
Song | “ETA” |
Artist | NewJeans |
Album | 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ |
Vocal | Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein |
Release Date | July 21, 2023 |
Lyrics by | Sungbeen Lim, Gigi, Ylva Dimberg |
Composed by | 250, Ylva Dimberg |
Instrumental and Programming by | 250 |
Agency | ADOR |
Distributor | YG PLUS |
Source | Melon Korean Music Platform |
Table of Contents
1. NewJeans “ETA” Official MV
2. NewJeans “ETA” Lyrics
These lyrics are taken from the official subtitles of NewJeans ‘ETA’ Official MV.
NewJeans “ETA” Korean Lyrics
낭비하지 마 네 시간은 은행
서둘러서 정리해 걔는 real bad
받아주면 안돼
No you better trust me
답답해서 그래
저번에도 봤지만 너 없을 때
걘 여기저기에 눈빛을 뿌리네
아주 눈부시게
Honestly 우리 사이에
He’s been totally lying yeah
내 생일 파티에 너만 못 온 그날
혜진이가 엄청 혼났던 그날
지원이가 여친이랑 헤어진 그날
걔는 언제나 네가 없이 그날
너무 멋있는 옷을 입고 그날
Heard him say
We can go wherever you like
Baby say the words and I’m down
All I need is you on my side
We can go whenever you like
Now where are you?
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
I’ll be there right now
lose that boy on her arm
아파 맘이 네가 걔 못 잊을 때
내 말 믿어 you deserve better than that
내가 도와줄게
걔는 그냥 playin’
Boys be always lying yeah
내 생일 파티에 너만 못 온 그날
혜진이가 엄청 혼났던 그날
지원이가 여친이랑 헤어진 그날
걔는 언제나 네가 없이 그날
너무 멋있는 옷을 입고 그날
Heard him say
We can go wherever you like
Baby say the words and I’m down
All I need is you on my side
We can go wherever you like
Now where are you?
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
I’ll be there right now
lose that boy on her arm
Need a boy on my arm
Need a boy on my arm
Want a boy on my arm
Need a boy on my arm
NewJeans “ETA” English Translation Lyrics
Don’t waste it, your time’s a bank
Come on and end it he’s real bad
Don’t indulge him
No you better trust me
Why can’t you see it
I saw it before but when you weren’t there
Sprinkling his gaze everywhere
So dazzling
Honestly between us
He’s been totally lying yeah
The day you couldn’t come to my birthday party
The day Hyejin got in so much trouble
The day Jiwon broke up with his girlfriend
The day without you he was always
The day he showed up dressed to the nines
Heard him say
We can go wherever you like
Baby say the words and I’m down
All I need is you on my side
We can go whenever you like
Now where are you?
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
I’ll be there right now
Lose that boy on her arm
My heart hurts when you can’t let him go
Trust me you deserve better than that
I’ll give you a hand
He’s just playin’
Boys be always lying yeah
The day you couldn’t come to my birthday party
The day Hyejin got in so much trouble
The day Jiwon broke up with his girlfriend
The day without you he was always
The day he showed up dressed to the nines
Heard him say
We can go wherever you like
Baby say the words and I’m down
All I need is you on my side
We can go wherever you like
Now where are you?
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
Mmhmm
What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA
I’ll be there right now
Lose that boy on her arm
Need a boy on my arm
Need a boy on my arm
Want a boy on my arm
Need a boy on my arm
3. NewJeans “ETA” Meaning Based on Lyrics
A Note from Us: When you listen to “ETA” by NewJeans, you can find two main ways to understand the song. If you watch the music video, the song talks about how easy it is for people to believe rumors and make quick decisions without knowing the full story. It’s like a warning about believing everything you hear. But if you just listen to the song’s words and music, it feels like a story about young love. It talks about the ups and downs in relationships, the feelings of waiting, and the challenges friends face. So, in short, this song can be a lesson about being careful with rumors or a touching story about love, depending on how you experience it.

“ETA” by NewJeans is a piece that blends the rhythmic intensity of Break Beat with the laid-back mellowness that the group is known for, punctuated by the energy of Favela Funk. The song vividly captures the feelings and frustrations of youthful relationships, echoing sentiments that resonate with many teenagers. NewJeans’ unique lyrical style gives listeners the sensation of conversing with a close friend, inviting them into an intimate circle of trust and emotional transparency.
Drawing from the theme of “Estimated Time of Arrival,” the track masterfully weaves a narrative about the anticipation and impatience that come with love and relationships. It’s a story of someone watching a close friend in a seemingly toxic relationship, wanting to help and yearning for their attention.
