This Is What It Feels Like – English Lyrics

• By: Armin van Buuren, Trevor Guthrie
• Album: Intense

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant world of Armin van Buuren and Trevor Guthrie's "This Is What It Feels Like," a Grammy-nominated hit that explores themes of love and loss. By studying the lyrics and background, you'll gain insights into expressing complex emotions in English while appreciating the song's blend of electronic genres and heartfelt inspiration.

[English]

Nobody here knocking at my door

The sound of silence, I can’t take anymore

Nobody ringing my telephone now

Oh, how I miss such a beautiful sound

And I don’t even know how I survive I won’t make it to the shore without your light

No, I don’t even know if I’m alive

Oh, oh, oh, oh, without you now This is what it feels like

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Nothing to hold but the memories in frames

Oh, they remind me of the battle I face

Without your love, without you I drown (Ooh, ohh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

Somebody save me, I’m going down

And I don’t even know how I survive I won’t make it to the shore without your light

No, I don’t even know if I’m alive

Oh, oh, oh, oh, without you now This is what it feels like

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

And I don’t even know how I survive I won’t make it down the road with one headlight

No, I don’t even know if I’m alive Oh, oh, oh, oh, without you now

This is what it feels like

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
knocking /ˈnɒkɪŋ/ A2	verb - striking a surface audibly, typically with the knuckles, to attract attention.
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ B1	noun - complete absence of sound.
ringing /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/ A2	verb - make a clear resonant or vibrating sound.
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.
survive /sərˈvaɪv/ B1	verb - continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship.
shore /ʃɔːr/ B1	noun - the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water.
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - living; not dead.
hold /hoʊld/ A1	verb - grasp or support with one's arms or hands. noun - the act or manner of holding something.
memories /ˈmɛməriz/ A2	noun - something remembered from the past.
frames /freɪmz/ B1	noun - a rigid structure that surrounds or encloses something such as a picture, door, or window.
remind /rɪˈmaɪnd/ B1	verb - cause (someone) to remember something.
battle /ˈbætl/ B1	noun - a sustained fight between opposing forces.
face /feɪs/ A1	verb - be positioned with the face or front toward (someone or something). noun - the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection.
drown /draʊn/ B1	verb - die through submersion in and inhalation of water.
save /seɪv/ A2	verb - keep safe or rescue (someone or something) from harm or danger.
down /daʊn/ A1	adverb - toward or in a lower place or position.
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way or route between two places.
headlight /ˈhɛdˌlaɪt/ B1	noun - a powerful light at the front of a vehicle.

Key Grammar Structures

• Nobody here knocking at my door

  ➔ Present Continuous (progressive) with a sense of complaint/annoyance

  ➔ The use of the present continuous "knocking" implies the speaker finds it unusual and unwanted that nobody is knocking. It is used to emphasize the frustration.

• The sound of silence, I can’t take anymore

  ➔ Modal verb "can't" for ability/permission + "anymore" for duration/continuation

  ➔ "Can't take anymore" means the speaker is unable to tolerate the silence any longer. "Anymore" emphasizes that the inability to tolerate is due to the prolonged duration of the silence.

• Oh, how I miss such a beautiful sound

  ➔ Inversion for Emphasis (How + aux. verb + subject)

  ➔ Instead of saying "I miss such a beautiful sound so much", the phrase "Oh, how I miss such a beautiful sound" uses inversion to emphasize the intensity of the speaker's longing.

• I won’t make it to the shore without your light

  ➔ Future Simple Negative + "without" (conditional meaning)

  ➔ This sentence expresses a conditional relationship. It means, "If I don't have your light, I will not reach the shore." "Without" acts as a substitute for "if I don't have".

• Nothing to hold but the memories in frames

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause (Ellipsis)

  ➔ The full sentence could be "There is nothing to hold except the memories in frames". "There is" and "except" have been omitted for brevity and poetic effect.

• Oh, they remind me of the battle I face

  ➔ Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Preposition + Direct Object (Remind someone of something)

  ➔ The structure of the sentence is standard, but highlights the usage of "remind" in the form of "remind someone of something". "They" (memories) is the subject, "remind" is the verb, "me" is the indirect object, "of" is the preposition, and "the battle I face" is the direct object.

• Without your love, without you I drown

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis; Conditional clause implied by "without".

  ➔ Repeating "without" emphasizes the essentiality of the subject's love/presence. The clause implies 'If I don't have your love/you, I drown'.

• Somebody save me, I’m going down

  ➔ Imperative clause followed by present continuous to describe an ongoing event

  ➔ "Save me" is an imperative, a direct plea. "I'm going down" is the present continuous, showing that the action (drowning) is happening now.