Let's Dance

• By: David Bowie
• Album: Let's Dance

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music noun - an act of dancing
red /rɛd/ A1	adjective - of a color like that of blood or fire
shoes /ʃuːz/ A1	noun - footwear
blues /bluːz/ B1	noun - a melancholic music of black American folk origin
song /sɔŋ/ A1	noun - a musical composition with words
radio /ˈreɪdioʊ/ A1	noun - the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves
sway /sweɪ/ B1	verb - to move or cause to move slowly or rhythmically backward and forward or from side to side. noun - a rhythmical movement from side to side.
color /ˈkʌlər/ A1	noun - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light.
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front of the head, from the forehead to the chin
crowd /kraʊd/ A2	noun - a large number of people gathered together
empty /ˈɛmpti/ B1	adjective - containing nothing
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
hide /haɪd/ A1	verb - to put something or someone out of sight
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
flower /ˈflaʊər/ A1	noun - a plant's seed-bearing part, comprising reproductive organs
fear /fɪər/ A2	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the perception of danger, real or imagined
grace /ɡreɪs/ B2	noun - refined or elegant movement; poise
tonight /təˈnaɪt/ A1	noun - the night that is now passing or the night that is coming
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs to see with
moonlight /ˈmuːnlaɪt/ A2	noun - the light of the moon
serious /ˈsɪəriəs/ B1	adjective - demanding or characterized by careful thought or consideration

Grammar:

• Put on your red shoes and dance the blues

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The sentence uses the imperative verb "put on" to give a command or instruction. "Dance" is another imperative

• To the song they're playin' on the radio

  ➔ Present continuous tense (shortened form)

  ➔ "They're playin'" is a contraction of "they are playing", indicating an action happening at the moment of speaking or around the time of speaking.

• If you say run, I'll run with you

  ➔ First conditional

  ➔ This is a first conditional sentence. "If" + present simple, "will" + infinitive. It describes a possible condition and its likely result. "I'll" is a shortened version of "I will".

• Because my love for you would break my heart in two

  ➔ Conditional sentence type 2 (unlikely)

  ➔ While not explicitly an 'if' clause, the implied condition is the potential loss of the other person's affection. "Would break" indicates a hypothetical result, suggesting the speaker believes their love is strong enough to be devastating if unrequited.

• For fear your grace should fall

  ➔ Subjunctive mood (formal)

  ➔ The verb "should fall" is a subjunctive form used after expressions of fear, anxiety, or doubt. It is more formal and less common in modern English, particularly American English. The sentence expresses a concern about something happening, implying a need for the "dance".

• For fear tonight is all

  ➔ Ellipsis

  ➔ This sentence uses ellipsis. We can understand it as "For fear that tonight is all there is." The 'that' is implied here, but not said.

• Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight

  ➔ Adjective + Noun

  ➔ "Serious" is an adjective modifying the noun "moonlight". It gives a specific characteristic to the moonlight.