“ETA” delves into the anxieties and uncertainties of modern relationships, using the metaphor of “Estimated Time of Arrival” to signify the longing and waiting in love. The song primarily speaks from the perspective of someone who cares deeply for a friend and is frustrated with the choices they’re making in their relationship.
After talking about the main idea of “ETA” by NewJeans, let’s take a closer look at the song’s lyrics. We’ll break down the lyrics to get what NewJeans is trying to say:
- Value of Time: “Don’t waste it, your time’s a bank” – Time is valuable and shouldn’t be wasted on unworthy individuals. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing and valuing one’s time, suggesting that it’s as precious as money in a bank.
- Warning and Suspicion: “Come on and end it he’s real bad / Don’t indulge him” – The speaker warns their friend about the potential danger or negative influence of their partner, urging them not to entertain his behavior.
- Trust and Concern: “No you better trust me / Why can’t you see it” – The speaker emphasizes their genuine concern and asks their friend to trust their judgment, highlighting the deep bond they share.
- Observations and Trustworthiness: “I saw it before but when you weren’t there / Sprinkling his gaze everywhere” – Through their careful observation, the speaker notes the partner’s unfaithful tendencies. They’ve seen the guy acting flirty with others when their friend wasn’t around, indicating the speaker’s concerns about the friend’s partner being untrustworthy and disloyal.
- Lies and Fake Behavior: “He’s been totally lying yeah” – The speaker is saying that the partner has been lying. This suggests that the partner isn’t being real or honest, and might be pretending to be someone he’s not.
- Absence during Important Moments: “The day you couldn’t come to my birthday party” – The speaker reflects on significant events where the friend was absent, subtly pointing out the negative influence or distraction of the partner.
- Sweet Talker: “We can go wherever you like / Baby say the words and I’m down” – These lines sound like the partner trying to be charming and making promises. Even though most of the song shows him in a bad light, here he’s trying to win someone over with sweet words. It’s like he’s putting on a nice act to hide his true colors.
- Waiting and Hoping: “What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA” – This line that keeps coming up shows how much the speaker is waiting and hoping. They keep asking when their friend will be there, showing they really want their friend to see things clearly and come back. It’s like the speaker is constantly checking the time, waiting for that moment when their friend realizes what’s really going on.
- Move On! You Deserve Better: “Lose that boy on her arm” – The speaker is telling their friend to let go of the guy they’re with. They believe the friend deserves a better partner who truly cares for them. In other words, the speaker is saying, “You deserve better than him.”
- Yearning for Genuine Love: “Need a boy on my arm” – After advising their friend to let go of a bad relationship, the speaker expresses their own desire for love. This sudden shift highlights a universal human yearning: everyone, including the speaker, seeks genuine companionship. It’s as if they’re saying, “Just as I want real love for myself, I want the best for you too.”
“ETA” is more than just a song about waiting. It’s a story of love, worry, and wanting something more. In this song, NewJeans tells us about a friend who is watching and hoping that someone they care about will make the right choices. The song expertly navigates the tension between wanting to protect a loved one and understanding the complexities of their choices. When the song keeps asking “What’s your ETA”, it’s like asking the friend when they will see things clearly, to realize the truth. But it also feels like how we all sometimes wait for love or a big moment in our lives. In the end, “ETA” shows us how much we notice, how much we care, and how time can change things in our relationships.”
Disclaimer: The analysis of a song’s meaning provided in our articles is based on the lyrics and other available information. The interpretation of the song may vary from person to person, and our articles are not intended to provide a definitive understanding of the song’s meaning. Instead, they serve as one possible perspective on the themes and messages that the song might convey. If you would like to use or share the information provided here, please credit KPOPOFFICIAL.COM as the source.
4. NewJeans “ETA” Meaning Based on MV Story
A Note from Us: When you listen to “ETA” by NewJeans, you can find two main ways to understand the song. If you watch the music video, the song talks about how easy it is for people to believe rumors and make quick decisions without knowing the full story. It’s like a warning about believing everything you hear. But if you just listen to the song’s words and music, it feels like a story about young love. It talks about the ups and downs in relationships, the feelings of waiting, and the challenges friends face. So, in short, this song can be a lesson about being careful with rumors or a touching story about love, depending on how you experience it.
Shin Woo Seok, who directed the music video for NewJeans’ “ETA”, has shared some insights about the video’s story and his intentions behind it. Here’s what he shared, as mentioned in an Allkpop article:
Director Shin Woo Seok has responded to a fan’s request asking him to shed light on the complex story of NewJeans’ “ETA” MV.
