The first time I listened to “FARMING” when This & That came out, I didn’t know what to think about it. I didn’t hate it at all, but I didn’t love it either. It was just a lot! But like so many Stray Kids songs, it’s grown on me. A lot. And deep diving into the lyrics made me fall in love with it even more.
There’s SO much to dive into with this song, so let’s get right into it.
Couple disclaimers: I don’t speak Korean. I am using my limited SKZ knowledge and the English translations from Genius. These are my own thoughts based on those translations and not meant to be a definitive interpretation.
Here is the music video to listen to while you read:
Song Background
The main point or origin for this song is “aura farming.” If you, like me, knew the phrase but couldn’t define it, the album intro video gave us a very handy definition: “A Western meme for building up your cool factor.” But Han also mentioned that he was also inspired by farming in PUBG: Battlegrounds, a video game that came out in 2017, which usually means collecting in game currency and other items. And he mentioned offhand that they were sort of obsessed with farming as inspiration for their music.
I want to know every single detail about that, Han Jisung, please and thank you.
Anyway, I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Han said in the music video making that this was in the running for the title track. It has that feel and complexity and so much potential for a title track/full album concept. (We’ll get into the brilliance of the music video later.)
Multiple members agreed that this song really suits them, and I agree as well. And some of the biggest reasons are the lyrics and themes.
Lyrics & Themes
I have SO many things to say about the lyrics. And because of that, I’m going to do something a little different this time and go verse by verse through the whole song instead of picking out single lines. Get comfy.
[Verse 1: Changbin, Hyunjin]
Yeah, we farmin’ every day, no sleep
Career on the rise, stacking XP
From the dirt to the light, yeah, it’s lit
The fruits of blood and sweat ain’t cheap
We got one more for the grind
Can’t hear our side wavering
Shut that useless noise down
Button, click, click, clack, boom
Here we have the first examples of various metaphors for farming. Comparing to their career to “stacking XP” (experience points in video games) and seeds growing “from the dirt to the light.” Talking about their “fruits” – a harvest – through sweat and blood. Using the word 노동요 (nodongyo), a work song sung during physical labor.
One of the Genius annotations stood out to me about that last one:
“노동요 (nodongyo)” refers to a traditional Korean work or labor song, sung while performing physical tasks to maintain rhythm or to ease its monotony. Its use fits the song’s “farming” concept, with Stray Kids presenting the track itself as another song to accompany their constant hard work and grind.
The following line creates wordplay through the repetition of “동요 (dongyo).” While it appears within “노동요” which means a work song, “동요” in “아군의 동요” means “wavering” or “agitation,” making the line “We don’t hear our allies wavering.”
“동요” can also refer to a children’s song, allowing the lyrics to play with identical sounds carrying different meanings while emphasizing that Stray Kids remain focused and unshaken.
They use wordplay so often in their songs to create layered meanings. In this instance, we have a labor song, music used during physical labor like farming or harvesting. They refer to their own music as labor songs, this being one of them, and that they’re going to write more.
And then they have the wordplay of using 동요 for “wavering” while it can also mean “children’s song.” The funny meaning to this literally a “song by (stray) kids” – ha! Then there’s going back to basics – to children’s songs. And playing with music, having fun with music, like so many children’s songs are playful.
All in just a few lines.
[Pre-Chorus: Felix, I.N]
(You got plenty of time)
Nah, I’ma work, work, work every minute
(You should draw that line)
Nah, I’ma run, run, run ’til the limit
They ask if that’s enough by now,
We ain’t even done
Satisfaction ain’t in our vocab
Pockets still feel empty
This could be the Stray Kids theme song. Since debut, they’ve pushed and pushed – literally to their limit in some cases. But especially in the last couple of years, they’ve been vocal about choosing to push hard and do everything they possibly can while they still can – physically, mentally, and together as a group before enlistment.
And there’s ambition and a little bit of greed in there, too. Satisfaction isn’t even in their vocabulary. Their pockets still feel empty. It’s not enough. Even eight years in, they’re still going. They still want to keep going. My post about “Run It” was all about this. And so were so many of my posts about Mixtape. They’re “running,” they’re desperate to prove themselves, and they’re going to do everything they can to chase that satisfaction.
