thank you for recording – English Lyrics

• By: Oklou
• Album: choke enough (expansion pack)

Lyrics & Translation

Oklou's "thank you for recording" is a fascinating study in nuanced, introspective English, making it perfect for language learners. The lyrics use vivid, metaphoric language, such as the evocative "My little AV disaster," which can help you explore complex emotional concepts in a modern, poetic context. The song's blend of electronic and classical sounds makes the listening experience both beautiful and utterly unique.

[English]

When I get home and sit in my little house

I try to feel something that I like (oh-oh)

When I get bored of looking inside myself

I always open windows at night

There's a tornado swing and it's rocking me right to sleep

Thank you for recording

My little AV disaster

There's a tornado swing and it's rocking me right to sleep

Thank you for recording

...

The city lights are fading the stars away

So I don't bother looking outside (oh-oh)

No time to cry when the world's on display

I hope the cloud never dies

A killer's on the loose ten thousand miles away

Thank you for recording

My little AV disaster

I watched the house burn down 'cause I know that it has an end

Thank you for recording

My little AV disaster

There's a tornado swing

Thank you for recording

My little AV disaster

There's a tornado swing and it's rocking me right to sleep

Thank you for recording

...

There's a tornado swing and it's...

Mm, mm, mm

...

When I get home and sit in my little house

I try to feel something that I like

When I get bored of looking inside myself

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building where people live
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience a particular sense or emotion verb - to touch something in order to examine it
little /ˈlɪtəl/ A1	adjective - small in size or amount
tornado /tɔːrˈneɪdoʊ/ B1	noun - a violent storm with strong winds that move in a circle
swing /swɪŋ/ A2	noun - a seat hanging from ropes or chains that you sit on and move backward and forward verb - to move backward and forward or from side to side while hanging from a fixed point
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - the natural state of rest in which your eyes are closed and your mind and body are relaxed verb - to be in the state of sleep
thank /θæŋk/ A1	verb - to express gratitude to someone
recording /rɪˈkɔːrdɪŋ/ B1	noun - the act of storing audio or video on tape, disk, or digitally
disaster /dɪˈzæstər/ B1	noun - a terrible accident, especially one involving many people that results in death or serious injury
fading /ˈfeɪdɪŋ/ B2	verb - to gradually become less bright or loud, or to disappear completely
stars /stɑːrz/ A2	noun - natural bodies of light in the night sky that look like points of light
bother /ˈbɑːðər/ B1	verb - to take the time or effort to do something
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to produce tears from the eyes, typically because of unhappiness or pain
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the planet on which we live
cloud /klaʊd/ A2	noun - a soft white mass in the sky made of tiny drops of water
killer /ˈkɪlər/ B2	noun - someone who kills another person illegally
burn /bɜːrn/ B1	verb - to be on fire, or to make something be on fire

Key Grammar Structures

• When I get home and sit in my little house

  ➔ Present Simple in conditional or temporal clauses

  ➔ This sentence uses the Present Simple tense in a "when"-clause to indicate habitual actions or future reference, linking it to the main clause that describes what happens at that time.

• I try to feel something that I like

  ➔ Relative clause with "that"

  ➔ The phrase "that I like" is a defining relative clause modifying "something", providing essential information about what is being felt.

• When I get bored of looking inside myself

  ➔ Gerund after preposition

  ➔ The gerund "looking" follows the preposition "of", functioning as the object in the phrase "bored of looking inside myself" to express the cause of boredom.

• There's a tornado swing and it's rocking me right to sleep

  ➔ Present Continuous for ongoing actions

  ➔ The Present Continuous "it's rocking" describes an ongoing or habitual action that is happening at the moment of speaking, providing a soothing sensory detail.

• The city lights are fading the stars away

  ➔ Present Continuous with phrasal verb

  ➔ The Present Continuous "are fading" is used with the phrasal verb "fade away" to indicate a gradual ongoing process, showing how city lights are erasing the stars.

• No time to cry when the world's on display

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose or after "time"

  ➔ The infinitive "to cry" follows "time" to express a lack of opportunity for an action, implying purpose or reason in the conditional-like structure.

• I hope the cloud never dies

  ➔ Present Simple in "hope" clauses

  ➔ In a hope statement, the Present Simple "dies" expresses a future desire or wish as if it's a fact, common in such contexts for emphasis.

• A killer's on the loose ten thousand miles away

  ➔ Present Simple with idiomatic expressions

  ➔ The Present Simple "is" is used in the idiomatic phrase "on the loose" to describe a current state of freedom or escape, adding urgency or news-like immediacy.

• I watched the house burn down 'cause I know that it has an end

  ➔ Contrast between Past Simple and Present Simple

  ➔ The Past Simple "watched" and "burned" contrasts with the Present Simple "has" and "know" to show a completed past event versus a general truth or ongoing knowledge.