Bill Dance – English Lyrics

• By: Luke Bryan
• Album: Born Here Live Here Die Here

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heart of country storytelling with Luke Bryan's "Bill Dance." This song offers a perfect opportunity to learn English through its narrative lyrics about childhood heroes and cherished pastimes. Its clear, heartfelt delivery makes it easy to follow along and connect with the story of how a legendary fisherman inspired a country music superstar.

[English]

[BIRDS CHRIPING]

[BILL DANCE OUTDOORS] YOU KNOW THIS BAIT HAS A SLOW HORIZONTAL FALL RATE,

WITHOUT ANY WEIGHT ON IT.

MORE SO THAN A LOT OF BAITS.

YOU DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING.

YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO START PECKING IT OUT.

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS FIRST THING.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

PUT THAT THUMB RIGHT HERE ON THE REEL.

[WHISTLING]

-(BILL DANCE) HEY, WHAT WHAT, WHAT ARE Y'ALL WATCHING THAT NUT FOR?

HEY I'M THE REAL THING.

HEY PUT THAT CELL PHONE UP MAN.

HEY, HEY GET UP LETS GO FISHING.

THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG.

OUT THE DOOR, MOVE IT MOVE IT MOVE IT LETS GO!

HEY THE BOAT'S IN THE WATER.

LETS GET IT, MOVE!

[BILL DANCE OUTDOORS] THAT'S A FIGHTING LITTLE FISH RIGHT THERE, THAT SIZE.

YES IT IS.

♪ ♪

♪ THIS AIN'T NO LIE ♪

♪ SAVED ALL MY BIRTHDAY MONEY UP ♪

♪ PUT IT DOWN ON A ROD AND REEL ♪

♪ I GOT MY GREEN AND TAN PLANO LOADED UP ♪

♪ PERMISSION TO FISH BEHIND THAT OLD SAWMILL ♪

♪ MOMMA SAID WATCH FOR SNAKES ♪

♪ DADDY SAID SHUT THE GATE ♪

♪ BROTHER SAID THEY'RE BITING ON THE ZOOM BLACK AND RED FLAKE ♪

♪ LAYING IN THE BED THAT NIGHT ♪

♪ I SWEAR I COULD BARELY SLEEP ♪

♪ CAUSE ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS BILL DANCE ♪

♪ FISHING FOR A LIVING ♪

♪ SATURDAY MORNING ON TELEVISION ♪

♪ A GEORGIA BOY LEARNING HOW TO HOOK BIG BASS ♪

♪ FROM A LARGE MOUTH LEGEND IN A TENNESSEE HAT ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO TIE 'EM ON ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO TAKE 'EM OFF ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO CATCH 'EM WHEN THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T BE CAUGHT ♪

♪ NOBODY EVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT ME ♪

♪ CAUSE ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS BILL DANCE ♪

♪ WHILE OTHER BOYS WERE PLAYING BALL AND KNOCKING HEADS ♪

♪ I WAS FLOATING ON THE MUCKALEE ♪

♪ WHILE REBEL KIDS WERE SMOKING, STEALING CIGARETTES ♪

♪ I WAS FISHING IN THEM CYPRESS TREES ♪

♪ PADDLE AND A JON BOAT, 9 POUND, NO JOKE ♪

♪ GOT HIM IN THE NET CAUSE I DIDN'T GET MY LINE BROKE ♪

♪ USING EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK DADDY EVER TAUGHT ME ♪

♪ CAUSE ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS BILL DANCE ♪

♪ FISHING FOR A LIVING ♪

♪ SATURDAY MORNING ON TELEVISION ♪

♪ A GEORGIA BOY LEARNING HOW TO HOOK BIG BASS ♪

♪ FROM A LARGE MOUTH LEGEND IN A TENNESSEE HAT ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO TIE 'EM ON ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO TAKE 'EM OFF ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO CATCH 'EM WHEN THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T BE CAUGHT ♪

♪ NOBODY EVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT ME ♪

♪ CAUSE ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS BILL DANCE ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ THERE'S A LOT OF HEROES OUT THERE THESE DAYS ♪

♪ BUT IF YOU ASK ME MINE, THERE'S ONLY ONE NAME I'LL SAY ♪

♪ BILL DANCE, FISHING FOR A LIVING ♪

♪ SATURDAY MORNING ON TELEVISION ♪

♪ A GEORGIA BOY LEARNING HOW TO HOOK BIG BASS ♪

♪ FROM THE BEST DAMN FISHERMAN THE WORLD'S EVER HAD ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO TIE 'EM ON ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO TAKE 'EM OFF ♪

♪ TAUGHT ME HOW TO CATCH 'EM WHEN THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T BE CAUGHT ♪

