The Dead Dance – English Lyrics

• By: Lady Gaga
• Album: MAYHEM

Lyrics & Translation

Explore Lady Gaga's "The Dead Dance," a haunting yet empowering anthem born from heartbreak and inspired by her role in 'Wednesday.' Discover how Gaga transforms emotional pain into a celebration of friendship and resilience, making this song a unique blend of gothic pop and personal storytelling. Learn about themes of overcoming adversity through dance, and find new appreciation for this inspiring track.

[English]

[FOREST WILDLIFE SOUNDS]

[EERIE SOUNDS]

♪ LIKE THE WORDS OF A SONG I HEAR YOU CALL ♪

♪ LIKE A THIEF IN MY HEAD YOU CRIMINAL ♪

♪ YOU STOLE MY THOUGHTS BEFORE I DREAMED THEM ♪

♪ AND YOU KILLED MY QUEEN WITH JUST ONE PAWN ♪

♪ THIS GOODBYE IS NO SURPRISE ♪

♪ THIS GOODBYE WON’T MAKE ME CRY ♪

♪ YEAH I'LL KEEP ON ♪

♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ I'M DANCIN’ UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ YEAH I’LL KEEP ON ♪

♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ I’LL DANCE UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ CUZ WHEN YOU KILLED ME INSIDE ♪

♪ THAT’S WHEN I CAME ALIVE ♪

♪ YEAH THE MUSIC’S GONNA BRING ME BACK FROM DEATH ♪

♪ I’M DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ I’LL DANCE UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ YOU’VE CREATED A CREATURE OF THE NIGHT ♪

♪ NOW I’M HAUNTING YOUR AIR, YOU SOUL, YOUR EYES ♪

♪ THIS GOODBYE IS NO SURPRISE (IS NO SURPRISE) ♪

♪ THIS GOODBYE WON’T MAKE ME CRY ♪

♪ YEAH I'LL KEEP ON ♪

♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ I'M DANCIN’ UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ YEAH I’LL KEEP ON ♪

♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ I’LL DANCE UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ CUZ WHEN YOU KILLED ME INSIDE ♪

♪ THAT’S WHEN I CAME ALIVE ♪

♪ YEAH THE MUSIC’S GONNA BRING ME BACK FROM DEATH ♪

♪ I’M DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ I’LL DANCE UNTIL I’M DEAD ♪

♪ DO THE DEAD DANCE! ♪

♪ DEAD! ♪

♪ THE DEAD DANCE! ♪

♪ DO THE DEAD DANCE! ♪

♪ DEAD! ♪

♪ THE DEAD DANCE! ♪

♪ DO THE DEAD DANCE! ♪

♪ DEAD! ♪

♪ THE DEAD DANCE! ♪

♪ DO THE DEAD DANCE! ♪

♪ DEAD! ♪

♪ BUT I’M ALIVE ON THE DANCE FLOOR ♪

♪ AND I’M DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD (I’M DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD) ♪

♪ (I’M DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD) ♪

♪ YEAH I'LL KEEP ON ♪

♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD (DEAD) ♪

♪ I’LL DANCE UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

♪ CUZ WHEN YOU KILLED ME INSIDE, THAT’S WHEN I CAME ALIVE ♪

♪ AND THE MUSIC’S GONNA BRING ME BACK FROM DEATH ♪

♪ I’M DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD (DEAD) ♪

♪ I’LL DANCE UNTIL I’M DEAD ♪

♪ DEAD ♪

♪♪♪

[MUSIC FADES]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps noun - a series of movements that match the speed and rhythm of a piece of music
dead /dɛd/ A1	adjective - no longer alive noun - people who are no longer alive
kill /kɪl/ A2	verb - to cause the death of a person, animal, or other living thing
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A1	adjective - living, not dead
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion
creature /ˈkriːtʃər/ A2	noun - a living being, especially an animal
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness in every twenty-four hours
haunting /ˈhɔːntɪŋ/ B2	adjective - continuously disturbing or upsetting verb - to continually trouble someone's thoughts or mind
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organ of sight
thief /θiːf/ A2	noun - a person who steals another person's property
criminal /ˈkrɪmɪnəl/ A2	noun - a person who has committed a crime
thoughts /θɔːts/ A1	noun - an idea or opinion produced by thinking
queen /kwiːn/ A1	noun - a female ruler of a country
pawn /pɔːn/ B1	noun - a chess piece of the lowest value
surprise /səˈpraɪz/ A2	noun - a feeling of astonishment or shock
goodbye /ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ/ A1	noun - a farewell
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears in response to an emotional state
bring /brɪŋ/ A1	verb - to carry or take someone or something to a place
back /bæk/ A1	noun - the rear surface of the human body adverb - in or to the original place

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ LIKE THE WORDS OF A SONG I HEAR YOU CALL ♪

  ➔ Simile with "Like"

  ➔ "Like" is used as a preposition to introduce a comparison, showing that one thing is similar to another. Here, the speaker's experience is compared to "the words of a song".

• ♪ YOU STOLE MY THOUGHTS BEFORE I DREAMED THEM ♪

  ➔ Time Clause with "Before"

  ➔ "Before" introduces a subordinate clause indicating an action that happened earlier than the action in the main clause. Both actions are in the past simple.

• ♪ THIS GOODBYE WON’T MAKE ME CRY ♪

  ➔ Causative Verb "Make"

  ➔ "Make" is used here in a causative structure ("make + object + base form of verb") to express that something causes someone to do something. The goodbye won't cause the speaker to cry.

• ♪ YEAH I'LL KEEP ON ♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

  ➔ Phrasal Verb "Keep on" + Gerund

  ➔ The phrasal verb "keep on" means to continue doing something. It is always followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb), like "dancin'".

• ♪ DANCIN' UNTIL I'M DEAD ♪

  ➔ Conjunction "Until"

  ➔ "Until" is used as a conjunction or preposition to indicate the time when something stops or finishes. The dancing will continue up to the point of being dead.

• ♪ CUZ WHEN YOU KILLED ME INSIDE ♪ THAT’S WHEN I CAME ALIVE ♪

  ➔ Emphatic "That's when"

  ➔ "That's when" is an emphatic structure used to highlight the specific moment or circumstance when something happened, often following a "when" clause. It emphasizes the turning point.

• ♪ YEAH THE MUSIC’S GONNA BRING ME BACK FROM DEATH ♪

  ➔ Informal Future "Gonna"

  ➔ "Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to," used to express future plans, intentions, or predictions. It indicates what the music is intended to do.

• ♪ YOU’VE CREATED A CREATURE OF THE NIGHT ♪

  ➔ Present Perfect Simple

  ➔ The present perfect simple ("have/has + past participle") is used to describe an action that started in the past and has a connection or result in the present. Here, the creation in the past has a present consequence.

• ♪ NOW I’M HAUNTING YOUR AIR, YOU SOUL, YOUR EYES ♪

  ➔ Present Continuous for Ongoing Action

  ➔ The present continuous ("be + -ing verb") is used to describe an action happening at the moment of speaking or a current ongoing situation. "Now" emphasizes the immediacy.

• ♪ CUZ WHEN YOU KILLED ME INSIDE, THAT’S WHEN I CAME ALIVE ♪

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time with "When"

  ➔ The "when" clause ("when you killed me inside") is an adverbial clause that specifies the time or condition under which the main action ("I came alive") occurred.