The Way You Dance

What I gathered from this song a man watching a guy with less than honourable intentions ("dressed to kill") dancing with a girl in the setting of a bar ("dancing on broken glass"). All the guy notices at first is how pretty she is, and all the observer can see at first is how they are both intensely dancing ("knuckles turning white") with reckless abandon. But then observer notices that although the guy dancing is wearing his shoes, she is not. In letting herself be vulnerable to the glass on the floor, by taking her shoes off, it's symbolic that she is also opening herself to be used by the guy dancing with her ("dancing on her broken dreams"). She has dreams of something deeper, but the guy will crush them since his motivation is purely physical. The observer inwardly asks the guy "how does it feel man?" as some sort of chastisement, but then he realizes that he has his shoes on too and is no better than the other guy. The observer is initially sorry about it, but quickly justifies himself saying "don't want to, but in this square-dance, everyone has to dance, everyone dance now!"

I love this song! It's a little different than their older stuff, but I'm really feeling it. I really like the way he rolls his r's. So hot.

Anyway, I think the lyrics are kind of sad. It might mean something along the lines of a girl who is being led on by Satan (and/or sin) and she's in too deep to really realize what's going on. Something to that effect. Or it could be something more simple like a guy is using her, and making her do things she normally wouldn't do ("How does it feel man?").

One the surface, I think sheflatlines is right. But I think it's more than that. It's about recognizing what you hate in yourself by seeing it in others. He's watching this couple dance across the room--it's not himslef to start with. Then with the "I see you're wearing your shoes..."part, that's where he sees it. This guy is using her (which could also be symbolic of pretty much any flaw or vice) and the shoes symbolize distance or selfishness. As he watches, he realizes he's no different. He's dancing (living) with his shoes on (walls of fear, indifference, bitterness, selfishness,etc.) while he forces her (or anyone he cares about) to live with their broken dreams.

I second sheflatlines The way swedish people roll their 'r's are just lovely And this is indeed a lovely song

I think this song also speaks to the ways we as people tend to protect ourselves at the expense of others... engaging in risky behavior with full intention of walking away if things go south on us, leaving others to pick up the pieces...

@tueor, great stuff man!