As part of BTS’s anniversary celebration, RM has released another song to comfort ARMY’s titled “Bicycle”.
While a lot has probably guessed it right that the song would be about RM as the title has taken it away, it is still surprising when the songwriter dropped the song on BTS’s Soundcloud at 12AM KST.
RM was the only member in BTS who hasn’t gotten his driver’s license while the reason behind it is unclear and may remain personal, one thing is for sure — he enjoys his bicycle ride.
“I wanna keep the bass down low
My heart is already in weekend mode
I don’t see no open cars, no open bars
It’s not bad, completely alone in road…”
A reminder not to pressure our self
With the world going in a tough competition whether, with ourselves or the people around us, Bicycle is a reminder not to pressure ourselves into things we can’t do, not ready for, or just simply don’t have time for like how RM don’t pressure himself to drive a car and gets satisfied riding a bicycle.
We put constant pressure on ourselves that we need to do big things to be great, forgetting that those big things were once small.
“The floating people’s hearts like islands
The night that might be not coming back
Walk the horizon also roll it too
Until the vanishing point that we decided…”
Slow down your fast forwards
We miss the details when we’re in a rush, not because of the time slipping in but because our focus is in the end. We fail to look around and appreciate what’s in the moment and realize later that we can’t have those time back.
RM wanted to translate the blurry landscapes that he can’t turn into a song, and now he does. He is able to translate these landscapes completely as he chooses to ride his bicycle in a phase-only he can control. And in his fast-moving life, where everything is in limbo, he finds peace in his own slow-motion — riding a bike.
“Sometimes let it roll
Like a bicycle wheel
There is something we have to find
It’s like a snack in afternoon
I feel like I have lived for this small moment…”
Love your phase
Some had it fast, some had it slower, and looking around to compare might leave you breathless. It’s a reminder that your own phase is yours to choose and yours to enjoy. The world may not see that value you have for your time, but you will.
Sound cliche but it’s true — good things take time. And by the time it means, your own phase. This world can go into a whirlwind splash of lighting, and you can either be still and tame the thunder, or battle to fight in the storms. And anything you choose is okay.
“Feel the roof, smell the truth
Miracle is not far away
Any kind of face is ok for now
The real precious thing is not visible…”
RM is our Little Prince
Remember Little Prince’s famous line? “what is essential is invisible to the eye”. I think this is one of the foundations of RM’s music. He lets us see through things and gives us a wider perspective and understanding of them because — “it is only with the heart that one can see rightly.”
This is my favorite line of the song because it reminds me that I may have everything at the moment, but not everything I have is what I need. That I need to find happiness not in the grandiose of things but in the simplest form of life. And that would be in my human form. That I need to catch my breath once in a while before I get breathless, and if ever I ran out of breath — it's okay.
“Take your foot off the ground
Shape like the bird
Let’s float like an island
Dance to the wind
Yeah you can cry
Basically if you’re happy it’s sad…”
Our reverse gravitational pull and the other side of things
I remember RM sharing this book on Weverse where it teaches us the value of patience and its side effects — anxiousness. RM looks at things from the viewpoint where it is different from anybody else. A rock may appear stagnant to most people but for him, it’s resting. He’ll find a common ground in things like how both cold and hot can burn. This verse teaches us how to be patient and fill in the moment instead of trying to fall impatient because things aren’t our way — Bicycle is his way of doing it.
Most people tend to look forward to see what’s coming, RM is the person who tends to look back, assess his surroundings to see the outcome — because not everything you see upfront will be yours. What’s yours is what you make it and most of us fail to see that. What we want, most times, are different from what we’re getting because we take too much control of things until it becomes so hard to handle.
I love how RM minds work. To be able to see a different perspective unfamiliar with everybody else. Some people are meant to be out there to have this much influence to change other people too and RM is one of them. His presence gives clarity to our thoughts and emotions that’s why it always felt like a warm hug. He’s either a warm hug or a cold bathe you needed to start to heal.
“Take your foot off the ground
Shape like the bird
Let’s float like an island
Dance to the wind
Yeah you can cry
Basically if you’re happy it’s sad…”
These lyrics sounded like a reverse gravitational pull, the longer you digest the meaning of it, you’ll realize that sometimes, the gravity we need is not the ground, it’s the air, it’s staying where you most feel yourself at. And the gravitational pull we needed doesn’t have to be the reality we know we are in, but the calmness and solace of hearts.
Most people believe that putting your feet on the ground is the only way to stay grounded but for me, RM opened a new dimension of being on the ground. My ground is my space. I didn’t have to put my feet on a cold or warm brick to feel it burn underneath. I can fly and still be grounded.
RM is our other side of things and our reverse gravitational pull. Reality said, we have to be the best and to be that, we have to survive among the rest. But with RM’s song Bicycle, we just have to be us. The one who wanders in chaos, someone who’s still afraid, the one who gets to fail. Cause while this life is meant for survivors, the victors have always lived their lives.
Go against the tides and figure why everybody likes it the other way and you’ll appreciate more why happy people choose to take the road less traveled.
“If you’re sad, let’s ride a bicycle
Let’s put the wind under our feet
Oh let’s ride a bike
Opening your arms freely…”
Find something that makes you feel alive, and do it every time.
Credits to @choi_bts2 for the translation of the lyrics
