Dance Magic Dance – English Lyrics

• By: David Bowie, The Goblin King
• Album: Labyrinth

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language can be a magical journey, and what better way to start than with the fantastical fun of David Bowie's “Dance Magic Dance”? From the cult classic film *Labyrinth*, this song is a whirlwind of playful energy and nonsensical joy. Its call-and-response lyrics and catchy rhythm make it an entertaining and memorable way to pick up new vocabulary and practice pronunciation, all while being transported to the whimsical world of the Goblin King.

[English]

Give me back this! Go on, get off me.

Stay out of the way. What are you talking about?

Walk, walk, walk.

-You remind me of the babe. -What babe?

-The babe with the power. -What power?

-The power of voodoo. -Who do?

-You do. -Do what?

Remind me of the babe.

Quiet! A goblin babe.

Well?

Hey, what goes on?

Your mother is an aardvark!

In nine hours and 23 minutes...

...you'll be mine.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - to move at a regular and fairly slow pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn
remind /rɪˈmaɪnd/ B1	verb - cause (someone) to remember someone or something
babe /beɪb/ A2	noun - a baby
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the ability to do something or act in a particular way
voodoo /ˈvuːduː/ B2	noun - a black religious cult practiced in the Caribbean and the southern US, combining elements of Roman Catholic ritual with traditional African magical and religious rites, and characterized by sorcery and spirit possession
goblin /ˈɡɒblɪn/ B2	noun - a mischievous, ugly, dwarf-like creature of folklore
quiet /ˈkwaɪət/ A2	adjective - making little or no noise
aardvark /ˈɑːrdvɑːrk/ C1	noun - a nocturnal mammal of Africa, with long ears, a tubular snout, and a long extensible tongue, feeding on ants and termites
mine /maɪn/ A1	pronoun - belonging to or associated with me

Key Grammar Structures

• Give me back this!

  ➔ Imperative with indirect object pronoun

  ➔ The sentence is a command instructing someone to "give back" something, with "me" as the indirect object.

• What babe?

  ➔ Interrogative pronoun in a question

  ➔ The sentence is a question asking for clarification about "babe," using the interrogative pronoun "what."

• -You remind me of the babe.

  ➔ Verb construction: remind + object + of + noun

  ➔ The verb "remind" is used with an object "me" and followed by "of" plus a noun, indicating what someone makes someone remember.

• -What power?

  ➔ Interrogative on a noun (noun phrase)

  ➔ It is a question asking for clarification about "power," which is a noun, expecting a response identifying the type of power.

• In nine hours and 23 minutes...

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating time duration

  ➔ A prepositional phrase specifying the length of time until an event occurs, highlighting timing.