Radio
C.S. Rucker Lyrics

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Seventeen, the only way I had a car
Is after I dropped my Momma off where she needed to go

It had four bald tires
With the ceiling falling and the windows stuck
But the only thing I cared about was the radio

We turned it on, turned it up to 10

And everybody would jump on in

Ridin' down the highway
Who wants to be the DJ
I'll find a spot on the side of the road
You find something on the radio

A real, real good song
We'll know it when it comes on
We had no money and no place to go
All we needed was a radio

Grabbed my girl
We looked for somewhere to watch the stars
A perfect place to put it park and take it slow

She sang along
To even the ones that she barely knew
Still sounded good, a little louder too
But we didn't care

I looked at her, she looked at me
I'll never forget that melody

Ridin' down the highway
Who wants to be the DJ
I'll find a spot on the side of the road
You find something on the radio

A real, real good song
We'll know it when it comes on
We had no money and no place to go
All we needed was a radio

Hey ya'll be quiet, that's my favorite song
Hey man, turn it up loud
Come on, come on, come on

Ridin' down the highway
Who wants to be the DJ
I'll find a spot on the side of the road
You find something on the radio

A real, real good song
We'll know it when it comes on

We had no money and no place to go
All we needed was a radio

Overall Meaning

The song "Radio" by C.S. Rucker is a nostalgic tribute to the power and importance of music in our lives, especially during our teenage years. The opening verse sets the scene of a young Rucker, who could only afford a car after dropping off his mother, driving around in a beat-up old car with nothing but a functioning radio. He then reminisces about cruising down the highway with his friends, looking for the perfect song to play on the radio. The chorus emphasizes the importance of finding that "real, real good song," the one that makes you want to turn it up loud and sing along no matter where you are. Rucker captures the feeling of being young and carefree, with no money or place to go, but feeling rich in the power of music.

The second verse explores the romantic side of music, with Rucker's girlfriend singing along to songs she barely knew. They find a quiet spot to stargaze and slow down, and Rucker takes a moment to savor the memory of her singing. The bridge of the song is a playful moment of friends arguing over who gets to be the DJ and what song to play next. It's a reminder that music is meant to be shared and loved together.

Overall, "Radio" is a heartfelt and relatable ode to the power of music in our lives. It's a reminder that, no matter how tough things can get, all we need is a real good song on the radio to keep us going.

Line by Line Meaning

Seventeen, the only way I had a car
I only had a car at the age of 17, which was only possible after dropping off my Momma at her destination.

It had four bald tires
The car had no traction with its worn out tires.

With the ceiling falling and the windows stuck
The car had very poor maintenance with a falling ceiling and stuck windows.

But the only thing I cared about was the radio
The only thing that mattered to me was the radio in my car.

We turned it on, turned it up to 10
I turned on the radio and cranked the volume to the max.

And everybody would jump on in
Everyone who wanted to listen to music would hop in the car with me.

Ridin' down the highway
Driving on the freeway

Who wants to be the DJ
Anyone can choose the next song to play on the radio.

I'll find a spot on the side of the road
I will pull over to the side of the road to enjoy the music.

You find something on the radio
The passengers will change the radio station to find a better song.

A real, real good song
A song that we all enjoy.

We'll know it when it comes on
We will recognize the song that we all love when it begins playing.

We had no money and no place to go
With no money to afford entertainment, all we had was the radio to pass the time.

All we needed was a radio
The only source of entertainment for us was a simple radio.

Grabbed my girl
I took my girlfriend with me.

We looked for somewhere to watch the stars
We searched for a good spot to stargaze.

A perfect place to put it park and take it slow
We found a perfect spot to park the car and enjoy some music at a slower pace.

She sang along
My girlfriend sang along to the songs on the radio.

To even the ones that she barely knew
She sang along to songs she didn't even know very well.

Still sounded good, a little louder too
The songs sounded great, and we turned up the volume a bit.

But we didn't care
We enjoyed the music so much that we didn't care about anything else.

I looked at her, she looked at me
We shared a special moment while enjoying the music and each other's company.

I'll never forget that melody
That melody will always be a special memory for me.

Hey ya'll be quiet, that's my favorite song
Everyone had to be quiet so I could hear my favorite song on the radio.

Hey man, turn it up loud
My friend requested to turn up the volume even louder.

Come on, come on, come on
Everyone sang along and enjoyed the music together.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ASHLEY GORLEY, DARIUS C. RUCKER, LUKE LAIRD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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