Song-lysis: Teeth by ENHYPEN

If there is a competition among ENHYPEN songs that referenced other songs, Teeth will most likely win. Teeth is "a song that unravels the boys’ sense of power and the emptiness behind it", but I wanted to go sink deeper and put my own thoughts in it. 

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Song-lysis means break down of the song. Lysis - break down. 

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with ENHYPEN, BELIFT LAB and HYBE. This is just a fan speculation; a theory (not scientifically!). You can accept this but please do not take this as fact. We can only speculate, not confirm. 

Guide: Lyrics, theory

Hope you enjoy reading! 

Comments would be nice. Lets' discuss at the end of this post!

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So baby, come and get it

Tell me everything you want (Ah)

Money, power and fame? whatever

There's no profit you can't have, choose (Ah)

The DARK MOON vampires (played by ENHYPEN) are rich, powerful and famous. For those who don't follow the story, the vampires are originally knights of Princess Selen, who was reincarnated as Sooha. They became immortal, with each member having superpowers when they were thrown to the near future as children of Vamfield orphanage. 

The boys worked as spies and built their secret organization, PEACEMAKER, and had different jobs to maintain it, while establishing VESSELSOFT, their airline company in 2000s. In the present, they are famous high school students and nightball athletes of Decelis Academy in Riverfield. 

The world is my chessboard

(It shines ecstatically)

Endless

(Climax of life)

ENHYPEN has already made a chess reference in Bite Me, where they used the game to explain how the knights protects the future queen, and how love and relationship also has a strategy and great synergy to work well, as seen on its popular couple dance in the chorus. "Its you and me in this world~" as they dance in the chess board-like stage. 

However, I believe that in Teeth, they referenced a quote by Thomas Huxley, a biologist and known as "Darwin's bulldog" for passionately defending Charles Darwin's theory on evolution and natural selection. 

"The chess board is the world; the pieces are the phenomena of the universe; the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us." 

Huxley used chess as a metaphor for life. In chess, there are two players in a game; one win and the other loses. With ENHYPEN being vampires, who has lived for centuries because they are immortals and evaded the laws of nature and death, they are right when they said that this world is their chess board. That in this life, they take the upper hand with their money, power and knowledge that the common people would never have.

Ooh, stepping on the world

Ooh, a toast to me

Enjoy this night, ooh, la-la-la

Ooh, ooh, it's no fun anymore, no more fever

Ooh, ooh. I'm sick of games that are too easy

Something to fill the thirst that has become numb

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, sink my teeth in ya

The first three lines, just before the chorus, were sung in a sarcastic tone, like they don't really meant what they sang. If you add the chorus, it made sense. The vampires are already sick and numb of the life they have; experienced everything a normal person and vampires do.

I also want to point out that Teeth as a song feels like when you're too drunk and high, and in the pre-chorus, they confirmed it. "A toast to me" and "enjoy this night" seems like this would be that part in Drunk-Dazed where the party just started.

Speaking of the legendary title track of Border: Carnival, we have its famous b-side, Fever, dropped in the chorus. Fever is about being under someone's power; being so smitten about someone you cannot have. In Heli's case, he cannot have Selen due to their role as knight and princess, and they are in different universes. Saying that there's "no more fever" could be because they are no longer under her power, or they do not care nor believe in anything (or her) anymore. 

This is also in line with their doubts about Sooha's identity in Fatal Trouble because of what she did at the end of Orange Blood trailer.

Let’s play together, you make me so thirsty

Feel the bite bеtween my jaw, so tasty

Let's play together, you makе me so thirsty

Feel the bite between my jaw, so tasty

This is the repetitive lyrics of Teeth which is explanatory. However, in the course of the song, ENHYPEN will sing this in different ways and tempos that is similar to how someone feels in the whole duration of a typical drinking party. 

This is the magic of ENHYPEN's songs. You can connect it to Dark Moon, to their life as idols and to yourself, to your experiences in real life. 

Meeting countless people

You and my eyes (Ah)

Even if you believe in feelings like love, it’s obvious

An empty mirage (Ah)

Mirage means something that will never happen; an illusion that won't come true. In this song, they likened love to an empty mirage; they believe that love, especially in a place where they meet many people in a short period of time like parties, won't exist. 

I'd also like to connect this to them as idols. Idols meets countless of fans as it is their job to entertain and similar to a party, love just cannot happen in that situation.

It's no use, your lies

(Because I see everything)

This vibe right now

(I know you're enjoying it)

The more you hide it, the more it appears in your heart

I follow you like I'm playing tag, ooh, la-la-la-la

Ooh, ooh, it's no fun anymore, no more fever

Ooh, ooh. I'm sick of games that are too easy

Something to fill the thirst that has become numb

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, sink my teeth in ya

Let’s play together, you make me so thirsty

Feel the bite between my jaw, so tasty

Let's play together, you make me so thirsty

Feel the bite between my jaw, so tasty

In this part, the tempo is slowing down and almost robotic. It sounds like when you're too drunk and high that your world is spinning, and you just don't care about your surroundings or your life, which is the main idea of Teeth. 

They do not care. It is their life, their world, and they will make enjoy it no matter how boring and numbing it is. 

During this part, it feels like they are going off course. This is not just about the Dark Moon anymore but like I said, them as idols. If you would follow ENHYPEN's journey, they use vampires as metaphor to being idols and as 3-year-old-going-4, this is the time where the boys are getting comfortable with their career; the time where everything feels a routine, like how vampires feel being in this world for centuries. 

I have no inspiration, feel nothing

The hotter it gets, the more I feel nothing

Actually, even at this moment, I feel no tasty

Sick of my life

Not fine alone

Let's play together

Time is on my side

Ooh, now with you

Mm, just trying to have fun

Dance all night long, ooh, la-la-la

Then, the tempo gets faster again, like all of a sudden, everything is good. They gained consciousness after a moment of intoxication, and a realization that time is on their side, and they would enjoy playing with "you".

They have the money, power and fame, and the person they like, possibly Sooha/Selen, the temporary one they met on the night, or the fans (in the idol perspective).

Ooh, ooh, it's no fun anymore, no more fever

Ooh, ooh. I'm sick of games that are too easy

Something to fill the thirst that has become numb

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, sink my teeth in ya

Let's play together, you make me so thirsty

Feel the bite between my jaw, so tasty

The more dangerous it gets, it’s so tasty

I'll give you everything you want, don't leave me

The ending line brings us back again to the first part, where they offer everything they have to someone for them not to leave. We learned through the song that the person is someone who lied about their identity or their feelings; a person that could be a temporary in their shining, immortal life.