Let's Dance – English Lyrics

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

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into David Bowie's iconic hit 'Let's Dance,' a vibrant fusion of funk, new wave, and dance-rock that became a global sensation. Beyond its infectious rhythm, the song's lyrics and groundbreaking music video offer powerful insights into social themes, making it a rich and engaging piece for language learners to explore cultural commentary and nuanced lyrical expression.

[English]

Let's dance

Put on your red shoes and dance the blues

Let's dance

To the song they're playin' on the radio

Let's sway

While color lights up your face

Let's sway

Sway through the crowd to an empty space

...

If you say run

I'll run with you

If you say hide

Then we'll hide

Because my love for you

Would break my heart in two

If you should fall into my arms

Tremblin' like a flower

...

Let's dance

...

For fear your grace should fall

...

Let's dance

For fear tonight is all

...

Let's sway

You could look into my eyes

...

Let's sway

Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight

...

If you say run

I'll run with you

...

If you say hide

We'll hide

Because my love for you

Would break my heart in two

If you should fall into my arms

Tremblin' like a flower

...

Let's dance, let's dance, let's dance, let's dance

...

Let's dance

Let's dance

Let's dance

Put on your red shoes and dance the blues

Let's dance

Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight

...

Let's sway

...

Let's sway

Let's dance

Let's dance

Let's dance, let's dance, let's dance, let's dance

...

Key Vocabulary

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

Key Grammar Structures

• Put on your red shoes and dance the blues

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase “Put on” is an imperative verb, a command or instruction. The whole sentence is a sequence of commands.

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

  ➔ Present continuous tense (progressive)

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

• While color lights up your face

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction "while"

  ➔ "While" introduces a subordinate clause that happens at the same time as the main clause. It indicates simultaneity.

• If you say run, I'll run with you

  ➔ Conditional sentences (Type 1)

  ➔ This is a Type 1 conditional, expressing a real possibility. "If" + simple present, "will" + base form.

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

  ➔ Conditional sentences (Type 2 - hypothetical situation)

  ➔ This hints at a Type 2 conditional (mixed) due to the “would” indicating a hypothetical situation, though the “if” clause is missing here. It suggests the consequence of a hypothetical event related to intense love.

• For fear your grace should fall

  ➔ "Should" as a subjunctive marker

  ➔ The use of "should" after "for fear" indicates the subjunctive mood, expressing uncertainty or a desired outcome.

• You could look into my eyes

  ➔ Modal verb "could"

  ➔ "Could" indicates possibility, ability, or a polite suggestion. Here it suggests a possibility or an invitation.

• Tremblin' like a flower

  ➔ Present participle phrase used as an adjective

  ➔ "Tremblin' like a flower" modifies the subject implicitly (the person who might fall into my arms) and describes their state. It's a reduced relative clause (who is trembling...).