🎵 Romance by the Sea - Inspired by Chai Baek-ho's "낭만에 대하여"

Korean Songs with English Lyrics - "Romance by the Sea"

“Romance by the Sea” is a poetic English reinterpretation of Choi Baek-ho’s “낭만에 대하여,” a legendary Korean ballad about love, longing, and the traces of youth left behind by the waves. With quiet imagery and lyrical storytelling, this version invites listeners to reflect on the solitude and nostalgia that often accompany love’s memory.

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🌄 How to Enjoy This Song

🎧 Play the original song: [Choi Baek-ho – 낭만에 대하여]
🎤 Follow along with the English lyrics below.
🕊️ Try singing it aloud with the melody.

A red lighthouse at the end of a stone pier, with waves gently breaking around and mountains fading into the misty distance — a scene filled with quiet romance.

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📝 Romance By The Sea

English Lyrics - Inspired by Choi Baek-ho’s “낭만에 대하여”

Verse 1
Late at night beside the sea,
Where the ferry’s gone but the waves still breathe,
Though no one's coming back tonight,
That lonesome horn still haunts the breeze.

My first love from long ago—
I wonder where she has grown old by now.
As memories stir with every tide,
The ship’s low cry still makes me sigh.

And now that I’m older than before,
Regrets of youth still linger on.
There’s an ache that never lets go,
For a place I lost that still lives in my heart.

Verse 2
There’s a stillness by the sea,
Where old lamps flicker, soft and white.
No ferry hums, no voices stay—
Just wind that sweeps the past away.

The girl is gone now.
Was it real, or was I wrong?
The tide rolls in with dreams once shared,
But nothing’s there, just salt and air.

A shadow stirs where I once stood—
No more regrets for youth long gone.
A quiet and keen ache lives in my chest—
A place I cannot find,
Just thoughts of romance.

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📖 About the Original Song

First released in 1985, “낭만에 대하여 (About Romance)” is one of Korea’s most beloved trot ballads. Choi Baek-ho’s deep, weathered voice and minimal instrumental arrangement evoke a timeless sense of longing. The lyrics contemplate the end of youth, the memories of first love, and the pain of romantic ideals fading into the quiet of old age.

Unlike more dramatic love songs, this one embraces a subdued tone—a reflection not of heartbreak, but of emotional distance and philosophical acceptance. Its slow rhythm and introspective lines resonate with listeners who’ve experienced love not as passion, but as memory.

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✍️ About This Project

These English lyrics are not direct translations. Instead, they are lovingly rewritten to match the emotional atmosphere and poetic rhythm of the original Korean song. The goal is not to interpret word-for-word meaning, but to help English-speaking audiences sing and feel the song’s emotional arc.

Crafting singable English lyrics for Korean music requires balancing melody, meaning, and mood. With “Romance by the Sea,” we focused on preserving the bittersweet nostalgia and coastal metaphors that define Choi Baek-ho’s masterpiece. Through this adaptation, we hope to open a path for more people to experience the romance embedded in Korean musical storytelling.

Written by Kyungsik Song on July 4, 2025

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📷 Image Source

Image by Pixabay – Free to use, no attribution required

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🏷️ Tags

#RomanceByTheSea #ChoiBaekHo #낭만에대하여 #KoreanBallad #SingKoreanSongs #EnglishLyrics #KoreanMusic #TrotClassic #NostalgicLove