Come Dancing
Good Riddance Lyrics

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
A piece of land which originally held a supermarket was turned into a parking lot

When the supermarket used to stand.
The supermarket no longer exists

Before that they put up a bowling alley
A bowling alley was built where there used to be something else

On the site that used to be the local palais.
The bowling alley was built on the location of the old palais

That's where the big bands used to come and play.
The palais was where large musical groups would come to perform

My sister went there on a Saturday.
The singer's sister used to go to the palais on Saturdays

Come dancing,
Invitation to dance

All her boyfriends used to come and call.
The artist's sister's romantic partners would come to pick her up for dates

Why not come dancing, it's only natural?
Dancing is a natural activity, so why not try it?

Another Saturday, another date.
Another weekend, and another planned outing

She would be ready but she's always make them wait.
The singer's sister would make her dates wait for her

In the hallway, in anticipation,
The date would happen in the hallway, with the artist's sister waiting in anticipation

He didn't know the night would end up in frustration.
The date would be an unpleasant experience for both people involved

He'd end up blowing all his wages for the week
The singer's sister's date would spend his entire weekly earnings just for the date

All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek.
The reward for the date would be just a simple kiss on the cheek

Come dancing,
Invitation to dance

That's how they did it when I was just a kid,
Dancing was a popular pastime when the artist was younger

And when they said come dancing,
When people invited others to dance

My sister always did.
The singer's sister always accepted dance invites

My sister should have come in a midnight,
The artist's sister should have come home at midnight

And my mom would always sit up and wait.
The artist's mother would always wait up for her

It always ended up in a big row
It usually ended in a big argument

When my sister used to get home late.
When the singer's sister would return home late

Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight,
From the artist's window, they could see two people saying goodnight in the moonlight

Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate.
Two people saying farewell at the gate of the garden

The day they knocked down the palais
The day they destroyed the palais building

My sister stood and cried.
The singer's sister was upset and cried at the loss of the palais

The day they knocked down the palais
Reference to the destruction of the palais

Part of my childhood died, just died.
The destruction of the palais was symbolic of the end of his childhood

Now I'm grown up and playing in a band,
The singer is now an adult and in a band

And there's a car park where the palais used to stand.
The palais has been replaced with a car park

My sister's married and she lives on an estate.
The artist's sister is now married and living in an estate

Her daughters go out, now it's her turn to wait.
The artist's sister's children go out and the roles are reversed, with the sister waiting up for them

She knows they get away with things she never could,
The artist's sister knows her children get away with things she never did

But if I asked her I wonder if she would,
The singer wonders if his sister would come out dancing

Come dancing,
Invitation to dance

Come on sister, have yourself a ball.
Come out, sister, and have fun

Don't be afraid to come dancing,
Don't be scared to try dancing

It's only natural.
Dancing is a natural activity for humans to enjoy

Come dancing,
Invitation to dance

Just like the palais on a Saturday.
Dancing just like the artist's sister used to do at the palais

And all her friends will come dancing
Her friends will come out to dance with her

Where the big bands used to play.
The site at which large musical groups would perform