I know this blog has sort of become Eurovision central this past week, but I’m going to do my best to keep up with new kpop releases. I mean, I still listen to kpop songs. Getting around to review them is another story entirely. This week, I want to highlight Penomeco and his ability to depict the feeling of loneliness as something that colours your world a “murky gray.” We are looking at the lyrics for “Insomnia.”
Penomeco relates insomnia to his senses.
The one thing that stood out to me about Penomeco’s lyrics is the extensive use of the senses in describing loneliness. The first verse focuses mainly on sight and touch. Fate “brushes past” him and “knowingly stains.” The visual and tangible difference between the seasons lets the listener (or reader if you don’t speak Korean) experience those emotional extremes along with Penomeco.
The second verse shifts its focus to sounds. The opening of curtains is a tangible, visual, and aural experience and would normally represent a new day. However, Penomeco is “unamused” when he opens them. He also hears the ticking of a clock, meaning that time is passing. It seems as though life is moving forward, but he doesn’t feel any different than before. We can relate this situation to insomnia, how the night continues on whether or not you feel sleepy.
Loneliness has its own language.
Normally I’m not a fan of repetition of lines to fill up a chorus, but here it makes sense. Days can go by, even seasons could come and go, but the pain never goes away. Penomeco’s negative emotions have become the norm. He puts this sentiment quite simply in the most pivotal point in “Insomnia”:
I don’t know what’s going on
And now it keeps on going on and on
Penomeco’s lyrics are laced with weariness. He mentions being alone several times in his song and uses words like “unamused” and “endlessly” to indicate that a numbness has developed in himself. The saddest depiction of his feelings comes from the chorus when he “can’t see anything in this pitch darkness.” This means he is unlikely to break this cycle because he can’t see a future beyond his sadness. I’ve been there (not because of a relationship) and I hope that there is a happy ending to this story. I mean, it’s the last song in the album’s tracklist, but I’m trying to be optimistic.
If you like this song, check out: Heize ft. Gaeko – Jenga (2018), EXO-SC – Closer To You (2019), Lee Eun Sang ft. Park Woo Jin – Beautiful Scar (2020)
I hope I never feel this way after being in a relationship. But if I do, I want to have the skills to write a song about it that’s as good as this. Do you guys relate to this song? Let me know in the comments!