Love Maze – Analysed and Explained

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to Love Maze, the second last song in my Love Yourself Theory and a song I dearly love.

Over the last few posts, we discovered the hardships and trials in 바다 (Sea), the plea for reconciliation in 134340, and the realisation that paradise can be right in front of you in 낙원 (Paradise).

As we will soon see, elements from these stories will flow naturally once again into the lyrics of Love Maze to continue the narrative.

Let’s dive right in.

Assumed Knowledge & Assumptions

I have written this post assuming you know:

• my theory, that all of the songs in LY albums are connected and reveal storylines when read in a specific order; and
• Joon, Yoongi and Hobi’s stories discussed in my blog so far.

New Readers

Hello there and welcome to my blog! I’m sorry to say that if you haven’t read any of the above posts… I may lose you in the detail as my lyrical analyses are built on existing knowledge!

This is simply because all of the songs are interconnected and need to be read in a specific order for it to make sense, just like a book.

This idea is completely consistent with what Namjoon said about the Love Yourself albums – That there is a narrative throughout the albums.

If you’re wondering where to start, please start here.

Please also note the assumptions I apply when I analyse songs.

Enjoy! 😊

1. Namjoon’s Vlive

Unlike 낙원 (Paradise), Namjoon had very little to say about Love Maze. He practically glowed as he babbled on about what an amazing song it was.

Namjoon speaks from 27.12 onwards and says the following:

The next song is “Love Maze”. It’s my favourite. *Claps enthusiastically* It’s so good.

This song is… Let me give you a tip. You have to go outdoors and listen to the song.

It’s a great song for outdoor cycling and when you’re at Han River. I listened to this song about 20 times when I was out cycling.

It’s so good. So great. You will feel like you are in this love… like this… Love Maze is a great song. There are no edge sounds in the song.

So some of you might not like the song. But you will never get tired of the song. I think the killing part that I chose is the connecting rap part of Yoongi and Hoseok. I really like the part.

Love Maze is a great song. Memorise this.

Based on the above, we can tell that Namjoon really really really, really really, really realllyyyyy loves this song.

And, that listening to this song while he cycles along the Han River makes him feel like he is in the love story told in Love Maze.

Given that we know from previous discussions that Namjoon wrote most of Love Maze and that Namjoon only writes lyrics based on his experiences, I think it is safe to conclude that despite the uncertainties the speaker and “Her” face in Love Maze, Love Maze is based on a happy and positive memory for Namjoon.

Thus, we can infer that after the events of 134340, Namjoon and his ex-lover reconciled and “She” is back next to his side.

However, as Yoongi and Hobi still contributed to this song and the love in this song can be applied to platonic (Yoongi) and fan-idol love (Hobi), I will be writing this analysis from a general speaker’s perspective with the consideration that the song was heavily influenced by Namjoon.

Let’s go.

2. Trust no one but us

I refer to the following lyrics:

Cuz I’ll be in love maze (x2)

Trapped in the maze of choices,
and exhausted in the dead-end chaos,
We have wandered around, looking for the answer
Lost in the maze, in the darkness

Although we endlessly run and run along the path,
All those false lies
can tear us apart
It’s true baby

We have to trust only each other
We can’t let go of our two hands
We have to be together forever

First, I want to discuss the lyrics: “Cuz I’ll be in love maze.”

This sentence is not grammatically correct and is hence open for interpretation.

Given our previous knowledge of the wordplay “Love is a maze damn, But you is amaze yeah,” possible interpretations include:

• Cuz I’ll be in (a) love maze, Cuz I’ll be in (the) love maze, Cuz I’ll be in (your) love maze, or Cuz I’ll be in (our) love maze;
• Cuz I’ll be in love. (In a) Maze; or
• Cuz I’ll be in love. (A)maze.

So choose your poison.

Personally, I like to interpret it as follow:

Namjoon’s story arc: Cuz I’ll be in love. Amaze
(Meaning: Cause I’m in love with you and I’m amazed by you. This is based on the interpretation explained in I NEED “U” Part 2);

Yoongi’s story arc: Cuz I’ll be in (our) love maze; and

Hobi story arch: Cuz I’ll be in love. (In a) Maze.

