Song: Life's Too Short
Artist: Aespa
Year: 2022
Album: Girls
Language Feature: Colloquial Language
Episode Description
Heather is feeling a little down because of some negative comments on a photo she posted on Instagram (you can follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages). Fortunately, Ece is there to remind her that life’s too short to worry about what someone on Instagram thinks. She recommends the 2022 hit song, “Life’s Too Short,” by the K-pop band Aespa.
This song is full of really useful conversational English. Maybe right now you’re “bored out of your mind” and you need something to do. We suggest that you listen to this episode of the podcast and learn some practical, fun English phrases!
Episode Transcript
<Intro>
E: Hi! I’m Ece.
H: And I’m Heather.
E: And we are the co-hosts of English as a Singing Language.
H: This is a podcast for anyone who likes singing and music…
E: …and learning English!
H: That’s right. Singing songs in English is a great way to practice pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
E: So, what are we focusing on in this episode, Heather?
H: Well, some of the members of this group, like many of our listeners, learned English as an additional language.
E: Really? I think that’s so impressive!
H: Me too. And this song is full of really fun, useful, conversational English.
E: Oh my gosh! I can’t wait!
H: Me neither. Let’s get started!
<end intro>
E: (humming Aespa Life’s Too Short) Oh! Hi Heather! How’s it going?
H: Ok I guess.
E: Oh? What’s up?
H: It’s nothing…I mean, it should be nothing.
E: Tell me. What’s bothering you?
H: Well, do you remember the online shopping we did back in Episode 15?
E: I do! I got a pair of shoes and some cute earrings, and you got that beautiful purple dress.
H: I did! And I love it. I wore it the other day, and I felt amazing and confident. I even took a selfie and posted it on Instagram.
E: I saw it! I think you looked amazing and confident, too. So, what’s wrong?
H: It’s just that somebody posted a comment that said maybe that dress is too young for me, that I am too old to wear it.
E: That’s ridiculous! You need to hear the song I was just listening to!
H: I heard you humming just now. What song is that? I’ve never heard it before.
E: It’s from an all-female K-Pop band called Aespa.
H: Aespa? That’s an interesting name!
E: It is. It’s a combination of different words and initials, and it supposedly means, “meeting another self and experiencing the new world."
H: That IS interesting. So, how many members are in the group?
E: The group was formed by SM Entertainment in South Korea in 2020. There are four members of the group: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning.
H: We had another episode about a K-Pop song back in Season 1, Episode 10, BTS’s song, “Dynamite.”
E: That’s right. Aespa also has great lyrics, cool dance moves and catchy music.
H: Ok. What’s the name of the song?
E: It’s called, “Life’s Too Short.”
H: That’s a great expression. It means that we shouldn’t waste time on things that are not important…like comments on Instagram.
E: Exactly! There are difficult and important events in life. As the group’s main rapper, Giselle, says, “Since hardships are inevitable, I am sometimes scared of the world. But let us not be too scared, because what’s the worst that could happen?”
H: That really puts it into perspective. Life can be difficult and scary, but we shouldn’t be scared or too worried about unimportant things. So how does the song start out?
E: They sing, “All of this discussion, talking about nothing you would ever say to my face.”
H: Hmmmm… I think that’s true. I think a lot of people say things on the internet or in a text that they would never say to a person’s face.
E: Then the next line is, “You think your words are Gospel, but they're only trouble.
I ain't got the time to waste.”
H: “Gospel” is an interesting word. What does it mean, Ece?
E: “Gospel” is a religious word. It literally means, “good news.” Obviously, these would be very significant and important words.
H: Except that here the words are only trouble.
E: Exactly. Maybe the person who made that comment on your Instagram thought that their words were Gospel and it was important for them to post them.
H: But they were nothing but trouble. And Ece, you know how sometimes my English teacher brain notices something in the song lyrics. “I ain’t got the time to waste,” just doesn’t sound “right” to me.
E: What we would teach in grammar class is, “I do not, or “don’t,” have the time to waste.” We know that the way English is actually spoken can be very different. You will hear “ain’t” all the time in everyday conversation.
H: Ok, how about the next line where she sings, “You need to get a life, ‘cause life’s too short.” How do you “get a life”?
E: “You need to get a life” is something you say to a person who seems to care too much about unimportant things. Their life is too boring.
H: Ah-ha! So, I could say that to someone who takes the time to make a mean comment on Instagram about my amazing purple dress.
E: Exactly. She even says in the next lines, “'Cause life's too short. You must be bored out your mind. You should really take that nonsense somewhere else.”
H: There’s a lot of fun language there. So, we talked about “life’s too short” already, but what does, “bored out your mind,” mean?
E: You’ll usually hear, “bored out of your mind,” but deleting the “of” is a common reduction of that phrase. If you’re bored out of your mind, you are extremely, terribly, awfully bored.
H: I never feel that way.
E: Me neither. We’re always too busy having fun with the podcast to be bored!
H: So true. And there’s one other word that’s kind of interesting and that’s “nonsense.” What does “nonsense” mean?
E: “Nonsense” is literally words that do not make sense or have no meaning.
H: Ha! So, some people’s Instagram comments are just nonsense.
E: Yes, they are.
H: Ok. Let’s talk about the last verse before we discuss the refrain.
E: Good idea. In the next verse they sing, “Some people are so mean
all behind a phone screen when we're tryna live our lives.”
