There is a K-Pop wave about to his 2020 like a tornado and we are witnessing the first few alerts of it. The K-Pop giants BTS released the outro track to their upcoming album ‘Map Of The Soul: 7.’ The aptly named song “Outro: Ego” is not about trash mouthing the concept of ‘ego.’ Let us look at the lyrics and the meaning of the song.
So far BTS have released “Black Swan” and “Interlude: Shadow” tracks from their upcoming eleventh studio album ‘Map Of The Soul: 7.’ This album also marks the second edition of the ‘Map Of The Soul’ series following ‘Persona.’
“Outro: Ego” was written by j-hope of BTS and he performs the entirety of the song save for the intro, performed by RM of BTS. A music video was released on the same day of the song being released ahead of the album release.
Watch “Outro: Ego” Music Video by BTS
Intro
RM of BTS comes for the assist of j-hope on the intro of the song. He claims that the song is going to into a next gear–into an advanced step. However, this is also the opening line of BTS’s debut track “2 Cool 4 Skool” released in June 2013.
Verse 1
J-hope takes on the baton from RM for the remainder of the song.
In the first verse of the song, J-hope talks about ‘self.’ In doing so, ‘ego’ becomes a major part of the equation. Ego could be considered as the faculty responsible for the identity and personality of a person.
In the first half of the verse, J-hope sings about revisiting to examine his ‘self.’ He takes a look at himself from yesterday. This is a necessary reflection for personal growth. However, the fact is that time is unstoppable. So how you chose to live or die within this time period is up to your own self. There may be many bad memories and experiences. It is up to you to decide if you are going to let these bads’ lead your life into the future. Or you can let them be bygones and move forward.
“Love” and “joy” are two paddles that will help you cross this pit of fire. Use them wisely and live a happy life.
Pre-chorus
In these lyrics, J-hope talks about moving on. He understands that whatever haunts him from the past is a result of his own doings. So forgive yourself and look to the future. Only if you let go off this baggage, you can sail forward smoothly.
Chorus
J-hope tells us to trust in yourself. Your ‘ego’ or rather the conscious will be your beacon of light leading your way. So don’t worry about the path too much. Wherever life takes you, you will still have yourself.
Verse 2
The second verse of “Outro: Ego” takes a serious u-turn back to J-hope’s childhood. He is not J-hope then, but he identifies himself in his real name Jeong Ho-Seok. The disturbing part is when he says that he led a “life full of regret with no hope till I die.” Even worse, he blamed his “dream, asking why I live and breathe.”
It is also noteworthy that J-hope is not talking about his life before BTS in the above lyrics. He says his “dancing was chasing ghosts.” He also sings “Seven years of anguish come out finally” and seven years dates roughly back to BTS’s debut with “2 Cool 4 Skool.” However, fast forward to 2020, he has so many personal issues resolved and within BTS as well. He has achieved immense popularity within BTS as well as as a solo act with his 2019 release ‘Hope World’ album.
According to J-hope, this is a feat that he achieved by listening to the man within himself-his conscious or his ego. But has he changed as a person? Barely; “Only one and unchanging me.” So what we are left to believe is that he changed the perspective of himself over these 7 years. The problem often lies with how we chose to perceive the world around us and within us.
Outro
In the final verse of the song, J-hope reassures that he will continue to trust in himself and he knows that his actions are what creates his future. This is a surreal realization and an important one. “Hard and sad” was his path so far. But he has a different view on life now, and this will shine a light to his future journey. His ‘ego’ will be a key player in this path.
“Outro: Ego” by BTS gives us some valid facts on life, as does the whole of ‘Map Of The Soul: 7’ album promises to do. Let us hear what you think about this new track by BTS by dropping a comment below.