This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Walking up to me expecting
Walking up to me
Expecting words
It happens all the time
Present company excepted
Present company
Accept the worst
It happens every night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded every time
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
The best that you can find
Talking like a jerk
Except you are an actual jerk
And living proof
That sometimes friends are mean
Present company expect it
Present company
Just laugh it off
It's better than it seems
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in every way
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Makes me wanna stay
Killing it with close inspection
Killing it can only make it worse
It sort of makes it breathe
Present company accepting
Presently we all expect the worst
It works just like a need
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in the night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Included in the fight
Ah-ah
Ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah
Don't you want for me to wake up?
Then give me just a bit of your time
Arguments are made for make outs
So give it just a little more time
We've got to bring our resources
I wanna play it 'til the time comes
Forget your string of divorces
Just go and throw your little hands up
It's late
Oh
Honey, it's late
Oh
I miss the way the night comes
With friends who always make it feel good
This basement has a cold glow
Though it's better than a bunch of others
So go and dance yourself clean
Go and dance yourself clean, yeah
You're blowing Marxism to pieces
Baby, their arguments to pieces
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
Put your little feet down
I'm hiding out
Every night's a different story
It's a thirty car pile-up with you
Everybody's getting younger
It's the end of an era, it's true
And you go
Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Break me into bigger pieces
So some of me is home with you
But wait until the weekend
And we can make our bad dreams come true
And it's a-go
Yeah, it's a-go
And if we wait until the weekend
We can miss the best things to do
You go and dance yourself clean
Gotta dance yourself clean, yeah
And blow the Marxism to pieces
Their little arguments to pieces
Oh
Wish you'd try a little harder
In the tedious march of the few
Every day's a different warning
There's a part of me hoping it's true
Walking up to me
Expecting words
It happens all the time
Present company excepted
Present company
Accept the worst
It happens every night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded every time
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
The best that you can find
Talking like a jerk
Except you are an actual jerk
And living proof
That sometimes friends are mean
Present company expect it
Present company
Just laugh it off
It's better than it seems
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in every way
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Makes me wanna stay
Killing it with close inspection
Killing it can only make it worse
It sort of makes it breathe
Present company accepting
Presently we all expect the worst
It works just like a need
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in the night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Included in the fight
Ah-ah
Ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah
Don't you want for me to wake up?
Then give me just a bit of your time
Arguments are made for make outs
So give it just a little more time
We've got to bring our resources
I wanna play it 'til the time comes
Forget your string of divorces
Just go and throw your little hands up
It's late
Oh
Honey, it's late
Oh
I miss the way the night comes
With friends who always make it feel good
This basement has a cold glow
Though it's better than a bunch of others
So go and dance yourself clean
Go and dance yourself clean, yeah
You're blowing Marxism to pieces
Baby, their arguments to pieces
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
Put your little feet down
I'm hiding out
Every night's a different story
It's a thirty car pile-up with you
Everybody's getting younger
It's the end of an era, it's true
And you go
Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Break me into bigger pieces
So some of me is home with you
But wait until the weekend
And we can make our bad dreams come true
And it's a-go
Yeah, it's a-go
And if we wait until the weekend
We can miss the best things to do
You go and dance yourself clean
Gotta dance yourself clean, yeah
And blow the Marxism to pieces
Their little arguments to pieces
Oh
Wish you'd try a little harder
In the tedious march of the few
Every day's a different warning
There's a part of me hoping it's true
Lyrics submitted by _hideandseek, edited by kidcharlamegne, NZfishboy, pikoliu
Dance Yrself Clean Lyrics as written by James Jeremiah Murphy
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
From the lyrics booklet...
Walking up to me expecting words– It happens all the time Present company excepted: Present company, except the worst… It happens every night, Present company excluded every time. Present company: The best that you can find,
Talking like a jerk except you are an actual jerk And living proof, that sometimes friends are mean. Present company expect it Present company just laugh it off… It's better than it seems, Present company excluded in every way Present company makes me wanna stay go,
Killing it with close inspection. Killing it can only make it worse, It sort of makes it breed, Present company accepting Presently we all expect the worst, It works just like a need. Present company excluded in the night, Present company included in the fight, go,
Don't you want me to wake up? Then give me just a bit of your time. Arguments are made for make-ups, So give it just a little more time.
We've got to bring the resources, I'm gonna play until the time comes, Forget your string of divorces, Just go and throw your little hands up.
It's late, I miss the way the night comes My friends know how to make it feel good The basement has a cold glow, Though better than a bunch of others…
So go and dance yourself clean, Go and dance yourself clean, yeah, You're blowing marxism to pieces, Their little arguments to pieces,
Show. It's your show.
Put your little feet down and hang out. Every night's a different story, It's a thirty car pile-up with you, Everybody's getting younger… It's the end of an era – it's true.
And you go: "Stop",
Break me into bigger pieces, So some of me is home with you, Wait until the weekend And we can make our dreams come true
And it's a go, Yeah it's a go, But if we wait until the weekend, We could miss the best things to do,
So go and dance yourself clean, Gotta dance yourself clean, Yeah and blow the marxists into pieces Their little argument to pieces,
Wish you'd try a little harder, In the tedious march of the few, Every day a different warning, There's a part of me hoping it's true