We can see from the above lyrics that both the speaker and “Her” are “trapped in the maze of choices and exhausted in the dead-end chaos.”

We can easily see how these lyrics of feeling trapped and exhausted can be applied to all 3 “Her”s. Throughout the previous stories, we saw that:

1. Namjoon and his ex-lover were navigating a very rocky and emotional relationship;
   
2. Yoongi and the other BTS members were exhausted from the external pressure and internal group dynamics; and
   
3. ARMY (as we saw particularly in MIC DROP) was exhausted from fighting the hate and the unfair treatment the boys were enduring. They were also running the rat race and dealing with their own respective life problems and responsibilities (e.g. Exams in Pied Piper).

If you’ve been reading my blog in chronological order, you should be able to appreciate this slow build of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion which led to the comforting lyrics of 낙원 (Paradise) that reassured everyone it was okay to take a rest.

The usage of past tense tells us that the speaker and “Her” have a long history together, “trapped… exhausted… we have wandered around…we have to trust only each other…”

This tells us that the speaker and “Her” didn’t recently meet each other. They have clearly shared many ups and downs over a decent period of time.

This is not a new relationship.

Thus, in the context of Namjoon’s story arc, Love Maze is not about a new person he loves.

The lyrics, “we have wandered around, looking for the answer” is a poetic call back to the prologue Euphoria and the last song of the trilogy Answer: Love Myself.

At the beginning of the trilogy in Euphoria, we saw that the speaker was wandering with “Her”, trying to convince “Her” to “take my hands now” and start a journey with them. At the end of the trilogy in Answer: Love Myself, we saw that the speaker and “Her” have realised that the “Answer” to all of the issues they were experiencing in their relationship was because the speaker failed to “Love Myself”.

However, even after finding the “Answer” and committing to learning how to love themselves, the speaker and “Her” are still “lost in the maze, in the darkness.”

This conveys to us that though the speaker and “Her” may “know” the “answer”, it does not mean that all of their relationship problems were solved and can be expected to be solved.

As Namjoon succinctly said: Love is not always beautiful.

And, as many of us may know from our experience: Love is hard work.

The difference this time is that the speaker has developed more self-awareness and self-love so that they are less likely to succumb to “all those false lies” that can “tear us apart.”

The false lies can be interpreted as the false lies that we explored in Fake Love, (i.e. the lies they told each other to pretend they were okay) and/or the lies and criticisms they received from others (e.g. comments from golden spoons doubting their success and potential).

Thus, the speaker tells “Her” that they must trust each other and the love that they have for each other in order to survive this difficult maze of love.

Given that we don’t see any evidence of “Her” objecting to the speaker’s suggestion, the lyrics imply that “She” agreed to commit to the relationship, to trust the speaker, and to never let go of the speaker’s hand.

This is consistent with what we can and have seen:

1. In the Best of Me, the lyrics revealed that “She” was back at Namjoon’s side holding him;

2. Yoongi and BTS are still (thank the lord!) together;

3. Hobi/BTS and ARMY’s love have never been stronger; and

4. Namjoon reacted incredibly positively to this song, indicating his relationship was still going strong as of the date of his Vlive 29 May 2018.

3. The Fool of Love

Namjoon raps the following lyrics:

Some say,
“this will make only you a fool”
But I don’t wanna use my head
I don’t wanna calculate

Love ain’t a business
Rather like a fitness
I never loved strategically,
so I know it’s going to be cold, like winter
But I still want to crash into it ayy

If you push me, I will fall, you raise me up then yeah
Even if I pull you, you don’t have to come to me
Let them be them
Let us be us
Love is a maze damn
But U is amaze yeah

Because of the style, wordplay and references that jump out at me, I’ve assumed that Namjoon wrote most of these lyrics. Hence, as an exception, I will be analysing these lyrics from his perspective.

3a. Fools

The lyrics “”this will make only you a fool”, but I don’t wanna use my head I don’t wanna calculate” echo the lyrics of “Fools”, a cover Namjoon and JK released on 29 December 2015, 26 days after “I Love You” (released 3 December 2015) and before “I Know” (released 1 June 2016).

Given how 134340 is set around early to mid-2015, and in the album and my theory’s order 134340 comes before Love Maze…

The timeline fits perfectly and this indicates that Love Maze is set around the end of 2015 or early 2016, after 134340.

As I believe that “Fools” is incredibly symbolic and meaningful to Namjoon’s love story, I want to take some time to discuss this.

“Fools” was written by Troye Sivan, an Australian singer who is publicly gay. The music video for “Fools” is the second music video of a three-part video series called “The Blue Neighbourhood”, which acts out a heartbreaking love story between him and his childhood (male) friend. I highly (highly) recommend you check out his music video.

The lyrics of “Fools” reflect Troye’s inner thoughts as he imagines his life with the man he loves, “I see swimming pools and living rooms and aeroplanes, I see a little house on a hill and children’s names, I see quiet nights poured over ice and Tanqueray…“

But… because of the discrimination and societal pressures, Troye laments “but everything is shattering and it’s my mistake.”

We can feel and see that Troye is yearning desperately to live a life with the person he loves from the lyrics and from the music video. However, this life appears to be impossible because of the lack of acceptance. In the music video, Troye endures abuse from his father who refuses to accept his son is gay.

Troye’s lover, based on “rational logic” and the belief that their relationship is doomed, breaks up with Troye in the music video and starts dating a woman to please his father, even though he and Troye know he will never love her because he is gay.

Thus, the meaning of the lyrics “Only fools fall for you, only fools… Only fools do what I do, only fools fall” is this:

Troye feels like he is a fool because he allows himself to fantasise and dream of a life with his lover… even though he knows very clearly the challenges that will stand in his way if he chooses to pursue it, and how impossible that dream is given his situation.

We can see how this applies to Namjoon’s rap.

Namjoon’s lyrics imply that there is something wrong with the love he has for “Her”. There is clearly a significant number of people (significant enough to be mentioned in the lyrics) who are telling him that he is a fool to love “Her” (Some say, “this will make only you a fool” ).

We can infer that there are people who are not supportive of the relationship who may be saying negative things about them and acting hostile towards them. Whatever the case is, it is clearly unkind because Namjoon has to tell his lover to ignore them and “Let them be them, let us be us.”

Further, Namjoon knows for a fact with absolute certainty that if he loves “Her”, that “it’s going to be cold, like winter.”

In BTS lyricism, winter has always been used to represent challenges and hardship. By using the metaphor of winter, the lyrics evoke in us an understanding that their relationship is not going to be received with a sunny disposition and warmth. It will be very cold, undesirable and difficult like winter.

The use of the word “crash” also convey to us a sense of foreboding as we understand that the simple act of going into this relationship is going to result in pain for Namjoon.

The point I am trying to make is:

To be called a fool;
To have to reassure your lover to ignore “them”;
To immediately assume that the relationship is going to be as difficult as winter; and
To have to mentally prepare yourself for a painful “crash”…

…are things you will only say if there are people against your relationship and you expect there to be attacks.

If everyone was supportive of the relationship or was expected to be supportive of the relationship, the lyrics, you can imagine, would be very different.

And yet, because Namjoon believes in true love, Namjoon will happily choose to crash headfirst into love despite the world against him and the difficulties he knows he will face.

This is because Namjoon does not want to use logic when it comes to love. We can clearly tell from the lyrics that Namjoon does not want to be a person who dates someone because society tells him that “this” person is the right person for him, or that “that” person is the right choice.

If Namjoon is going to be in a relationship, he is only going to be in it because his heart burns for that person.

He will never date with or for agenda, “I never loved strategically.”

P.S. You may remember that we saw this same reference in U, a song that I previously demonstrated had links to Love Maze: “But I become a fool in your maze.“

3b. She is (a)maze

Next, we can see that consistent with previous lyrics, “She” always seems to holds back. While Namjoon is quite forward in his courting approach (e.g. he always seems to be making the first move, the first one to offer his hand out for “Her” to take, etc), “She” is always the opposite.

We also know from previous stories such as “U” that Namjoon used to find “Her” hard to read and understand, and “She” used to make him feel very lost and like a fool in “Her” presence.

