Damien Jurado (born 12 November 1972) is an American singer in the indie-ro… Read Full Bio ↴Damien Jurado (born 12 November 1972) is an American singer in the indie-rock tradition of Seattle, Washington. His music is regarded as being heavily influenced by folk music. Over the years he has released albums on many labels; today his primary label is Secretly Canadian. He was once in the band, Coolidge, with Seattle's David Bazan.

Jurado's solo career began during the mid-1990s, releasing lo-fi folk based recordings on his own cassette-only label, Casa Recordings, beginning in 1995.

Jurado often makes use of found-sound and field-recording techniques, and has experimented with different forms of tape recordings. In 2000 he released Postcards and Audio Letters, a collection of found audio letters and fragments that he had found from sources such as thrift store tape players and answering machines. Also released in 2000 was Ghost of David,, Jurado's bleakest and most personal sounding record to date. I Break Chairs, (2002) was produced by long time friend, David Bazan. It was his last album for Sub Pop, and was a much rockier, electric affair. After signing for the Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian, Damien Jurado reverted to his trademark folk ballad-based style, releasing six more albums: Where Shall You Take Me? (2003), On My Way To Absence (2005), And Now That I'm In Your Shadow (2006), Caught in the Trees (2008), Saint Bartlett (2010) and Maraqopa (2012).

Official blog: iamcaughtinthetrees.blogspot.com

Dance Hall
Damien Jurado Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you tear down the dance hall places
Where are we gonna see the beautiful faces?
They come in wearing their new dresses
Thick mascera on thin eyelashes
We'll be back to running races from their boyfriends who love to chase us

I don't see why they have to hate us
It's not our fault we make them jealous

If you tear down the dance hall places

Where are we gonna see the beautiful faces?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Damien Jurado's song Dance Hall reflect the emotions of a young man who is deeply rooted in the dancehall culture. He laments the possible loss of the dance hall places which he frequents, as it will mean the loss of the most beautiful faces he has ever seen. He talks about the girls who come to the dance hall wearing their new dresses and the mascara that adorns their eyelashes. These girls are the ones who give him and his friends the butterflies in their stomachs, and they love chasing them around the dance floor. He wonders why these girls' boyfriends hate them and why they make them jealous, but he does not blame himself or his friends for it.

The lyrics are infused with nostalgia, longing and youthful exuberance. The singer is worried that tearing down the dance hall places will mean the loss of a crucial formative experience for him and his peers. The dance hall is not only a physical space but a cultural institution where young people gather to socialize, dance and find partners. The song highlights the significance of the dance hall in shaping the identity and social lives of young people.

Line by Line Meaning

If you tear down the dance hall places
If we lose the dance halls, where will we witness the beauty of people?

Where are we gonna see the beautiful faces?
What will happen to the captivating beauty that the dance halls epitomize?

They come in wearing their new dresses
The people that visit dance halls come dressed in their latest attire.

Thick mascara on thin eyelashes
Their eyelash beauty is greatly enhanced through use of makeup.

We'll be back to running races from their boyfriends who love to chase us
We'll go back to playing games of chasing with their jealous boyfriends.

I don't see why they have to hate us
I don't understand the reason behind the hate they display towards us.

It's not our fault we make them jealous
We don't intend to make them envious of us, so they shouldn't hold us responsible.

If you tear down the dance hall places
If the dance halls are removed, where will the beauty seekers have to go?

Where are we gonna see the beautiful faces?
Where else will we see the magnetizing and stunning beauty that we get from the dance halls?

Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Christopher Baker, Damien Jurado, Neil Richard Claxton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS