I had forgotten that reading and listening are separate actions.

It was only natural that I wouldn’t be moved by the lyrics just by hearing them.

I didn’t engage in the usual actions like reading lyric sheets or watching video prompts.
Because my music came to me through the radio.

 

I had no choice but to transcribe the lyrics myself to learn them.

CDs (back then, vinyl records) were too expensive for a kid like me.
So I listened to music on the radio or TV.
To sing my favorite singers’ songs, I’d listen over and over to music I’d recorded on my radio cassette player and transcribe the lyrics.
I hated writing by hand. I bought my first word processor while I was in college.