All members of Stray Kids‘ 3RACHA have very different senses of music and recognizable styles in the way they create music, and they are all masters at creating both together and individually. In the case of Changbin, his lyrics are always filled with wit and genius, and they find a way in our minds that they never leave. From sad songs like ‘Lost Me’ to EDM bangers like ‘ULTRA,’ Changbin’s style fits it all, and here are some of our favorite lyrics written by him!
Note: For Korean lyrics, when official translation isn’t available, credits go to Genius English Translations.
‘Streetlight’ (2020)
Like a streetlight, like a streetlight
In the middle of the lonely night, I still just look bright
At the end of a lonely day, standing vacantly again
In the middle of the lonely night, I try my best to smile brightly
Changbin’s first solo song was released in 2020, and it has remained one of his most meaningful releases – in Stray Kids‘ discography in general too. ‘Streetlight’ was a deeply personal and vulnerable song that reflected the struggles of always being the pillar for others while carrying pain himself. It’s about not being able to seek help and rely on others. The main metaphor of the ‘Streetlight‘ that always has the shine even in the darkest night is simply perfect to represent such struggles and pains. Six years later, it still engraved in our brains.
The pain silently grows in my heart, trapped in a room without a way out
When you’ve held it in for so long, you grow numb to it
I guess I can still bear it, because I’m still able to hold it in
There are so many moments from ‘Streetlight’ that highlight the way Changbin expresses emotions through his music. ‘Streetlight’ has lyrics that simply stick with you forever; they’re relatable in the saddest of ways, but they feel real and raw. The verses feel cathartic and deep from the first line to the last, but the highlight has to be this moment in the first verse. Changbin explores the complexity and contradictions of wanting to keep pain for yourself yet making it worse, and for it to mean that you can endure it even longer without relying on someone else. ‘Streetlight‘ is such a heartbreaking and enticing look inside mental health issues. Looking back at these lyrics now, you can notice how the lyrics of Stray Kids‘ ‘I Do‘ almost serve as a response, an evolution from unspoken hurt to acknowledging it and leading him to be a better support. Still so many years later, ‘Streetlight’ continues to be at the forefront of our thoughts when it comes to talking to Changbin’s lyricism.
‘Cypher’ (2020)
Even if I can’t pick the stars from the sky I need to at least make it up there
If I make it and fall like a shooting star I still know I started from the bottom
‘Cypher’ is such a statement of Changbin‘s rap skills, but also of his lyricism and how he plays with rhythm and words. His genius comes into play in every single section of this insane song, but the lyric that stands out the most can be found in the fourth verse, in the section where he samples Stray Kids‘ ‘Maze Of Memories.’ As he extends on the theme of the song and reimagines this verse, he delivers this lyric that is such an embodiment of his resilience but serves as an ode to the path Stray Kids took. ‘Cypher‘ was released in 2020, and these lyrics seem all the more meaningful after everything they’ve achieved ever since.
‘Sorry I Love You’ (NOEASY, 2021)
The time waiting for you
Feels like waiting for a traffic signal at a four way street
Changbin knows how to write a love song full of yearning and angst, and ‘Sorry I Love You’ is the perfect example of how he explores these themes. The trope is friends to lovers; it’s right person, wrong time, and it’s written in such a real, straightforward way. No lyric exemplifies better that feeling of waiting for love to be requited, waiting for the exact right moment to risk the friendship and the fear of missing the right timing quite like this one.
‘Lost Me’ (THE SOUND, 2023)
Everything that was in my heart was stolen
I want to find myself before I go numb
From their first full-length Japanese album, ‘Lost Me‘ is a ballad that stands out in Stray Kids‘ discography thanks to its melodies and the unique way it tackles all its themes. In this song, Changbin explores loneliness and love in quite a unique way. When it is so easy to get lost in what the world wants you to be and wants to break you until you’re not yourself anymore, ‘Lost Me‘ begs to be loved for who they really are before they’re completely lost. It is one of Stray Kids‘ most heartbreaking songs, and every line in the song builds a world of complex loneliness, but it all comes down to this one lyric in the first pre-chorus.
‘Leave’ (ROCK-STAR, 2023)
Say good morning to the moon again
The world has stopped but time goes on
Hate myself withering through the night
Hate myself blindly searching for you
We’ve established Changbin knows a thing or two about yearning, and the way he writes about it always feels innovative and unique. Needless to say, the way ‘Leave‘ is crafted is genius. These lyrics from the second verse exemplify so beautifully what it’s like to spend sleepless nights because you’re losing someone who is dear to you. It is such a heartbreaking yet beautiful demonstration of what it feels like to grieve a relationship and someone who still lives. ‘Leave‘ isn’t afraid to be vulnerable, almost pathetic as they say, and its lyrics are what make it such a highlight in Stray Kids‘ discography.
‘ULTRA’ (HOP, 2024)
I just worked hard like a little ant
I overcame the pain and became a giant
This lyric is so iconic that it made its way into Stray Kids‘ discography not once, but twice. Now, we don’t exactly know what came first, the Korean version of ‘GIANT‘ or Changbin‘s ‘ULTRA,’ but we did hear ‘ULTRA‘ first. Talk about resilience, talk about power, and talk about charisma. This lyric is so hard-hitting as it embodies so easily the path Stray Kids took, from writing their own music with barely anything to breaking records and selling out stadiums, going through adversity and pain. It’s one of those lyrics that embody Stray Kids from head to toe; it was too good to be used only once.
‘Still Here’ (2026)
I thought if I took just one more step forward, it might be enough
But I don’t know how many steps I’ve taken in vain
I simply can’t leave any of this behind
So, I linger around our beginning and end
2025 and 2026 were the years when Seungmin decided to give us the most beautiful gifts by asking all three members of 3RACHA to write a song for him to sing, and each one is such a statement of every member’s writing style. Thanks to this, we got ‘Still Here‘ from Changbin. You guessed it: it’s full of yearning and angst. No one writes what it feels like to be stuck, grieving a past you can’t move on from, quite like Changbin, and every line of ‘Still Here’ is exactly why. The opening lines of ‘Still Here’ hit right through the heart, and it goes to show just how much power and emotion Changbin can transmit with his words.
What’s your all time favorite lyric written by Changbin? What’s your favorite song written by him? Be sure to let us know by tweeting us at @thehoneypop or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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