On The Radio – English Lyrics

• By: Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder
• Album: Unknown

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the magic of storytelling in music with Donna Summer's "On The Radio." The song's clear narrative about a lost letter and a surprise broadcast offers a fantastic way to learn English, following a story from quiet reflection to hopeful joy. Its unique shift from a slow ballad to an energetic disco classic makes it not only a great song to dance to, but also a special piece for appreciating emotional expression in lyrics.

[English]

Someone found a letter you wrote me on the radio

And they told the world just how you felt

It must have fallen out of a hole in your old brown overcoat

They never said your name, but I knew just who they meant

Whoa-oh-oh-oh

I was so surprised and shocked, and I wondered, too

If, by chance, you heard it for yourself

I never told a soul just how I've been feeling over you

But they said it really loud, they said it on the air

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

Now, now, don't it kinda strike you sad when you hear our song?

Things are not the same since we broke up last June

The only thing that I wanna hear is that you love me still

And that you think you'll be comin' home real soon

Whoa-oh-oh-oh

Yeah, it kinda made me feel proud when I heard him say

You couldn't find the words to say it yourself

And now in my heart, I know I can say what I really feel

'Cause they said it really loud, they said it on the air

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio

...

If you think that love isn't found on the radio

Then tune right in, you may find the love you lost

'Cause now I'm sitting here with the man I sent away long ago

It sounded really loud, he said it really loud

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
radio /ˈreɪ.di.oʊ/ A1	noun - the technology of signalling and communicating using radio waves.
letter /ˈlet.ər/ A1	noun - a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization.
told /toʊld/ A1	verb - past tense of tell; to communicate information to someone in spoken or written words.
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.
felt /felt/ A1	verb - past tense of feel; to be aware of an emotion or physical sensation.
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to.
surprised /sərˈpraɪzd/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing surprise because something unexpected has happened.
shocked /ʃɒkt/ B1	adjective - greatly surprised or disgusted.
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
feeling /ˈfiː.lɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction.
loud /laʊd/ A2	adjective - producing much noise; easily audible.
air /eər/ A1	noun - the mixture of gases that surrounds the earth and that people breathe.
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy.
song /sɔːŋ/ A1	noun - a musical composition with words for singing.
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong feeling of affection for (someone). noun - an intense feeling of affection.
proud /praʊd/ B1	adjective - feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated.
words /wɜːdz/ A1	noun - a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed.

Key Grammar Structures

• Someone found a letter you wrote me on the radio

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ The verb "found" indicates a completed action in the past.

• If, by chance, you heard it for yourself

  ➔ Conditional Sentence

  ➔ The phrase "If, by chance" introduces a condition that may or may not happen.

• I never told a soul just how I've been feeling over you

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The phrase "I've been feeling" indicates an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

• Now, now, don't it kinda strike you sad when you hear our song?

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The phrase "don't it kinda strike you sad" is an informal way of giving a command or suggestion.

• If you think that love isn't found on the radio

  ➔ Negative Form

  ➔ The phrase "love isn't found" uses a negative form to express that love does not exist in that context.

• It sounded really loud, he said it really loud

  ➔ Adverb Placement

  ➔ The adverb "really loud" is placed after the verb "sounded" to modify it.