Soul Transmission – English Lyrics

• By: Robbie Williams

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Robbie Williams' 'Soul Transmission' offers a unique opportunity to explore emotive and metaphorical English. The song's lyrical depth, which touches on themes of solitude, hope, and spiritual connection, provides a rich context for understanding nuanced vocabulary and expressions. What makes this song special for learners is its blend of straightforward, emotionally charged phrases like 'feels like being alone on Christmas Day' with more abstract concepts like 'soul transmission' and 'soul condition,' offering a chance to delve into the deeper meanings behind the words.

[English]

Vacant in a photograph waiting

This isn't just a hurricane

When you know what's coming

It's a soul transmission

As we walk through history together

Do you think we still come

From this world we live on

It's a sole condition

How does it feel

What you want me to say

I said it feels like being alone

On Christmas day

Pretty soon the world will start shaking

Living in a tremolo

And I don't get injured

In my soul transmission

How does it feel

What you want me to say

I said it feels like being alone

On Christmas day

Sights and sounds

At the end of the day

Make you feel like being alone

On Christmas day

Go keep it up

It's your soul transmission

Go keep it up

It's your soul transmission

Go keep it up

It's your soul transmission

Go keep it up

It's your soul transmission

Waiting in an empty cathedral

To look at what I'm running from

And I don't get nervous

It's a soul transmission

How does it feel

What do you want me to say

I said I feel like being alone

On Christmas day

Sights and sounds

At the end of the day

Make you feel like being alone

On Christmas day

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
transmission /trænsˈmɪʃn/ C1	noun - The act of transmitting something; the process of sending out signals or information.
hurricane /ˈhʌrɪkeɪn/ B2	noun - A violent, tropical, cyclonic storm.
history /ˈhɪstəri/ B1	noun - The study of past events.
condition /kənˈdɪʃn/ B2	noun - The state of something; a requirement.
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - To experience an emotion or sensation.
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - Having no one else present.
shaking /ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/ B1	verb - To move irregularly or violently.
tremolo /ˈtreməloʊ/ C1	noun - A trembling or vibrating effect.
injured /ˈɪndʒərd/ B1	adjective - Wounded or harmed.
sights /saɪts/ A2	noun - Things that are seen; visual features.
sounds /saʊndz/ A2	noun - Things that are heard.
cathedral /kəˈθiːdrəl/ B2	noun - A large and important church.
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ A1	verb - Moving rapidly on foot.
nervous /ˈnɜːrvəs/ B1	adjective - Anxious or apprehensive.
empty /ˈempti/ A2	adjective - Containing nothing.

Key Grammar Structures

• Vacant in a photograph waiting

  ➔ Present Participle as an Adjective/Adverb

  ➔ The word "waiting" is a present participle used here to describe the state or action of the subject (implied to be a person). It functions like an adjective or adverb.

• When you know what's coming

  ➔ Noun Clause with "what" as subject

  ➔ "what's coming" functions as the object of the verb "know". In this noun clause, "what" acts as the subject of the clause (what is coming).

• From this world we live on

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ "we live on" is a reduced form of a relative clause like "that we live on" or "which we live on". It modifies "world" by providing more information about it.

• What you want me to say

  ➔ Noun Clause (Object Clause) with "want + object + infinitive"

  ➔ "What you want me to say" functions as an object clause (e.g., of an implied verb like "tell me"). It also demonstrates the common structure "want + object ('me') + bare infinitive ('to say')".

• I said it feels like being alone

  ➔ Preposition "like" + Gerund

  ➔ The word "like" is used here as a preposition, followed by the gerund "being" (the -ing form of a verb functioning as a noun) to describe a feeling.

• Pretty soon the world will start shaking

  ➔ Future Simple (will) + Verb + Gerund

  ➔ "will start shaking" indicates a future prediction, using "will" for the future tense and "start" followed by a gerund ("shaking") to describe the commencement of an action.

• And I don't get injured

  ➔ "Get" + Past Participle (Informal Passive Voice)

  ➔ "don't get injured" is an informal way to express the passive voice, indicating that the subject experiences the action of being injured, rather than performing it.

• Go keep it up

  ➔ Phrasal Verb (Separable)

  ➔ "keep up" is a phrasal verb meaning to continue or maintain something. It is separable, meaning the object pronoun "it" is placed between "keep" and "up".

• Make you feel like being alone

  ➔ Causative Verb "Make" + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ The causative verb "Make" is used here to show that something causes the subject (implied 'sights and sounds') to perform an action ("feel"), using the base form of the verb after the object.

• To look at what I'm running from

  ➔ Noun Clause with "what" as object of preposition

  ➔ "what I'm running from" acts as the object of the preposition "at". Within this noun clause, "what" functions as the object of the verb "running from".