H: There’s some fun rhyming there with “mean” and “screen,” and that’s what we were just talking about. Some people say really mean, hurtful things when they can hide behind their phone or computer screen.
E: And there’s a great reduction there that we’ve talked about before in Season 1, Episode 13, in the song, “Most Girls.” Instead of saying, “trying to,” it becomes “tryna.” Like, I’m tryna get ready for my class tomorrow.
H: Or, I’m tryna live my life, ‘cause life’s too short.
E: Exactly! Next, they sing, “Why you gotta be so vicious?”
H: Wow! A great reduction AND a useful vocabulary word all in the same line! So, first they sing, “Why you gotta” instead of “Why do you have to.” That pronunciation is so much easier!
E: I agree. And then the word, “vicious,” is really descriptive. It means, “dangerously aggressive, savage, violent, fierce.”
H: So I could say, “Wow! Some of the comments on that Instagram post were vicious!”
E: Yes. An attack, either physical or verbal, can be described as “vicious.”
H: Ok. How about the last lines of that verse, “Be about your business ‘stead of getting up in mine.”
E: Yeah. If you tell someone, “be about your business,” or “mind your own business,” it means that they should worry about their own problems and not try to interfere with your life.
H: And how about “‘stead of getting up in mine”? The ‘stead is a reduced form of “instead,” right?
E: Right! That’s a common reduction. You can use reductions ‘stead of the full form of a word and it is easier to pronounce!
H: So, what does it mean to “get up in someone’s business”?
E: If I tell someone not to get up in my business, it means I want them to stay out of my personal life and leave me alone.
H: Finally, in the refrain, they sing, “I'm doing me regardless, and I don't care what you say about it.” What does it mean to say, “I’m doing me”?
E: It just means that you are going to do whatever you want. You’re not going to worry about what other people think or say.
H: … or post on Instagram. Can I also say, “You do you”?
E: Yes! If I’m doing an unusual dance while I’m wearing a strange hat, and I ask you what you think, you can say, “You do you, Ece.” And I will!
H: And you should! We should do what we want regardless of what other people think or say.
E: And “regardless” is a more formal way of saying, “it doesn’t matter” or “it is not important.”
H: Right. So, we are going to make this podcast, regardless of how many people actually listen to it.
E: Luckily, we have lots of listeners all over the world. Ok Heather, I know you’re going to have something to say about the grammar of the next line, “And it don't matter if you like it or not.”
H: You’re right. In grammar class we would use, “It doesn’t matter,” right?
E: Right. But in the real world it don’t always matter which one you use in conversation.
H: Well, the next lines, “I'm having all this fun, so why would I ever stop?” are really great.
E: I agree. We’re having all this fun with this episode, why would we ever stop?
H: I can think of one good reason - it’s time to sing!!
E: That is a good reason. Ok listeners, life’s too short to worry about what other people think. Sing out loud and pay attention to all of the reductions and great vocabulary.
H + E: “We’re doing us regardless, and we don’t care what you say about it! We’re having all this fun, so why would we ever stop?”
<outro>
H: I feel so much better after listening to this song!
E: Are you going to wear that amazing purple dress again?
H: I am! And I don’t care what anybody says about it!
E: That’s a good attitude. You do you, Heather.
H: I will. And I encourage all of our listeners to follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
E: No vicious comments though!
H: No, I hope not!!
E: You can also check out our website for useful resources like episode transcripts and activities.
H: We hope you’re enjoying the podcast. There will be another episode in a couple of weeks!
E: Until then, have fun and…
E + H: …just keep singing
YouTube Video - English Version
Official YouTube Video - Korean Version
Complete Lyrics
All of this discussion
Talking about nothing
You would ever say to my face
You think your words are Gospel
But they're only trouble
I ain't got the time to waste
You need to get a life
'Cause life's too short
You must be bored out your mind
You should really take that nonsense somewhere else
'Cause you've got to realize
I'm doing me regardless
And I don't care what you say about it
And it don't matter if you like it or not
I'm having all this fun, so
Why would I ever stop?
Doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
No, I don't care what you say about it
And I'ma do it any way that I want
I'm having all this fun, so
Why would I ever stop?
Some people are so mean
All behind a phone screen
When we're tryna live our lives
Why you gotta be so vicious?
Be about your business
'Stead of getting up in mine
You need to get a life
'Cause life's too short
You must be bored out your mind
You should really take that nonsense somewhere else
'Cause you've got to realize
(You've got to realize)
I'm doing me regardless
And I don't care what you say about it
And it don't matter if you like it or not
I'm having all this fun, so
Why would I ever stop?
Doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
No, I don't care what you say about it
And I'ma do it any way that I want
I'm having all this fun, so
Why would I ever stop?
I'm doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Why would I ever stop?
Oh, well, it won't turn your glitter into gold
So why are you wasting your time?
You should find some better seeds to sow (seeds to sow)
They might grow one day but
Either way
I'm doing me regardless
And I don't care what you say about it
And it don't matter if you like it or not
I'm having all this fun so
Why would I ever stop?
Doing me regardless (don't care)
No, I don't care what you say about it
(What you say about it, baby)
And I'ma do it any way that I want
I'm having all this fun so
Why would I ever stop?
Doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Life's too short)
Doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
(Life's too short)
Why would I ever stop?
Doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Doing me regardless (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Songwriters: Rebecca Claire Hill / Samuel Anthony Klempner / Uzoechi Osisioma Emenike Life's Too Short lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
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