Hot sun beating down
Burning my feet just walking around
Hot sun makin' me sweat
Gators getting close, hasn't got me yet

I can't dance
I can't talk
Only thing about me is the way I walk
I can't dance
I can't sing
I'm just standing here selling everything

Blue jeans sittin' on the beach
Her dog's talking to me, but she's out of reach
Mhm, she's got a body under that shirt
But all she wants to do is rub my face in the dirt

'Cause I can't dance
I can't talk
Only thing about me is the way I walk
I can't dance
I can't sing
I'm just standing here sellin'

Oh, and checking everything is in place
You never know who's lookin' on

Young punk spillin' beer on my shoes
Fat guy's talkin' to me, tryin' to steal my blues
Thick smoke, see her smiling through
I never thought so much could happen just shootin' pool

But I can't dance
I can't talk
The only thing about me is the way that I walk
I can't dance
I can't sing
I'm just standing here sellin'

Oh, and checking everything is in place
You never know who's looking on
A perfect body with a perfect face
Mhm

No, I can't dance
I can't talk
The only thing about me is the way I walk
No, I can't dance
I can't sing
I'm just standing here sellin' everything

No, I can't walk
No, I can't dance
No, no, no, I can't dance
No, I said, I can't sing


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae

I Can't Dance Lyrics as written by Michael Rutherford Anthony Banks

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

I Can't Dance song meanings
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    Song Meaning

    I recall reading many years ago that the song was written in response to the big changes in the music industry caused by the rise of MTV. Rather than needing to just have appealing songs, suddenly bands/performers had to be able to look really good in music videos: young, attractive, good at acting/dancing, generally the sort that advertisers would pay a lot to air commercials near and sponsors would want to associate with their products. It didn't matter how brilliant they were at singing or songwriting anymore, and the only kinds of dancing that counted were the really 'cool' type kids would want to emulate.

    The music video illustrates the situation. It begins at a location very similar to one used by ZZ Top, whom handled the image issue by focusing on hot women. Collins is then shown being rejected in favor of an iguana (cold-blooded creature), then a dog (simple trained animal) which also steals & wrecks his jeans, and the whole band is cheated right out of their pants. This is interspersed with footage that documents how fake such videos are. After the song is over, Collins remains on-screen to spoof Michael Jackson and show that he's only considered unable to dance because the kind he can do isn't the cool kind MTV wanted.

    XyzzyMagicaton November 20, 2010   Link

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