If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) Lyrics

Lyric discussion by TheRedDaisy 

Cover art for If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) lyrics by Billy Joel

I personally think it's about a man who loves a girl a lot, but doesn't know how to tell her and wonders if he even should, as he's afraid it would ruin whatever relationship they have.

"If I only had the urge to tell you If you only know how hard it is to say When the simple lines have all been taken And the radio repeats them ev'ry day."

The above lyrics seem to denote his frustration: he sort of wants to tell this girl, but he doesn't. Even if he did, he wouldn't know how. He can't find the right words because "the radio repeats them," meaning music can explain more than he could ever hope to.

My Interpretation