If Only – English Lyrics

• By: Dove Cameron
• Album: N/A

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartfelt lyrics of Dove Cameron's "If Only" from Disney's *Descendants* to explore themes of self-discovery and inner conflict. This emotional pop ballad offers a relatable journey of a character grappling with big life choices, making it a special song for understanding English vocabulary related to emotions, decisions, and personal growth through a captivating story.

[English]

A million thoughts in my head

Should I let my heart keep listenin'?

'Cause up 'til now I've walked the line

Nothing lost but something missing

I can't decide what's wrong, what's right

Which way should I go?

If only I knew what my heart was telling me

Don't know what I'm feeling

Is this just a dream? Uh-oh

Yeah, if only I could read the signs in front of me

I could find the way to who I'm meant to be, uh-oh

If only, if only

If only

...

Every step, every word

With every hour, I am falling in

To something new

Something brave

To someone I

I have never been

I can't decide what's wrong, what's right

Which way should I go?

If only I knew what my heart was telling me

Don't know what I'm feeling

Is this just a dream? Uh-oh

Yeah, if only I could read the signs in front of me

I could find the way to who I'm meant to be, uh-oh

If only, yeah

Am I crazy? Maybe we could happen, yeah

Will you still be with me

When the magic's all run out?

If only I knew what my heart was telling me

Don't know what I'm feeling

Is this just a dream? Uh-oh

If only I could read the signs in front of me

I could find the way to who I'm meant to be, uh-oh

If only, yeah

If only, yeah

If only, yeah

If only, if only

If only

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
thoughts /θɔːts/ A2	noun - ideas or opinions produced by thinking
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body
lost /lɔːst/ A2	adjective - unable to find one's way; having disappeared or been taken away verb - past tense of lose (to misplace or be deprived of something)
missing /ˈmɪsɪŋ/ A2	adjective - not present or included; lost or absent
wrong /rɒŋ/ A1	adjective - not correct or true; not morally right
right /raɪt/ A1	adjective - morally good, justified, or acceptable
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
signs /saɪnz/ B1	noun - an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method, style, or manner of doing something
meant /ment/ A2	verb - past participle of mean (intended or destined)
step /step/ A1	noun - an act or movement of putting one leg in front of the other
word /wɜːrd/ A1	noun - a unit of language that has meaning and can be spoken or written
new /nuː/ A1	adjective - recently made, discovered, or experienced
brave /breɪv/ B1	adjective - ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage
crazy /ˈkreɪzi/ A2	adjective - mentally deranged; eccentric or irrational
magic /ˈmædʒɪk/ B1	noun - the power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot

Key Grammar Structures

• Should I let my heart keep listenin'?

  ➔ Modal verb "should" for advice/suggestion and gerund "listenin'" after "keep".

  ➔ The use of "should" expresses doubt or a question about whether it's a good idea to continue following one's heart. "Keep listenin'" is a continuous action emphasized by "keep" followed by a gerund.

• Nothing lost but something missing

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of words) and use of "but" to contrast two seemingly contradictory ideas.

  ➔ The sentence implies "There is" before "Nothing lost" and "There is" before "something missing". "But" creates a contrast: while nothing tangible has been lost, there's a feeling of incompleteness.

• If only I knew what my heart was telling me

  ➔ Second conditional (unreal past): "If" + past simple, would/could/might + infinitive. Indirect question: "what my heart was telling me".

  ➔ This expresses a wish about a hypothetical situation. The speaker doesn't know what their heart is saying. The indirect question rephrases "What is my heart telling me?" into a noun clause.

• Don't know what I'm feeling

  ➔ Contraction "Don't", negative imperative and embedded question using "what" + subject + verb.

  ➔ "Don't know" is a casual contraction of "Do not know". "What I'm feeling" is a noun clause acting as the object of "know".

• Is this just a dream?

  ➔ Simple present tense in a question form to express doubt or uncertainty about a present state.

  ➔ The use of "is" indicates the speaker is questioning the reality of the current situation. The question seeks confirmation or denial of the state being a dream.

• I could find the way to who I'm meant to be

  ➔ Modal verb "could" expressing possibility, "the way to" indicating direction, and relative clause "who I'm meant to be".

  ➔ "Could" suggests that finding their true self is a potential outcome. "The way to" denotes a path or method. "Who I'm meant to be" is a reduced relative clause meaning "who I am destined to be".

• Maybe we could happen, yeah

  ➔ Adverb "maybe" expressing uncertainty, modal verb "could" expressing possibility, and ellipsis (omission of verb phrase).

  ➔ "Maybe" qualifies the possibility of a relationship. The complete thought is likely "Maybe we could happen together" or "Maybe we could be together".

• When the magic's all run out?

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction "when" introducing a time clause, and present perfect tense "has run out" contracted to "magic's run out".

  ➔ "When" introduces a condition in the future. "The magic's run out" implies that a period of excitement or special feeling will end. "Run out" means to be used up or finished.