And on another note, the phrase “run ’til the limit” stands out to me as possibly another video game reference. Game characters have limits just like people – health, stamina, experience, obstacles, etc.
[Chorus: Bang Chan, Felix, Seungmin]
All day, every night until we’re satisfied
We’re farming
Farming
Farming
Good night, I’m rollin’, rollin’ (Farming, farming)
There ain’t no time for ballin’ (24/7, we farming)
Good mornin’, I’m still rollin’ (Farming, Farming)
24/7 we—
Another reference to “satisfaction.” And the more on the nose “good night” to “good morning” in reference to “all day, every night” and “24/7, we farming.” Of course, I do love that they start with “good night” and end with “good morning” instead of the other way around, implying they’ve stayed up all night…which we know very well they do often.
[Interlude: Hyunjin]
Ah, run it up, run it up, let this flow move on
Straight from the source, take it, it’s rawI particularly love this farming reference and metaphor for “this flow.” It’s raw, new, freshly harvested.
[Verse 2: Han]
Ayy, feel me, bust down dreams, farming the mine
Stack it up, pile it high, bag keep growin’
Get more items, hear that? Funny, huh?
Double the load, double it up, we on track digging
Try all you want, you still can’t take our heritage
From one, we build it up, take it, yeah that’s easy
We made it, taste it
Already etched in your ears, our vestige
The first couple of lines are blatant references to collecting items in video games. And there’s the first reference to “mine” – a way of talking about collecting resources in some video games and what you’re sweeping for in Minesweeper.
There’s another Genius annotation that caught my eye about this verse:
“Digging tracks” carries a double meaning in these lyrics. Firstly, in music and DJ culture, “digging” refers to searching through physical records or digital catalogs to discover unique or lesser-known music, sounds, and samples. Therefore, “track digging” is a metaphor for continuously searching for new musical inspiration.
At the same time, “tracks” can refer to the continuous tracks used by excavators on farms while “digging” describes the work those machines perform. This meaning complements the references to “광산” aka “mine,” gathering resources, and increasing their load throughout the verse. By pairing “트랙 aka “track” with “digging,” the lyric bridges the two contexts: Stray Kids are both figuratively excavating resources through their constant grind and digging through music as they continue building their own tracks.
There’s also a little nod to “God’s Menu” (and their many other songs about cooking or making “tasty music”) with the line “we made it, taste it.” With this, we’re going all the way back to actually farming the food. They’re digging for and harvesting the sounds that make their songs “taste” good.
And we have a nod to their many songs and concepts with Korean imagery and references. Not only do they sing in Korean, they pull in traditional and modern elements that reflect their Korean identity. It’s another thing that makes their music unique and good.
[Pre-Chorus: Felix, Lee Know]
(You got plenty of time)
Nah, I’ma work, work, work every minute
(You should draw that line)
Nah, I’ma run, run, run ’til the limit
Flip the empty pockets
They overflow
Keep going, scythe in hand
We sweep it all
The last four lines of this pre-chorus different from the last four lines of the first pre-chorus. In the first, their pockets are empty, sort of implied that money is a motivation that they keep going. Here, though, the pockets are overflowing…and they still keep going.
[Chorus: Seungmin, Felix, Lee Know, Bang Chan]
All day, every night until we’re satisfied
We’re farming
Farming
Farming
Good night, I’m rollin’, rollin’ (Farming, farming)
There ain’t no time for ballin’ (24/7, we farming)
Good mornin’, I’m still rollin’ (Farming, Farming)
24/7 we farmin’[Bridge: Felix, Hyunjin, All]
If you want it then you go (Farming)
If you wanna make dough (Farming)
If you want something new? (Farming)
Farming (Farming), farming (Farming)
If you want it then you go (Farming)
If you wanna make dough (Farming)
If you want something new? (Farming)
Farming (Farming), farming (Farming)
This one is a bit of a stretch, but “dough” does have a double meaning – money and actual dough to make bread, etc. For literal dough, you do have to farm certain ingredients – wheat, sugar, even olives for oil.
