Skateaway – English Lyrics

• By: Dire Straits
• Album: Making Movies

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the vibrant story of Dire Straits' "Skateaway," a song that paints a vivid picture of urban freedom through the eyes of a roller-skating girl. Explore how the lyrics and music create a sense of escapism and learn about the cultural context of this 1980s hit, perfect for understanding visual storytelling in music.

[English]

(upbeat pop music)

♪ I seen a girl on a one way corridor ♪

♪ Stealing down a wrong way street ♪

♪ For all the world like an urban toreador ♪

♪ She had wheels on, on her feet ♪

♪ Well the cars do the usual dances ♪

♪ Same old cruise and the curbside crawl ♪

♪ But the roller girl, she's taking chances ♪

♪ They just love to see her take them all ♪

♪ No fear alone at night, she's sailing through the crowd ♪

♪ In her ears the phones are tight ♪

♪ And the music's playing loud ♪

♪ Hallelujah, here she comes, queen roller ball ♪

♪ And enchante, what can I say, care at all ♪

♪ You know she used to have to wait around ♪

♪ She used to be the lonely one ♪

♪ But now that she can skate around town ♪

♪ She's the only, only one ♪

♪ No fear alone at night, she's sailing through the crowd ♪

♪ In her ears the phones are tight ♪

♪ And the music's playing loud ♪

♪ She gets rock 'n' roll, and a rock 'n' roll station ♪

♪ And a rock 'n' roll dream ♪

♪ She's making movies on location ♪

♪ She don't know what it means ♪

♪ And the music make her wanna be the story ♪

♪ And the story was whatever was the song what it was ♪

♪ Roller girl, don't worry ♪

♪ D.J. play the movies ♪

♪ All night long ♪

♪ Oh yeah ♪

♪ She tortures taxi drivers just for fun ♪

♪ She like to read their lips ♪

♪ Says toro toro taxi, see ya tomorrow, my son ♪

♪ I swear she let a big truck grease her hip ♪

♪ She got her own world in the city, hey ♪

♪ You can't intrude on her, no, no ♪

♪ She got her own world in the city ♪

♪ The city's been so rude to her ♪

♪ No fears alone at night, she's sailing through the crowd ♪

♪ In her ears the phones are tight ♪

♪ And the music's playing loud ♪

♪ She gets rock 'n' roll, and a rock 'n' roll station ♪

♪ And a rock 'n' roll dream ♪

♪ She's making movies on location ♪

♪ She don't know what it means ♪

♪ But the music make her wanna be the story ♪

♪ And the story was whatever was the song what it was ♪

♪ Roller girl,, don't worry ♪

♪ D.J. play the movies ♪

♪ All night long, all night long ♪

♪ Slipping and sliding ♪

♪ Yeah, life's a roller ball ♪

♪ Slipping and a sliding ♪

♪ Skate away, that's all ♪

♪ Skate away ♪

♪ Shala shalay, hey hey, skate away ♪

♪ Now shala shalay, hey hey ♪

♪ She's singing shala shalay hey hey ♪

♪ Skate away ♪

♪ Oh shala shalay ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
girl /ɡɜːrl/ A1	noun - female child or young woman
skate /skeɪt/ B1	verb - to move on ice or a smooth surface using a pair of skates
roller /ˈroʊlər/ B2	noun - a person who rides roller skates; a roller (device)
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - organized sound; a form of art using sound
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large and permanent human settlement
crowd /kraʊd/ B1	noun - a large number of people gathered together
fear /fɪər/ A2	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ B1	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
wheels /wiːlz/ A2	noun - circular objects that revolve on an axle and enable movement
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
toreador /tɔːrɪˈdeɪɔːr/ C1	noun - a bullfighter, especially one who fights on foot
rock /rɒk/ A2	noun - a hard natural mineral material verb - to move back and forth or side to side; to shake
roll /roʊl/ B1	noun - a cylindrical piece of material verb - to move by turning over and over
movie /ˈmuːvi/ A2	noun - a motion picture; a film
story /ˈstɔːri/ A1	noun - a narrative of real or imagined events
taxi /ˈtæksi/ A1	noun - a car that carries passengers for a fare
slip /slɪp/ B1	verb - to lose footing and slide unintentionally
slide /slaɪd/ B1	verb - to move smoothly along a surface while maintaining continuous contact
loud /laʊd/ A2	adjective - producing a lot of sound; noisy