I Can't Dance
Gus Arnheim & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though by tomorrow you're gone;
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
The melody lingers on.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
The way you wear your hat
The memory of all that
No, no, they can't take that away from me
The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away
Can't take that away
Can't take that away from me
The first stanza of the song speaks of a romantic relationship that has come to an end. The singer conveys that even though the person they love is leaving the next day, their love story won't end with a sorrowful note. They make a reference to a song that has ended, but the melody still lingers on, implying that their memories and the love they shared will remain, despite their physical separation. Though he might miss the person’s fond caress, he still possesses the memories, the things that endear the person to him.
The second stanza goes into detail about the specific things that the person loves about their loved one. It focuses on the things that make this person unique, from the way they wear their hat to their smile, to how they drink tea. The singer expresses his adoration and reminisces on the way they danced, the way they sing off-key and how they hold their knife- the small things that make up who they are. This is emphasized by the repeating chorus, "No, no they can't take that away from me," which overall suggests the power of memory in holding onto the essence of love and the things that makes it special, even when the physical person is no longer present.
Overall, this song speaks to the eternal nature of love and the power of memories to keep us connected to the people we love, even when they are not physically with us, and how these memories keep love alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note,
Our love may end soon, but it will not end in sadness.
Though by tomorrow you're gone;
Even if you leave tomorrow,
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
The melody may be over, but the memory of our love will remain.
The melody lingers on.
The memory of our love stays in my mind.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
They may separate us, and I will miss your touch.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
Even if we are apart, my love for you will continue.
The way you wear your hat
I love the way you wear your hat.
The way you sip your tea
I adore the way you drink your tea.
The memory of all that
I will always cherish the memory of our time together.
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No one can take those memories away from me.
The way your smile just beams
Your smile brightens up my day.
The way you sing off key
Even when you sing out of tune, I think it's cute.
The way you haunt my dreams
I dream about you often and it makes me happy.
We may never, never meet again
We might not see each other again.
On the bumpy road to love
Our relationship has been difficult and uncertain.
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
But I will never forget
The way you hold your knife
I love the way you handle a knife.
The way we danced till three
I will always remember the way we danced until late at night.
The way you changed my life
You have had a significant impact on my life.
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No one can remove those memories from me.
No, they can't take that away from me
No one can take away the memories of our love.
Can't take that away
Those memories will always remain.
Can't take that away from me
Those memories cannot be taken away from me.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
1920sfan
This is a truly delightful, uptempo version of this nostalgic song, by the Arnheim Orchestra in its best years. I loved this, and it is a typical example of a cheerful melody combined with sad lyrics. The orchestral solo work was fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing!
Scott Ferguson
Great video and Fox-trot. Beautiful rhythm and sound. Thanks always for sharing, Dear Grzegorz, have a blessed day 🙏🙋♂️🍀🎺🎵🌺☀️
Scott Ferguson
@240252
Thanks always to you, Dear Grzegorz. It's a pleasure for me. Have a Great weekend you too 🙏🙋♂️🍀🎼🌺✨
240252
Thank you Scott for your as usual so friendly note. Have a great weekend.
Alco
This is a nice slowed tempo compared to the same version in the Gus Arnheim vitaphone short that I've watched many times over, always a joy to watch.
240252
@Alco I second your admiration for those old vitaphone movies. We can only regret that so few of them were made.
Alco
Exactly, I like the whole band Vitaphone shorts so much because it's amazing to see the bands behind the records in action. Or any live film of a band.
240252
You mean the one with Russ Columbo singing in a trio? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iamSYSpVmwE Yes, it's really a sweet and sophisticated clip and the tempo is a little faster, indeed. And what a fun to see whole Arnheim's band play in a live recording!
Jourwalis -
Marvellous!
240252
I love this tune too. One more good old Walter Donaldson!