Lovely Day – English Lyrics

• By: Bill Withers

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the uplifting world of Bill Withers' 'Lovely Day,' a soul classic that offers a perfect gateway for English language learners. Its clear, heartfelt lyrics beautifully illustrate how human connection can transform one's outlook, providing natural, relatable expressions for discussing emotions and personal experiences. The song's memorable chorus and steady rhythm make it an excellent choice for improving listening comprehension and vocabulary in a joyful and encouraging way.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wake /weɪk/ A1	verb - to stop sleeping
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - to feel affection for
sunlight /ˈsʌn.laɪt/ A2	noun - the light that comes from the sun
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs used for seeing
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain or injury
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and reasons
look /lʊk/ A1	verb - to direct one's gaze toward someone or something noun - an act of directing one's gaze
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, people, and natural features
alright /ˌɔːlˈraɪt/ A2	adjective - satisfactory or acceptable
lovely /ˈlʌv.li/ A2	adjective - pleasant or attractive
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - the period of light between sunrise and sunset
ahead /əˈhed/ A2	adverb - in the future
face /feɪs/ A2	verb - to deal with something noun - the front part of the head
know /noʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of
way /weɪ/ A1	noun - a method or style of doing something

Key Grammar Structures

• When I wake up in the mornin', love

  ➔ Subordinate clause with "when"

  ➔ This line uses "when" to introduce a time clause. The main clause describes what happens when the condition in the "when" clause is met. Here, it's the act of waking up.

• And somethin' without warnin', love

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of words): "something" instead of "something comes"

  ➔ The line uses ellipsis for a more poetic and concise feel. The implied meaning is "something happens without warning."

• Bears heavy on my mind

  ➔ Phrasal verb: "bear on" (to influence or affect)

  ➔ "Bears heavy on my mind" means something is weighing heavily on the speaker's thoughts or causing them worry. "Bear on" means to have an influence or effect on something.

• Then I look at you

  ➔ Simple present tense to express a habitual action.

  ➔ The singer repeatedly looks at the person, and it has a positive effect on them. The simple present emphasizes the recurring nature of this action.

• And the world's alright with me

  ➔ Use of the possessive "'s" (world's = world is)

  ➔ Here, the "'s" is a contraction of "is". The world is alright with the speaker because of the person they're looking at.

• Just one look at you

  ➔ Prepositional phrase acting as an adverbial modifier: "Just" modifying "one look"

  ➔ "Just" emphasizes the small amount of effort or action needed - only one look - to change the speaker's perspective. "One look" acts as the subject of the implied clause.

• And I know it's gonna be

  ➔ Future tense with "gonna" (going to)

  ➔ "Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to" and indicates future intention or prediction. The speaker is expressing certainty about the day being lovely.

• When the day that lies ahead of me

  ➔ Relative clause: "that lies ahead of me" modifies "the day"

  ➔ This uses a relative clause to further define which day is being discussed - specifically, the day that is in the future.