Odolttogi
Unknown (Jeju Oral Tradition)
Region
Jeju Island
Genre
Usage
Jeju Folk Song
Recreational Song
Odolttogi is a lively folk song handed down on Jeju Island, sung to lift the mood at gatherings with its refrain "dunggeudae dangsil." Among Jeju's folk songs, most of which are work songs, it is a rare song sung purely for enjoyment, and today it is loved as one of the island's signature songs. This record is archive material collected to organize and preserve the representative lyrics and the transmission context of Odolttogi.
Commentary & Notes
Dunggeudae dangsil: A dancing, festive refrain. The melody resembles the Seoul folk song Odoldok, but this refrain is thought to come from Jeju's own musical character.
There comes Chunhyang: A line that calls up the heroine of the pansori epic Chunhyangga, a sign that a song from the mainland put down new roots on Jeju.
The song proceeds in call and response: eight bars from the lead singer, answered by eight bars from the group.
Cultural Background
The lyrics of Odolttogi closely resemble songs embedded in Sin Jae-hyo's versions of the pansori Heungbuga and Garujigi Taryeong, so it is thought to have traveled from the mainland and taken root on Jeju. Born where mainland melody met Jeju's own sound, it shows how folk songs are reborn as they cross the sea.
Lyrics
오돌또기 저기 춘향 나온다
달도 밝고 내가 머리로 갈까나
둥그대 당실 둥그대 당실
여도 당실 연자 버리고
달도 밝고 내가 머리로 갈까나
Odolttogi — look, there comes Chunhyang!
The moon is bright — which way shall I go?
Dunggeudae dangsil, dunggeudae dangsil,
yeodo dangsil, yeonja beorigo —
The moon is bright — which way shall I go?
