Ma City

by Bts

니가 어디에 살건
내가 어디에 살건
한참을 달렸네
나 다시 또 한참을 달렸네
Yeah i'll be ridin and i'll be dyin'
In ma city
I don't know what to say
나 죽어도 말 못해
내게 억만 금을 주고 딴 데 살라고
Ah no thanks
일산 내가 죽어도 묻히고픈 곳
It's the city of the flower city of 몬
집 같던 라페스타 또 웨스턴돔
어린 시절 날 키워낸 후곡 학원촌 uh
세상에서 가장 조화로운 곳 uh
자연과 도시 빌딩과 꽃 uh
한강보다 호수공원이 더 좋아 난
작아도 훨씬 포근히 안아준다고 널
내가 나를 잃는 것 같을 때
그 곳에서 빛바래 오래된 날 찾네
Remember 너의 냄새 또 everything
You're my summer autumn
Winter and every spring
자 부산의 바다여
Say la la la la la
푸른 하늘아래 this sky line
Say la la la la la
아재들은 손을 들어
아지매도 손 흔들어
Ma City로 와
Come to ma city
잘 봐 주길 바래
Know how to party
날 키워준 city
그래 babe babe 이게 나의 city City
Welcome to ma city
한참을 달렸네
나 다시 또 한참을 달렸네
Yeah i'll be ridin and i'll be dyin'
In ma city city
Ma city ma city yeah
나 전라남도 광주 baby
내 발걸음이 산으로 간대도 무등산 정상에 매일 매일
내 삶은 뜨겁지 남쪽의 열기
이열치열 법칙 포기란 없지
나 KIA넣고 시동 걸어 미친 듯이 bounce
오직 춤 하나로 가수란 큰 꿈을 키워
이젠 현실에서 음악과 무대 위에 뛰어
다 봤지 열정을 담았지
내 광주 호시기다 전국 팔도는 기어
날 볼라면 시간은 7시 모여 집합
모두다 눌러라 062 - 518
자 부산의 바다여
Say la la la la la
푸른 하늘아래 this sky line
Say la la la la la
아재들은 손을 들어
아지매도 손 흔들어
Ma City로 와
Come to ma city
잘 봐 주길 바래
Know how to party
날 키워준 city
그래 babe babe 이게 나의 city City
Welcome to ma city
대구에서 태어나 대구에서 자랐지
수혈 받기엔 좀 힘들어 몸 속에는 파란 피
이 새끼는 매 앨범마다 대구 얘기를 해도
지겹지도 않나 봐 생각을 할 수도 있지만
I'm a D boy 그래 난 D boy
솔직하게 말해 대구 자랑할 게 별 게 없어
내가 태어난 것 자체가 대구의 자랑 워
그래 아 그래
자랑할 게 없기에 자랑스러워 질 수 밖에 안 그래
Ayo 대구 출신 가장 성공한 놈이래
이런 소리를 들을 거야 잘 봐라 이젠
내가 대구의 자랑 새 시대 새로운 바람
대구의 과거이자 현재 그리고 미래
Come to ma city
잘 봐 주길 바래
Know how to party
날 키워준 city
그래 babe babe 이게 나의 city City
Welcome to ma city
한참을 달렸네
나 다시 또 한참을 달렸네
Yeah i'll be ridin and i'll be dyin'
In ma city city
Ma city ma city yeah
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
어디 살건 어디 있건
Ma city city
Ma city ma city yeah yeah

Interpretations

MyBesh.com Curated

User Interpretation
# Ma City: BTS's Love Letter to Home and Identity

At its heart, "Ma City" is an unapologetic declaration of regional pride and the profound connection between place and identity. Each member takes turns celebrating their hometown—Ilsan, Busan, Gwangju, Daegu—transforming what could be simple geographical boasting into something deeper: a meditation on how our origins fundamentally shape who we become. The song communicates that loyalty to one's roots isn't provincial or limiting, but rather a source of strength and authenticity. In an increasingly globalized world where K-pop acts often present sanitized, universal images, BTS boldly plants flags in specific Korean cities, insisting that their particular stories matter precisely because they're particular, not despite it.

The dominant emotion coursing through the track is an almost defiant nostalgia—not the melancholic kind that yearns for what's lost, but a fierce, present-tense devotion that refuses to be bought or swayed. There's swagger here, certainly, but it's tempered with genuine tenderness when members reference specific landmarks, childhood memories, and the physical spaces that nurtured their dreams. This duality resonates because it captures how we actually feel about home: proud and protective, sometimes irrationally so, willing to defend its honor while acknowledging its imperfections. The energy is celebratory yet grounded, creating an emotional texture that feels both triumphant and intimate.

The literary craftsmanship lies in the song's use of concrete imagery and hyperbolic loyalty oaths that border on the poetic. Members employ apostrophe, directly addressing their cities as if they were living entities capable of reciprocating love. The recurring motif of running—always moving but always returning—serves as a metaphor for the tension between ambition and roots, suggesting that true success isn't escape from one's origins but the ability to carry them forward. The seasonal references position hometowns as constant through all changes, while the willingness to be buried there transforms geographical space into something almost sacred, a final resting place that completes the circle of identity.

"Ma City" taps into the universal human need for belonging in an age of displacement and homogenization. As urbanization and digital culture create increasingly similar experiences worldwide, the song asserts that local identity still matters—that the particular shapes of our childhoods, the dialects we spoke, and the streets we walked create irreplaceable parts of ourselves. It speaks to anyone who's felt defensive about where they come from, especially those from places considered unglamorous or overlooked. In the K-pop context, it's particularly significant as a counter-narrative to Seoul-centrism, validating the experiences of fans from smaller cities who often feel culturally invisible.

The song resonates because it gives permission for pride without pretension. BTS members don't claim their cities are objectively superior; they claim them as subjectively essential, which is far more powerful. For international audiences, the song works as a template—listeners can substitute their own hometowns and feel the same fierce loyalty the members express. In an era when success often requires geographic and cultural mobility, "Ma City" insists that you can chase global dreams without erasing your local DNA. It's a rejection of the notion that sophistication requires homelessness, arguing instead that knowing exactly where you're from is what gives you the confidence to go anywhere.
Posted on Dec 23, 2025 by Athena