Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill
He jumped out the window 'cause he couldn't sit still
Juliet was waiting with a safety net
He said, "Don't bury me 'cause I'm not dead yet"

Why don't you tell me about the mystery dance
I want to know about the mystery dance
Why don't you show me
'Cause I've tried and I've tried, and I'm still mystified
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied

Well, I remember when the lights went out
And I was tryin' to make it look like it was never in doubt
She thought that I knew, and I thought that she knew
So both of us were willing, but we didn't know how to do it

Why don't you tell me about the mystery dance
I want to know about the mystery dance
Why don't you show me
'Cause I've tried and I've tried, and I'm still mystified
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied

Well, I was down under the covers in the middle of the night
Tryin' to discover my left foot from my right
You can see those pictures in any magazine
But what's the use of looking when you don't know what they mean?

Why don't you tell me about the mystery dance
I want to know about the mystery dance
Why don't you show me
'Cause I've tried and I've tried, and I'm still mystified
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied

I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied

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Lyrics submitted by fearofmusic

Mystery Dance Lyrics as written by Elvis Costello

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

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Mystery Dance song meanings

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3 Comments

+3
General Comment
Its about a young couple trying to figure out how to have sex for the first time... least, that was what I got out of it. Also based on the assumption that throughout the album "dancing" is a eupamism for sex.

Its about a young couple trying to figure out how to have sex for the first time... least, that was what I got out of it. Also based on the assumption that throughout the album "dancing" is a eupamism for sex.

Reason:

TheSilverNobleon March 01, 2006 Link
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There was an error.

@TheSilverNoble
+1
General Comment
It's raunchy and innocent all at the same time. And the vocal rhythm for the first few lines always blows me away. Great stuff.

It's raunchy and innocent all at the same time. And the vocal rhythm for the first few lines always blows me away. Great stuff.

Reason:

ataglantzon September 02, 2005 Link
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There was an error.

@ataglantz
0
General Comment
I heard a live version of this, in which Costello repeats "I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied" an incredible number of times, very fast. I thought, "Is this song is about masturbation?" But then I paid attention to the rest of the lyrics, and it became apparent that there's more to it. (Yeah, I know...here it is 2009 and I'm listening to This Year's Model for the first time...)

I heard a live version of this, in which Costello repeats "I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied" an incredible number of times, very fast. I thought, "Is this song is about masturbation?" But then I paid attention to the rest of the lyrics, and it became apparent that there's more to it. (Yeah, I know...here it is 2009 and I'm listening to This Year's Model for the first time...)

Reason:

foreverdroneon January 22, 2009 Link
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There was an error.

@foreverdrone