Dance With The Devil

The way I see it, it's the point where you're standing on the verge of an abyss inside you, in a world where you don't belong. I too see it as talking to a girl, cause it fits me that way best, but it can be seen as another person, a friend maybe, or even talking to himself. He says he believes in "you" -that person or himself - in what's beneath, in the truth, but he's too weak to stay on top and face it, but he sinks under, feeding "cold dead eyes" of a lost love, and in the process, stealing his life and energy away. Dancing with the devil, is the process of facing your self, evading self-destruction, evading the part of you that feels guilty and wants to destroy everything, The lonely people should know what I'm talking about. Every lone individual tends to self-destruct in such moments, and the dance with the devil, is the dance with your fear, your phobia. In this case it could also be something wrong in the relationship between him and "her", and it could be a process of facing those mistakes the last time, before they separate. It's about saying goodbye to "her" or to himself (could be a part of himself, not necessarily suicide, could be "killing what aches"). But he says "don't you dare look at him in the eye", cause if you look the devil into the eye, you can easily be misslead by your own weaknesses, and it yet again will lead to self-destruction. He wants to settle things for one last time, to face the fear, and then leave that "world", where he no longer feels safe but "helpless and left for dead", and so he decides to lay his heart out, and then for the last time, say goodbye. That's at least the way I see it.

Why does everyone assume that almost every song ever written always has to somehow involve a girl?

As for the song itself... The first time I heard it, I envisioned a sort of suicide pact between two people who both agreed in some form or fashion that they disagreed with the rest of the world. They felt isolated, had to pretend to be people they weren’t just so everyone else wouldn’t turn on them, and one of the people (the song taking their point-of-view) has decided that they’ve had enough with lying and being fake. Only the other person hasn’t. They don’t mind being this way as much as their counterpart. So, their counterpart sort of has to convince them that this isn’t right. That they can ‘see right through’ them, that they’re the same and it doesn’t have to be this way.

I'm not a very morbid person. But I think joint suicide, or murder would fit the eerily moody, yet strangely romantic feel of this song.

I think this song is about that this girl that a man likes, likes another guy also, and wants to show her that he can be the one that she needs and not another guy refering back to 'the devil'

And the verse with... "Trembling, crawling across my skin Feeling your cold, dead eyes Stealing the life of mine"

Could mean its metaphorically speaking to that hes so in love with her he'd die for her?

As soon as I heard the song and really started thinking about its meaning I saw a man dancing in a ball room with a beautiful woman in a red dress. While slowly dancing the woman whispers something in the man’s ear. The woman is seducing the man to come back to her place and sleep with her, the only problem with that is the man happens to be married. Unfortunately the marriage isn’t going well and there is a lot of stress and disappointment in the man’s life which leads to depression. To deal with this the man has been drinking, doing drugs, going out to parties, steeling, gambling, flirting, basically all the sinful habits of the meaningless bachelor life. He’s so deep in shame from all of this and all of the lies he tells his wife he decides there is absolutely no chance of going back to the good honest life he used to have. So here he is dancing in the ball room, thinking about committing one the greatest sins of all, adultery… The person talking in the song is the man, only it’s his inner conscience talking to him. “Close your eyes so many days go by”. I think he’s been keeping his eyes closed while life goes by, almost like he’s avoiding it for some reason; maybe because he is ashamed or afraid of what he has to face. “Easy to find what’s wrong, harder to find what’s right”. I think he’s realizing that because it’s so easy to fall into temptations and doing these things that wrong, doing the right thing is starting to become difficult. “I believe in you I can show you I can see right through all your empty lies”. He’s telling himself that there is still good in him. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to keep on lying. They are not you’re your answers. Remember how it was before all of this. I can show you that again. “I won't stay long, in this world so wrong”. Again his conscience is talking to him, telling him that the good in wont last much longer if he keeps living like this. “Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight. Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight”. His conscience is warning him, “This is it, you’re about to make a choice that will change your life forever. Don’t look him in the eye, don’t even think about it, don’t fall for her! Your dancing with the devil here, you need to stop!” “Trembling, crawling across my skin, feeling your cold dead eyes stealing the life of mine”. He is nervous and scared as the temptation rises. I can imagine the woman pushing her body up to his. She is like a mythical siren, sucking him into her trap. The temptation is staring right at him and the more he looks at it the more tempting it is to him. It is stealing his life away, almost as if he’s turning into a zombie or caught in a trance. Then it comes to the last part, “Hold on, Hold on”. This part is obvious, His conscience is screaming at him, begging him to hold on, stop, to think about this.

Well this is just how I see it. Hope it painted a picture for you like it did for me.

it almost sounds like a cheating couple, because ben can't stand the touch of the person, or their stare. "dance with the devil" could be taken as cheating with another, whether it just be dating or doing the dirty deed. either way, the song is amazing!

It seems to be that this song is about a bad relationship coming to an end. The guy is making a last-ditch effort to get his partner on the right track.

Dancing with the devil, in this song, gives me the impression of an event that has no good outcome. His partner has created a world of lies and he has had enough of it. He still sees some hope, though, and pleads for her to make the right choice. Looking the "devil" in the eyes would mean that his efforts have failed, and she will be consumed by whatever it is that is contributing to their hell.

I hope that makes sense

Well, when I originally heard this song I pictured someone commiting suicide and taking someone else with them. I thought that maybe the "Dance With the Devil" ment that they were going to meet the Devil. But whatever, I'm just weird like that!

If you've read my other comments you'll see that they all involve a girl and how the relationship isnt working but the boy wants it to.

anyway this for me is another boy and girl relationship.

"Here I stand, helpless and left for dead. Close your eyes. So many days go by. Easy to find whats wrong. Harder to find whats right."

The boy is realising his place in his love's life. "close your eyes" he is telling her not to look at him in this state. He then tells her that the relationship is going on but he is finding reasons why they SHOULDN'T be together and even though he's looking he cant find reasons to stay with her.

"I believe in you. I can show you that I can see right through, all your empty lies. I wont stay long in this world so wrong."

He tells her that he believes she loves him. although he tells her he can prove he knows when she's lying to him. He wont stay much longer in her life if she is going to treat him with such disregard.

"Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight. Don't you dare look at him in the eye. As we dance with the devil tonight."

Now he is telling her she might aswell say goodbye to him now as the things he is gonna tell her arent gonna be things she'll be able to excuse. "dont you dare look at him in the eye" is him saying dont you dare look me in the eye and lie again.

"Trembling, crawling across my skin Feeling your cold, dead eyes Stealing the life of mine"

Then he describes what she is doing. she is crying and holding onto him, her eyes show no life anymore and because of this guilt he starts to give his life to her again.

and the rest is pretty much along the same lines. so there you go there's my life.

Two people suiciding together. Simple as that.