But, as both Namjoon and we have come to understand, “Her” hesitation towards Namjoon does not come from “Her” lack of love towards him. For example, the lyrics of Serendipity and Skit: 망설임과 두려움 (Hesitation and Fear) reveal to us that “She” holds back out of fear and because “She” knows that their relationship is not allowed.

Namjoon, who knows “Her” well now after everything they have been through, assures “Her” he understands why “She” may hesitate or reject his touch, and tells “Her” that “even if I pull you, you don’t have to come to me.”

Lastly, there are two things to point out:

1. With respect to the lyrics “Love is a maze damn, But U is amaze yeah” , this has already been discussed in detail in I NEED U Part 2 along with the reference in U. Therefore, I won’t be discussing it here again.
   
2. In “U“, Namjoon called his lover “baby” (e.g. “baby say it’s true” ).
   
   In Love Maze, the speaker calls “Her” “baby” too (e.g. “It’s true baby” ).
   
   As I’ve also discussed the significance of these lyrics in I NEED U Part 2, I won’t be discussing it here again.

4. Facing the Trials and finding Paradise together

The following lyrics are filled with 바다 (Sea) and 낙원 (Paradise) references:

Let’s not listen to what others say
Jut let’em talk, whatever they say
The more they talk, the more I’m sure
Yeah yeah yeah

Can’t you hear me? You have to trust me
Baby, just don’t give a damn
Promise, promise me

In the dead-end of this enclosed maze,
We’re strolling in this abyss
The silver lining over there,
I hope we’re roaming towards that paradise
Remember, sometimes lies will try to separate us
Trials will try to deceive us, but
In times like that, focus on me
In the darkness, as long as there are us, it’s enough
In the meaningless lies,
As long as we are together, even the endless maze is paradise

The speaker continues to remind “Her” not to “listen to what others say” and instead, tries to instil more confidence in “Her” by telling “Her” that “the more they talk, the more I’m sure” of their relationship.

We can observe that though “She” had promised to be by the speaker’s side, “She” still suffers from moments of weaknesses and doubt that threatens the relationship. This prompts the speaker to react with urgency, “can’t you hear me? You have to trust me baby, just don’t give a damn [about what others are saying]. Promise, promise me.”

This, unfortunately, implies that “She” and the speaker have been/are the topic of many unkind gossips and discussions.

And… they can hear what everyone is saying about them.

And… it really really affects them. Especially “Her”.

The lyrics reveal to us that metaphorically, the speaker and “Her” are both in the abyss together. The metaphor of an abyss conveys to us that the environment surrounding them is not a positive and secured space. There is a sense of deep emptiness, turmoil and fear.

We can observe the speaker and “Her” are strolling… roaming.” This pace, in contrast with 바다 (Sea) and 낙원 (Paradise), feels much more sustainable and balanced.

바다 (Sea) was about running without stopping and 낙원 (Paradise) was about stopping and taking a rest. Now in Love Maze, the speaker and “Her” are moving at a slow to medium pace. This juxtaposition allows us to understand that they are taking things as they come while trying their best to move towards their goals. An arguably healthier and more sustainable approach.

The speaker reminds “Her” that even though they have slowed down, “trials will [continue to] try to deceive us.” This means that despite their best efforts, they still need to be prepared to face hardships and trials that will try to convince them that they should give up on themselves and on their relationship.

Hence, the speaker assures “Her” that all will be okay as long as they are together:

As long as we are together and committed to each other (“in times like that, focus on me” ), we can make it to the end and we can make this abyss feel like paradise.

We can see how this belief has manifested itself in the context of Yoongi and Hobi’s story arcs:

• The boys continued to work together and support each other despite their arguments and fights. And, because they decided to remain next to each other even though they were on the verge of breaking up, they have defeated every trial thrown at them. One can easily see that the love between all of them has continued to grow stronger over the years.
  
• BTS and ARMY have tirelessly supported and worked with each other throughout the years. Due to this continued and incredibly close IDOL-Fan relationship, BTS and ARMY have grown into a formidable force like no other despite the world and industry against them at many points in time.

