How Can I Dance – English Lyrics

• By: Ava Max

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Ava Max's empowering world with "How Can I Dance," a vibrant dance-pop track that speaks volumes about freedom and self-liberation. Through its energetic beats and defiant lyrics, you can explore common expressions related to breaking free from constraints and asserting independence, making it a perfect song to grasp emotionally charged vocabulary in a dynamic musical context.

[English]

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I dance when you tie my hands up?

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I lo-lo-lo-love if you keep me in chains?

Think you can lock me, baby? I'm not a bird in your cage (oh, oh)

You wanna play with fire, boy, that's a dangerous game (oh, oh)

'Cause I'm better off dancin' alone

While you're spendin' the night with your own ego

Baby, now all you get is the ghost when I leave

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I dance when you tie my hands up?

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I lo-lo-lo-love if you keep me in chains?

'Cause these wings were made to fly so I could break free from your hold

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I lo-lo-lo-love if you keep me in chains?

No, I won't tiptoe 'round ya, this ain't a Russian ballet (oh, oh)

You use your sticks and stones, but, baby, I'm holdin' grenades (oh, oh)

'Cause I got a heart you could never break, no matter the things you say

So shut up and save the air you breathe

Baby, now all you get is the ghost when I leave

Oh, yeah, yeah

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I dance when you tie my hands up?

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I lo-lo-lo-love if you keep me in chains?

'Cause these wings were made to fly so I could break free from your hold

Oh whoa, oh whoa

How can I lo-lo-lo-love if you keep me in chains?

...

Key Grammar Structures

• How can I dance when you tie my hands up?

  ➔ Modal verb + infinitive in a question; adverbial 'when' clause

  ➔ The word "can" is a modal verb that expresses ability, followed by the infinitive "dance". The clause "when you tie my hands up" tells the condition.

• I'm not a bird in your cage

  ➔ Negative contraction with "am not"; metaphorical noun phrase

  ➔ The contraction "I'm" combines "I am"; adding "not" makes it negative: "I am not a bird".

• You wanna play with fire, boy, that's a dangerous game

  ➔ Colloquial "wanna" = want to (infinitive); present simple statement

  ➔ "wanna" is an informal contraction of "want to" and is followed by the base verb "play".

• I'm better off dancin' alone

  ➔ Comparative phrase "better off" + gerund; informal dropping of "g"

  ➔ "better off" means "in a more favorable situation"; it is followed by the gerund "dancin'" (informal for "dancing").

• I got a heart you could never break

  ➔ Relative clause with modal "could" + base verb; present simple main clause

  ➔ "you could never break" is a relative clause describing "heart"; "could" expresses ability in the past/future hypothetical sense.

• No, I won't tiptoe 'round ya, this ain't a Russian ballet

  ➔ Future simple negative contraction "won't"; colloquial "ain't" for "is not"; preposition contraction "'round" for "around"

  ➔ "won't" = "will not"; "ain't" = "is not"; "'round" is a shortened form of "around" used in informal speech.

• These wings were made to fly so I could break free from your hold

  ➔ Passive voice "were made"; infinitive of purpose "to fly"; modal "could" in purpose clause

  ➔ "were made" is passive past simple; "to fly" shows the purpose of the making; "could" expresses ability in the purpose clause.

• Now all you get is the ghost when I leave

  ➔ Zero conditional with "when" clause; present simple in both clauses

  ➔ "Now all you get is the ghost" (present simple) + "when I leave" (present simple) forms a zero conditional meaning the result always happens when the condition occurs.