First, the director wrote, “Hello. Thank you so much for enjoying the music video. However, I do not prefer to explain every detail of my projects once they are completed, and so I’m afraid I cannot respond to every mystery and speculations surrounding them. To shed light on what I can, I hoped to depict a story of ‘rumors’ in ‘ETA’. In modern society, we all come across truths that we did not witness for ourselves, and we must each determine the grounds to believe these truths. During that process, many truths become distorted and exaggerated. NewJeans, who happened to be delivering the rumor in the story, were also subject to these processes.”
Director Shin then addressed two key points. First, “If you break down the time line of this music video, you can see that the time when the woman driving the car picks up the phone, and the time when the NewJeans members make the call, do not match up. The hair band, which was placed next to the phone, does not make an appearance until after the story has begun to unfold. In fact, the woman has already murdered the man, and she is on he way to dispose of the body,” the director wrote.
Second, “The music video does not tell you whether or not the man actually committed an immoral act. The kiss scene is only a delusion in the woman’s head that she begins to see as she refuses to pick up her phone,” Shin elaborated.
Finally, he commented, “We are exposed to too much information in this day and age. Yet, we do not think to confirm the validity of this information before we deliver it to others. Thank you once again for your interest in the music video.”
The fan who made the inquiry responded by writing, “Ah.. so that was the meaning behind it. In the age of information, it contained a necessary message meant for many fans of NewJeans who are users of the iPhone. Thank you for your reply!!”.
“ETA” by NewJeans is a song that talks about how rumors and wrong information can spread in today’s world. In the song, the singer tells a story about a man who might be cheating, and how people around him react based on what they hear. The music video, directed by Shin Woo Seok, shows how sometimes what we believe isn’t the real truth. Together, the song and video remind us to be careful and not jump to conclusions without knowing the full story.
The song “ETA” warns us about the dangers of blindly trusting rumors. It highlights the issues that can arise when we make decisions based on false or partial information. The music video also shows this, giving us a visual story of how easily misunderstandings can spread. Both the song and video emphasize the importance of verifying facts before believing or sharing them.
- Value of Time
The line “Don’t waste it, your time’s a bank” suggests that time is as valuable as money. The singer emphasizes the importance of not spending it on untrustworthy individuals or getting ensnared by baseless rumors. It’s a warning against spending one’s precious time on something that may not be true. - Witnessing Doubtful Events
When the singer mentions, “I saw it before but when you weren’t there,” it highlights the potential unreliability of second-hand information. This moment underscores how personal observations can be limited and may not capture the complete truth. The line conveys the dangers of basing decisions on incomplete or potentially misleading details. - Specific Incidents as Evidence
The mentions of events like “The day you couldn’t come to my birthday party” and similar lines portray specific instances that make the singer suspicious. However, given the theme of the song and the music video, these can be interpreted as potentially misinterpreted events that fuel rumors. The focus is on how specific events, when viewed out of context, can form the basis of misleading narratives. - Anticipation and Anxiety
The repeated line, “What’s your ETA, what’s your ETA”, brings out a sense of urgency, hinting at how quickly information (or misinformation) can spread in the modern age. The repetition captures the heightened anticipation and possible anxiety around waiting for someone or something, which could be the truth. - Advice Based on Speculations
The line “Lose that boy on her arm” is a clear advice or plea from the singer, indicating that they believe the person in question should be let go. Yet, the underlying message is how often we offer or act on advice based on unverified information or speculations. - Personal Desires Influencing Perception
By stating “Need a boy on my arm” towards the song’s end, the singer reveals their personal longing for companionship. This shift implies that our personal desires and emotions might cloud our judgment or influence how we perceive and act on information. The line serves as a reminder that personal motivations can sometimes overshadow objective judgment.
“ETA” is a reflection of the current age, where the rapid spread of information, often without validation, can lead to misjudgments and wrong actions. The lyrics, along with Director Shin Woo Seok’s interpretation of the music video, reveal a complex narrative where truths get distorted, and speculations might lead to dire consequences. The song serves as a reminder for listeners to be cautious and discerning in a world oversaturated with information, emphasizing the significance of understanding and validating the truths we come across. The play between personal experiences, desire, and the general tendencies of society makes “ETA” a compelling piece about modern life and its challenges.
Disclaimer: The analysis of a song’s meaning provided in our articles is based on the lyrics and other available information. The interpretation of the song may vary from person to person, and our articles are not intended to provide a definitive understanding of the song’s meaning. Instead, they serve as one possible perspective on the themes and messages that the song might convey. If you would like to use or share the information provided here, please credit KPOPOFFICIAL.COM as the source.