[Outro: I.N, Lee Know, Changbin, Bang Chan, (Seungmin)]
Pick it up, pick it up, mine
Dig it up, dig it up, mine
Pick it, dig it, mine
Farming, farming
Pick it up, pick it up, mine
Dig it up, dig it up, mine
Pick it, dig it, mine
Farming, farming (Farming)
Even the outro packs it all in. “Pick it up” = picking up items in games and literally picking/picking up a harvest. “Dig it up” = looking for sounds and hooks in music and harvesting food. “Mine” = mining in video games for items or resources, mining in real life, and even the mines in Minesweeper. Also, “mine” as in “I own it. It’s mine.”
They really are lyrical geniuses.
Music
The track itself has so many similarities to video game sound effects. Of course, there’s the very recognizable sounds during the chorus (and throughout) that Changbin and I.N did their iconic jjangshi video to. And Hyunjin’s part in verse one sounds like it’s been filtered, almost robotic. Highly recommend listening to just the background sounds the next time you listen to the song.
We didn’t get choreography for this song, aside from the jjangshi dance they’re so partial to, but I can only imagine the amount of too-on-the-nose moves we would’ve gotten – farming, harvesting, video games… Can you imagine?
Music Video
We did get a whole music video, though, and it’s absolutely amazing. I.N says in the music video making that the concept is Minesweeper inside of a Windows computer. The main setting is a mall, where they’re playing Minesweeper and other old computer games. The members outfits are very video game-esque, and there are a few sort of “spawning” scenes. They also give a similar sci-fi feel to the “This & That” music video.
And just like the “This & That” music video, it’s all nostalgia. An old Windows look with error tabs and the rolling green hills and blue sky background. Another flip phone. Old video game cartridges. Minesweeper. The emoji with sunglasses. Even the mall is made to look a little retro.
I sometimes forget that I’m old enough to have nostalgia for something. And if you were to ask me what from my childhood I feel nostalgic about, I probably couldn’t name a single thing. But watching the music video was a bit of a trip. I was transported right back to seventh grade computer class, staring at the old Windows background and playing Minesweeper when we had down time at the end of class.
And it’s funny! They’ve included Seungmin on a bulletin board as “on vacation,” as video game character with a metal detector, and as the name of the dog. Felix goes flying through air at one point. They run from chainsaws and the mines from minesweeper in perfect slapstick comedy. And the whole end scene of them eating fast food and Chan fumbling some of it…it’s so perfect.
Like I said earlier, this would’ve made for a great title track concept. But at the end of the day, I’m glad we at least got an epic music video.
Conclusion
This song is just chaotic and bizarre enough to fit Stray Kids perfectly. The music. The lyrics. The music video. The short form content and on stage antics we’ve been graced with.
What I keep coming back to is their use of the word “satisfied.”
All day, every night until we’re satisfied
Satisfaction ain’t in our vocab
I’m so curious what satisfaction really means to them. When will they be satisfied? What is on their bucket list as a group? What do they keep adding? What is their next goal?
In this year’s STAYweeK SKZLog, Chan mentioned briefly that their biggest goal last year was winning the MAMA daesang. And now that they’ve done that, they’re looking to the next thing. I’m sure that’s a conversation they have every time to reach a new milestone or set a new record. What’s next?
I’m very interested to see what they are working toward next, what other “sides” we’re going to see. Because they’re definitely far from done.
You can find posts on the other songs on this album here:
Ambition & Victory | “Run It” by Stray Kids
“It’s Grand” | “Run It” by Stray Kids Part 2
An Advertisement of Services | “This & That” by Stray Kids
“How Can I Breathe The Same?” | “After You” by Stray Kids
Simple & Powerful | “I Do” by Stray Kids
Sources:
“This & That” Album Intro
“FARMING” M/V
“FARMING” M/V Making
Jjangshi Instagram reel
2026 STAYweeK SKZLog
Genius English Translations & Annotations
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