According to the Heads We're Dancing Songfacts, The subject matter of this … Read Full Bio ↴According to the Heads We're Dancing Songfacts, The subject matter of this song is a night out with Hitler. Bush was inspired by an experience of a friend of her who went to a dinner and spent the whole evening chatting to a really charming guy, who turned out to be Oppenheimer, the man who invented the atomic bomb.

Heads We're Dancing
Kate Bush Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You talked me into the game of chance
It was thirty-nine before the music started
When you walked up to me and you said
Hey, heads we dance
Well I didn't know who were
Until I saw the morning paper

There was a picture of you

A picture of you 'cross the front page
It looked just like you, just like you in every way
But it couldn't be true
It couldn't be true
You stepped out of a stranger

They say that the Devil is a charming man
And just like you I bet he can dance
And he is coming up behind in his long
Tailed black coat dance
All tails in the air
But the penny landed with its head dancing

A picture of you, a picture of you in uniform
Standing with your head held high
Hot down to the floor
But it couldn't be you
It couldn't be you
It's a picture of Hitler

He go do-do-do-do-do
He go do-do-do-do-do
He go do-do-do-do-do
Do you want to dance?
Well, I couldn't see what was to be
So I just stood there laughing

A picture of you, a picture of you in uniform
Standing with your head held high
Hot down to the floor
But it couldn't be you
It couldn't be you
It's a picture of Hitler

Do-do-do-do-do
He go do-do-do-do-do
He go do-do-do-do-do
Heads we're dancing

Do-do-do-do-do
Do-do-do-do-do
Do-do-do-do-do
Do you wanna dance?

Mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh
Mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh
Mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh
Heads we're dancing

Do-do-do-do-do
He go do-do-do-do-do
He go do-do-do-do-do
Do you wanna dance?

Mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh
Mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh
Mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh
Heads we're dancing

Do-do-do-do-do
Do you wanna dance?

Mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh
Heads we're dancing

Do-do-do-do-do
Do you wanna dance?

Overall Meaning

The song "Heads We're Dancing" by Kate Bush tells the story of a woman who meets a man at a party and dances with him. However, the woman soon learns that the man is actually Adolf Hitler. The song explores the concept of how easy it is for someone to deceive others, and how easily people can be drawn into something without realizing that it is wrong.

The opening lines of the song "You talked me into the game of chance, it was thirty-nine before the music started, when you walked up to me and you said, hey, heads we dance" suggest that the singer is being tricked into something by the man, who is later revealed to be Hitler. The woman's naivety is further emphasized in the line "Well I didn't know who were, until I saw the morning paper". The woman realizes only after seeing Hitler's picture in the morning paper that the man she danced with was actually the infamous dictator.

The chorus of the song "Heads we're dancing" is repeated throughout the song and suggests that the woman is conflicted about dancing with Hitler, but is also unable to resist his charm. The repeated line "Do you wanna dance?" is an invitation to participate in something dangerous and immoral, yet also irresistible.

Line by Line Meaning

You talked me into the game of chance
You convinced me to take a risk

It was thirty-nine before the music started
We were both in late thirties when the music started

When you walked up to me and you said
When you approached me and spoke to me

Hey, heads we dance
You suggested that we dance and take a chance

Well I didn't know who were
I didn't know who you were

Until I saw the morning paper
Until I read the newspaper the next morning

There was a picture of you
There was a photograph of you

A picture of you 'cross the front page
Your photograph was on the front page

It looked just like you, just like you in every way
The person in the picture looked exactly like you

But it couldn't be true
It seemed impossible

You stepped out of a stranger
You seemed like a stranger to me after seeing the newspaper

They say that the Devil is a charming man
People believe that the Devil is an attractive person

And just like you I bet he can dance
I assume that the Devil is a good dancer like you

And he is coming up behind in his long
The Devil is approaching from behind

Tailed black coat dance
He is wearing a black coat with a long tail

All tails in the air
The tails of his coat are in the air as he dances

But the penny landed with its head dancing
The coin landed on heads, which means we should dance as per our previous agreement

A picture of you in uniform
A photograph of you dressed in military uniform

Standing with your head held high
You are standing proudly with your head held high in the photograph

Hot down to the floor
You look attractive in the photograph

But it couldn't be you
It seemed impossible that the photograph was of you

It's a picture of Hitler
The photograph is of Adolf Hitler

He go do-do-do-do-do
Background sounds that do not convey a clear meaning

Do you want to dance?
An invitation to dance

Well, I couldn't see what was to be
I could not foresee what would happen next

So I just stood there laughing
Only thing I could do was laugh in confusion

Do-do-do-do-do
Background sounds that do not convey a clear meaning

Heads we're dancing
We are dancing because the coin landed on heads earlier

Do you wanna dance?
An invitation to dance