‘That I Was Once by Your Side’ (also ‘Remember I Was Next to You;’ Hangul ‘내가 너의 곁에 잠시 살았다는 걸’) is a song originally sung by Kim Yeon-woo (김연우) in Toy’s second album ‘Youheeyeol’ released in 1996.
Written and composed by Toy’s You Hee-yeol, this timeless song on a person’s heartache after a breakup is simple but relatable, honest but not hurtful. I think the song might be so beloved because it sounds like a model for what we should say to another when we part ways – that it’ll be hard to move on but that we wish them well and hope they’ll remember us as beautiful memories.
Follow through the original translation of the lyrics and listen to the version sung by the original singer Kim Yeon-woo below. I’ve also curated a YouTube playlist of covers from various artists, from top Korean vocalist Park Hyo-shin to Kpop idol Taemin.
About the artist
Toy (토이) started as a duo made up of artists Yoon Jeong-oh (윤정오) and You Hee-yeol (유희열) that released their debut album in 1994. From the second album onwards, Yoon left the group and Toy became You’s persona as a producer and singer-songwriter. As Toy, You has mostly stepped aside as a singer and found some of the top Korean vocalists to lend their voices to his songs.
But You Hee-yeol has also made a name for himself in the music industry in other ways – he runs a live music show called ‘You Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook’ since 2009, he was one of the judges in major music competitions such as ‘Kpop Star’ and ‘Sing Again’ and he is the founder and CEO of the record label Antenna.
Translated lyrics to ‘That I Was Once by Your Side’ (내가 너의 곁에 잠시 살았다는 걸)
Note: The translation below is based on my own interpretation of the lyrics and is not an official English translation of the song provided by the artist.
I thought I had erased my memories of you
When I’m drunk after a night with friends
Thoughts of you bring me down sometimes
I’ve been living like that, wasn’t I always alone anyway
I believed once that you could save me
Until you started drifting away
Could you remember one thing for me
That I once lived by your side
Afraid of meeting you on the street
I check my small reflection in the mirror sometimes
Are you staying well, I really worry about you
You must be happy but I’ll still pray for you
Even if you meet someone else, remember
That I once lived by your side
I could smile when I was seeing you
You were a safe haven for me
Until you started drifting away
Could you remember one thing for me
That I once lived by your side
Afraid of meeting you on the street
I check my small reflection in the mirror sometimes
Are you staying well, I really worry about you
You must be happy but I’ll still pray for you
Even if you meet someone else, remember
That I once lived by your side
