Loud – English Lyrics

• By: Olivia Dean
• Album: The Art of Loving

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful world of British Neo-Soul by learning English with Olivia Dean’s powerful ballad, “Loud.” This track is perfect for understanding how to articulate complex emotional states, particularly through figurative language, like the central paradox, "The silence is so loud." By following the lyrics, you can learn conversational yet deeply poetic expressions for heartbreak, betrayal ("turn me on just to turn me down"), and the slow process of finding self-solitude after loss.

[English]

[Music] Even now I don't know when  you let go when it slipped away.

at my house. Four hands at the  piano. You sure know how to play.

I never asked for love no diamond  ring. You let yourself in and you  

weren't allowed to come around and  throw my heart above. to turn me on,  

just to turn me down. And everything's  unspoken. Now I'm out. The silence is so loud.

A month ago, you had me under  covers. Butterflies in bed. [Music]  

No, I won't phone cuz we went straight to  love. So we can't even talk as friends.

I never asked for love. No diamond ring.  You let yourself feel and you weren't  

allowed to come around and throw my heart  about to turn me on just to turn me down.

Everything's unspoken now. I'm  out. Silence is so loud. Oh,

silence is so loud.

Silence is so loud

and everything's unspoken now.  I'm out. Silence is so low.

Here I am. Two hands at the piano.  [Music] The one I let you play.

I understand if you changed your mind about  me, but all you had to do was say, [Music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - a deep feeling of affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
diamond /ˈdaɪ.mənd/ B2	noun - a precious transparent stone, hardest natural material adjective - shaped like a diamond or related to diamonds
heart /hɑːrt/ B1	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body; also symbol of emotion and love
silence /ˈsaɪ.ləns/ B2	noun - complete absence of sound
loud /laʊd/ A2	adjective - making a lot of noise
throw /θroʊ/ B1	verb - to propel something with force through the air
cover /ˈkʌvər/ B1	noun - something that lies over or protects verb - to put something over or on top of
butterfly /ˈbʌtərflaɪ/ B1	noun - an insect with two pairs of large wings covered with scales
play /pleɪ/ A2	verb - to engage in activity for enjoyment or recreation
ask /æsk/ A2	verb - to request information or an answer
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to be aware of an emotion or sensation
turn /tɜrn/ A2	verb - to move around an axis or point
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of through information or experience
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ A2	verb - to grasp the meaning or importance of
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2	verb - to make or become different

Key Grammar Structures

• Even now I don't know when you let go when it slipped away.

  ➔ Present simple negative with an embedded wh‑clause

  ➔ The verb phrase "don't know" is in the present simple negative. The clause "when you let go" is an embedded wh‑clause answering the question of time.

• You sure know how to play.

  ➔ "sure" + verb (expressing certainty) and "how to + infinitive"

  ➔ The adverb "sure" intensifies the verb "know", showing confidence. "how to play" uses the infinitive after "how to" to talk about the method.

• I never asked for love, no diamond ring.

  ➔ Past simple negative with "never"

  ➔ "never" placed before the past simple verb "asked" makes the whole action completely negative in the past.

• You let yourself in and you weren't allowed to come around and throw my heart above.

  ➔ "let" + object + bare infinitive (causative) and "be allowed to + infinitive" (passive permission)

  ➔ "let" is followed by the object "yourself" and the bare infinitive "in", meaning you permitted yourself to enter. "weren't allowed to" uses the passive form to show lack of permission for "come around" and "throw".

• to turn me on, just to turn me down.

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose (to + verb)

  ➔ "to turn" indicates the purpose of the previous action: the speaker was "turned on" and then "turned down".

• Now I'm out. The silence is so loud.

  ➔ Present simple of "to be" with predicative adjective; intensifier "so" + adjective

  ➔ "I'm" is the contraction of "I am" (present simple). "The silence is so loud" uses "so" to intensify the adjective "loud".

• No, I won't phone cuz we went straight to love.

  ➔ Future simple negative with "won't"; informal conjunction "cuz" (because); past simple "went"

  ➔ "won't" = will not, showing a decision not to call. "cuz" is an informal spelling of "because". "went" is past simple of "go".

• I understand if you changed your mind about me, but all you had to do was say.

  ➔ Conditional clause with "if" + past simple; modal "had to" + infinitive (obligation in the past)

  ➔ "if you changed your mind" uses a past simple verb after "if" to talk about a hypothetical past change. "had to do" is a modal expression of past necessity, followed by the infinitive "say".

• Here I am. Two hands at the piano.

  ➔ Idiomatic expression "Here I am" (present simple of "to be"); noun phrase as a caption

  ➔ "Here I am" uses the present simple of "be" to declare presence. "Two hands at the piano" is a noun phrase that functions as a descriptive caption.