Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Oh, let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love


Lyrics submitted by Fistan

Dance Me to the End of Love Lyrics as written by Leonard Cohen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Dance Me to the End of Love song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    I think it's all of the above. It's about a lifelong dance partner. A young couple learning about life. Learning, laughing, living, loving, growing old together. A dance partner in the dance of life, until the music stops.

    The song is chronological: courtship, marriage, children, then aging and death.

    The last lines are:

    "Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in" The panic is the process and fear of dying. I'm afraid, so hold my hand and dance me until I'm gathered safely in.

    "Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove"

    The naked hand is the flesh. The glove is a metaphor for the touch of your memory after you are gone. You may be gone, but your love remains. Your memory is there to dance me in my heart. Dance me to the end of love.

    Hoponthebusguson February 11, 2012   Link

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