Sand Dancer – English Lyrics

• By: Perrie
• Album: Perrie

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heart of Perrie's hometown in 'Sand Dancer,' a song that beautifully captures the essence of her upbringing. Through its personal lyrics and powerful vocals, you can learn about the culture and slang of South Shields, like the endearing term 'sand dancer' itself. This track offers a unique and emotional way to connect with the English language through the lens of personal history and local identity.

[English]

Summer '09, headin' down to the crab shack

It's open mic, I'm like, "Jonnie, where you at?"

Whiskey and cola to try to take the edge off

Second we started singing, we just couldn't stop

Here on the beach, it gets cold when the sun's down

Seven degrees, but we still got our legs out

I'll never forget those days

I close my eyes and I'm there

Sand-dancing with ya

Sand-dancing with ya

Anytime I wanna feel like that, you take me right back

You take me to the place where I'm

Sand-dancing with ya

Sand-dancing with ya

Anytime I wanna feel like that, you take me right back

You take me to the place where I'm

Sand-dancing with ya

Everything's changed back at home where I grew up

But my daddy's still singin' in the social clubs

My nanna spends her days down the bingo hall

Goin' 50 years, but she's won fuck all

When I failed at school, I was cryin' in the kitchen

Me mam said, "Hinny, your life's already written

Remember that anytime you're missing me

Close your eyes and I'll be right there" (sand-dancing with ya)

Sand-dancing with ya

Anytime I wanna feel like that, you take me right back

You take me to the place where I'm

Sand-dancing with ya

Sand-dancing with ya

Anytime I wanna feel like that, you take me right back

You take me to the place where I'm

Sand-dancing with ya

(Oh, oh)

Sand-dancing with ya (oh, oh, oh)

Sand-dancing with ya (oh, oh)

Sand-dancing with ya (oh, oh, oh)

Sand-dancing with ya

Sand-dancing with ya

Anytime I wanna feel like that, you take me right back

You take me to the place where I'm

Sand-dancing with ya

Sand-dancing with ya

Anytime I wanna feel like that, you take me right back

You take me to the place where I'm

Sand-dancing with ya

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
summer /ˈsʌmər/ A1	noun - the warm season between spring and autumn
crab /kræb/ A2	noun - a sea creature with a hard shell and claws
shack /ʃæk/ B1	noun - a small, roughly built hut or cabin
mic /maɪk/ B2	noun - short for microphone, a device that captures sound
whiskey /ˈwɪski/ C1	noun - a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash
cola /ˈkəʊlə/ B1	noun - a sweet carbonated soft drink
beach /biːtʃ/ A1	noun - a sandy or pebbly shore by the sea
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star at the centre of the solar system that gives Earth light and heat
leg /lɛɡ/ A1	noun - a limb of the human or animal body used for standing or walking
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - the period of 24 hours, especially as a unit of time between sunrise and sunset
eye /aɪ/ A1	noun - the organ of sight
place /pleɪs/ A2	noun - a particular position or area
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the house or place where one lives
daddy /ˈdædi/ A1	noun - informal term for father
nanna /ˈnænə/ B1	noun - a familiar term for grandmother
bingo /ˈbɪŋɡoʊ/ B2	noun - a game of chance in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn
school /skuːl/ A1	noun - an institution for educating children or a place where people learn a particular subject
kitchen /ˈkɪtʃən/ A2	noun - the room where food is prepared and cooked
life /laɪf/ B1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal

Key Grammar Structures

• It's open mic, I'm like, "Jonnie, where you at?"

  ➔ Present simple (colloquial inversion)

  ➔ The verb "is" in "It's" and "I'm" are in the present simple, and the question "where you at?" drops the auxiliary verb for a colloquial style.

• Whiskey and cola to try to take the edge off

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The phrase "to try to take" uses the infinitive "to try" followed by another infinitive "to take" to express purpose.

• Second we started singing, we just couldn't stop

  ➔ Past simple + modal verb (couldn't)

  ➔ "Started" is past simple, showing a completed action. "Couldn’t" is the past form of the modal "can", expressing inability.

• Here on the beach, it gets cold when the sun's down

  ➔ Present simple + subordinate clause with "when"

  ➔ "gets" is present simple, describing a habitual state. The clause "when the sun's down" is a time clause introduced by "when".

• I'll never forget those days

  ➔ Future simple with "will" + adverb of frequency "never"

  ➔ "I'll" = "I will" expresses a future intention, and "never" modifies the verb to mean at no time.

• Everything's changed back at home where I grew up

  ➔ Present perfect (has changed) + relative clause

  ➔ "Everything's" contracts "Everything has" – present perfect indicating a change up to now. "where I grew up" is a relative clause describing "home".

• When I failed at school, I was cryin' in the kitchen

  ➔ Past simple + past progressive

  ➔ "failed" is past simple (a completed event). "was cryin'" uses past progressive to describe an ongoing action at that past moment.

• Remember that anytime you're missing **me**

  ➔ Imperative + present continuous

  ➔ "Remember" is an imperative verb giving a command. "you’re missing" is present continuous, describing an ongoing feeling.

• Close your eyes and I'll be right there

  ➔ Imperative + future simple with "will"

  ➔ "Close" is an imperative verb. "I'll be" contracts "I will be" – future simple indicating a promise or certainty.