♪ NOBODY EVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT ME ♪

♪ CAUSE ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS BILL DANCE ♪

♪ BILL DANCE ♪

♪ YEAH THE SUN IS JUST STARTING TO SHINE UP OVER THE TREETOPS ♪

♪ IT'S GONNA BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY, IT'S PLAIN TO SEE ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fish /fɪʃ/ A1	noun - an animal that lives in water and has gills verb - to catch or try to catch fish
bait /beɪt/ B1	noun - food or a lure used to attract fish or other animals
hook /hʊk/ B1	noun - a curved metal device used for catching or holding things verb - to catch or attach with a hook
reel /riːl/ B2	noun - a rotating device that holds fishing line
boat /boʊt/ A1	noun - a small vessel for traveling on water
water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1	noun - a clear, colorless liquid essential for life
catch /kætʃ/ A2	verb - to capture or seize something
tie /taɪ/ A2	verb - to fasten with a rope or string
take /teɪk/ A1	verb - to get hold of something
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ B2	noun - the way a person earns money to support themselves
Saturday /ˈsætərdeɪ/ A1	noun - the seventh day of the week
television /ˈtɛlɪˌvɪʒən/ B1	noun - a system for transmitting visual images and sound
legend /ˈlɛdʒənd/ B2	noun - a traditional story sometimes regarded as historical but unauthenticated
hero /ˈhɪərəʊ/ B1	noun - a person admired for great achievements or noble qualities
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star at the center of the solar system that gives light and heat
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ B1	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically
slow /sləʊ/ A2	adjective - moving, acting, or happening at a low speed
big /bɪɡ/ A1	adjective - of considerable size, extent, or intensity
green /ɡriːn/ A1	adjective - of the color between blue and yellow in the spectrum
old /əʊld/ A1	adjective - having lived for a long time; not new

Key Grammar Structures

• WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS FIRST THING.

  ➔ Noun Clause as Subject

  ➔ The phrase "What you want to do" functions as the subject of the sentence, acting like a single noun. The verb "is" follows.

• I GOT MY GREEN AND TAN PLANO LOADED UP

  ➔ Causative 'get something done'

  ➔ This structure "get + object + past participle" means that the subject arranged for someone else to do something, or experienced something happening to their possession. Here, "I got my Green and Tan Plano loaded up" implies "I had my Green and Tan Plano loaded up by someone or something."

• MOMMA SAID WATCH FOR SNAKES

  ➔ Reported Speech (Imperative)

  ➔ This is an example of reported speech where an imperative (command) is reported. In informal speech, the "to" can be omitted, making it sound more direct or like a summary of the advice.

• CAUSED ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS BILL DANCE

  ➔ Noun Clause as Subject Complement

  ➔ The phrase "all I ever wanted to be" functions as a noun clause, acting as the subject of the sentence. The phrase "Bill Dance" then acts as the subject complement, renaming or describing the subject after the linking verb "was".

• FISHING FOR A LIVING

  ➔ Gerund Phrase and Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ "Fishing" is a gerund (verb + -ing acting as a noun), forming a gerund phrase. "For a living" is an idiomatic expression meaning "as a profession or means of income".

• TAUGHT ME HOW TO CATCH 'EM WHEN THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T BE CAUGHT

  ➔ Passive Infinitive with Modal Verb

  ➔ The phrase "couldn't be caught" uses the modal verb "couldn't" (past ability/possibility) followed by the passive infinitive "be caught". This indicates that it was impossible for them to be caught by someone.

• NOBODY EVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT ME

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Had To' with Negative Subject

  ➔ "Had to" expresses past obligation or necessity. When used with a negative subject like "nobody", it means that there was no obligation or necessity for anyone to perform the action.

• WHILE OTHER BOYS WERE PLAYING BALL AND KNOCKING HEADS

  ➔ Past Continuous for Simultaneous Actions

  ➔ The past continuous tense ("were playing", "knocking heads") is used here to describe two actions that were happening at the same time in the past. The conjunction "while" emphasizes this simultaneity.

• BUT IF YOU ASK ME MINE, THERE'S ONLY ONE NAME I'LL SAY

  ➔ First Conditional Sentence

  ➔ This is a first conditional sentence, which describes a real or probable situation in the future. The "if" clause ("If you ask me mine") uses the present simple, and the main clause ("there's only one name I'll say") uses the future simple.

• FROM THE BEST DAMN FISHERMAN THE WORLD'S EVER HAD

  ➔ Superlative Adjective with Omitted Relative Pronoun

  ➔ "The best damn fisherman" is a superlative adjective phrase. The clause "the world's ever had" is a reduced relative clause (where "that" or "who" is omitted), describing "fisherman".