Miryang Arirang
Artist: Unknown (Local Heritage)
Region
Miryang, Gyeongnam
Genre
Usage
Regional Folk Song
Social Song
Miryang Arirang is a representative folk song of the Gyeongsang region, centered in Miryang. Its upbeat Semachi rhythm, starting with the phrase 'Look at me,' expresses an honest heart. This archive preserves its lyrics and cultural context.
Commentary
Like seeing a flower in midwinter: This expresses a desperate longing for a loved one, as if finding a rare blossom in the peak of winter.
Apron: This depicts a shy woman unable to greet her lover, biting her kitchen apron while smiling.
Every verse is followed by the refrain: 'Ari Arirang, Suri Surirang, Arari has come / Please carry me over the Arirang pass.'
History
Legend says this song honors Arang, a magistrate's daughter who died for her virtue, but scholars view it as a modern-era creation. It served as a resistance song during the Japanese occupation and a labor song in the 1980s, becoming a Gyeongnam Intangible Heritage in 2024.
Lyrics
날 좀 보소 날 좀 보소
날 좀 보소
동지섣달 꽃 본 듯이
날 좀 보소
정든 님이 오시는데
인사를 못 해
행주치마 입에 물고
입만 방긋
Look at me, look at me
Won't you look at me
As you would a flower in the dead of winter
Look at me
Here comes my beloved
But I can't even say hello
I bite the hem of my apron
And only smile
