, level up’, is a pulsating heartbeat throughout the song. It is a device compelling listeners to envisage a relentless pursuit, where ‘endless’ doesn’t mean fruitless. Indeed, the very concept of a limit is dismissed – ‘우린 끝을 몰라’ (‘We don’t know the end’), emphasizing their undying zest for growth.
Intriguingly, ‘Skyscraper’ also suggests the unity of the crew as pivotal to this never-ending climb. NCT 127 merges individual ambition with a collective drive, indicating that the journey to the stratosphere is a team effort, an orchestrated aerial symphony towards uncharted skies.
Memorable Lines: The Lyrical Crescendo
Perhaps the most resonant lyric, ‘내 꿈은 하늘을 가려버려’ (‘My dream covers the sky’), exemplifies the grand scale of their ambition – it’s a dream so vast it eclipses the heavens. This line is a powerful affirmation that their aspirations are boundless, the dreamscape of ‘Skyscraper’ blurring the lines between the tangible cityscape and the intangible majesty of one’s goals.
Another poignant moment is found in ‘마치 꿈을 꾼 느낌 oh, it’s real’ (‘Feels like I dreamed, oh it’s real’), bringing the listeners back to reality, reminding that the surreal moments felt during their ascension are tangible victories. ‘Skyscraper’ then is not just a song, but an embodiment of the liminal space between dreams realized and the palpable joy of achievement.