5. Just follow the rules and take my hand

I refer to the following lyrics:

What else can we do, we’re here following the official rule(s)*
Yeah, what else can we do, we’re right by each other following the rule(s)*
This maze where we wander,
And the crossroad of uncertainty,
Are one of providence for each other
I always think about it, although ‘forever’ is hard,
I want to give that a try 
Yeah, let’s be forever
A mountain of just the two of us, a climb of just the two of us,
an axis of the world of just the two of us, the heart of just the two of us
The travel towards the exit,
Our two held hands become the map

Take my ay ay hand Don’t let go of my hand
Lie ay ay In the maze,
My ay ay You can’t let go of me ever
In love maze

Take my ay ay hand Don’t let go of my hand
My ay ay Come closer
My ay ay We can’t miss each other ever
In love maze

*Remember plurality in Korean is ambiguous

The lyrics reveal to us that the speaker has not and does not ever plan to cheat or ignore the rules. They plan to follow the rules all the way through to the end: “we’re here following the official rules… we’re right by each other following the rules.”

The rules that the speaker is referring to can be many things:

• Marriage laws;
• Rules and expectations regarding idol relationships;
• Contractual terms;
• Billboard rules;
• Award rules;
• Rules that prevent BTS and ARMY from being together (e.g. in present times this can be Covid rules, or when they need to serve in the army), etc.

Given their commitment to follow the rules, the speaker asks the rhetorical question: “What else can we do?”

The lyrics convey to us that there are limits to what the speaker and “Her” can and can’t do when life throws a curveball at them. Even if the laws and rules are against them, they will just need to take it on. They don’t have a “get out of jail” free card and they can’t (and shouldn’t) ignore the rules and rebel against them.

We can see that the speaker is very aware that these strict rules are likely to take a heavy toll on their relationship, “this maze… and the crossroad of uncertainty are one of providence for each other…’forever’ is hard.”

However, the speaker who is ever so optimistic still wants to try and attain “forever” with “Her”:

Screw it. I know it is foolish to try, but let’s try it anyway.

Let’s be in love. Let’s travel towards the exit to the next chapter of our lives or to our next life together.

I believe that if we never let go of each other’s hands we will find a way out of the maze together:

Our two hands held will become the map.

And as we will soon see, this re-energised energy and “YOLO” attitude of “Screw what everyone is saying, let’s do this” will be carried forward to our very last song: So What.

Author’s Thoughts

I always believe that there is only one thing in life that can’t be mediocre, and that is love.

And, I feel that this song really encapsulates that. The fact that this song brings Namjoon so much joy and happiness even though the lyrics were full of the promise of challenges, pain and suffering really tells us that true love conquers all. True love… is worth it.

I admittedly had a little immature giggle when I was reading the lyrics “Love ain’t a business, Rather like a fitness.” All I could think about was the interview when Namjoon talked about “exercise” which resulted in a lot of unexplained awkward tension.

Look, I’m about 99.999999999% sure Namjoon meant that just like fitness, love requires commitment and one needs to work hard at it to maintain it.

But… just saying, fitness and exercise can absolutely be a form of love too!

Anyway, I’m also so so sorry I have been MIA and haven’t responded to messages. I’ve just been so busy and every spare minute I have I’m trying to update my blog! Please know that I love you all and will try and respond soon!

Take care everyone and we are almost there! One more song to go!

💜💜 G

P.S. Fun fact: I worked with Troye Sivan’s brother.

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Lyric sources:

Doolset lyrics and Genius lyrics

Please note I made some minor updates where I thought things could be expressed better. These minor updates do not result in any substantial change in meaning.

Disclaimer:

As per my first author’s note, please, no hate!

I do not have a shipping or individual bias, I love all seven members equally and I do not write my blogs because of a particular personal desire for one of them. I reached my conclusion on Joon and Jin being together based on the lyrics, logic and patterns as I have discussed in all my posts (i.e. I did not ship Namjin first, and then started trying to find things to prove my point). I genuinely enjoy all ships because I enjoy watching the different chemistries between the boys.

It does not matter one bit to me if they are straight, gay, intersex, a skrull, a mutant or if they could lay eggs. I love them wholeheartedly (as a sister who would love her younger brothers) for their individual selves.

This theory of Love Maze is based on my interpretations of its lyrics. Please enjoy.