alright i'm in johnson avenue
in San Luis Obispo
and i'm five years old or six maybe
and indications that there's
something wrong with our new house
trip down the wire twice daily

i'm in the living room
watching the watergate hearings
while my stepfather yells at my mother
launches a glass across the room
straight at her head
and i dash upstairs to take cover
lean in close to my little record player on the floor
so this is what the volume knob's for
i listen to dance music
dance music

okay so look, I'm seventeen years old
you're the last best thing i got going
but then the special secret sickness
starts to eat through you
what am i supposed to do?
no way of knowing
so i follow you down your twisting alleyways
find a few cul-de-sacs of my own
there's only one place this road ever ends up
and i don't wanna die alone
let me down, let me down, let me down gently
when the police come to get me
i'm listenin' to dance music
dance music


Lyrics submitted by Mopnugget, edited by zebrakindom

Dance Music song meanings
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  • +2
    My Interpretation

    here's my take:

    he's 17 years old, so it's that time in your life when you think your life is all dramatic. you're the last best thing i got going could be mom, dad, lover, best friend. it's intentionally ambiguous, but it's someone he loves dearly because the rest of his life is shit. the special secret sickness could be the alcoholism like another poster mentioned, but it could easily refer to drugs. and because the special sickness has grabbed his loved one, he follows down the twisting alleyways and becomes stuck in several cul-de-sacs on the way.

    the only one place this road ends is death. and since he doesn't want to die alone, he takes his life.
    he is hanging from a noose at the end listening to dance music. so when he says "let me down gently," he's already dead.

    the let me down gently could also plausibly refer to the drug high, but i think that hanging by a noose fits better. it's more consistent with the high drama, fatalistic mind of a troubled teenager.

    sugarkangon November 28, 2009   Link

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