The song appears to be about a man named Dan who is shy and reserved, but has a secret passion for dancing. The first verse describes Dan as someone who is stretched thin by the responsibilities of everyday life and holds onto them with one hand while smiling and letting the other hand go. Despite this, Dan likes a girl and enjoys spending time with her.
In the second verse, Dan says goodnight to the girl and waves his hand before returning it back to its "cliff," implying that he is retreating back to his solitary existence. The pre-chorus suggests that Dan likes the girl more than life itself, but he struggles with expressing his feelings.
The chorus reveals Dan's secret passion for dancing, which he has only ever done in the privacy of his own room. He is fearful of being seen dancing and will even stop when he hears someone approaching. However, when he dances with the girl, he finally feels comfortable enough to let go of his inhibitions, even though she doesn't realize the significance of the moment.
The bridge indicates that Dan has finally revealed his "bedroom dancer" to the girl he likes and has let her in on his secret world. The outro suggests that Dan would never have admitted that it was his first time dancing with her.
Dan the Dancer
Mitski Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From leading day to day
Hanging onto a cliff
That stretched him everyday
And when she'd ask to hold hands
He would smile and
Let one of his hands go
His whole life in one hand
And when he'd say goodnight and
Leave her doorstep
He'd use his last strength
To wave back
And once back in his room
Once back in his room
He'd return his waving hand
Back to its cliff
He liked her more than life itself
I'm sure
'Cause Dan had never danced outside of his room
When no one was home and he would start to hear the door
So when he moved with you
And felt his body let go
Of course you couldn't know
It was you and you alone
That he had shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
And he would never tell you that it was his first time
The song "Dan the Dancer" by Mitski is a poetic and emotional depiction of a man named Dan who struggles with isolation, insecurity, and fear of intimacy. The singer describes Dan as having "very long limbs" from leading a day-to-day life that stretches him thin. He seems to be teetering on a cliff, trying to maintain balance but always on the verge of falling off. When his lover asks to hold hands, he lets one hand go, symbolizing his fear of fully committing to someone else. His whole life is in his other hand, suggesting that he is too fragile to risk losing everything.
Dan's deep feelings for his lover are evident when he waves goodbye to her with all his strength even though he's exhausted. When he's alone in his room, he returns his waving hand back to its "cliff," indicating that he's retreating back into his shell. Dan had never danced outside of his room before he met his lover, but once he is with her and feels his body let go, he shows her his "bedroom dancer." This is a deeply personal and vulnerable moment for him, which he shares with only her, and he never tells her that it was his first time.
The song "Dan the Dancer" highlights the depth of complexity that can exist in relationships, especially when one partner is struggling with personal issues. Mitski's poignant and insightful lyrics capture both the isolation and vulnerability of individuals like Dan and the transformative power of romantic connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Dan had very long limbs
Dan was a tall person with long arms and legs
From leading day to day
He had a routine life with nothing exciting happening each day
Hanging onto a cliff
He felt like he was on the edge of something, like a cliff, and was trying to hold on
That stretched him everyday
His routine life was tiring and felt like it was stretching him thin
And when she'd ask to hold hands
When his partner wanted to hold hands with him
He would smile and
Let one of his hands go
Dan would smile and let go of one of his hands, perhaps because he didn't want to share too much intimacy
His whole life in one hand
He felt like his entire life's obligations were in that one hand that he was holding onto
And when he'd say goodnight and
Leave her doorstep
When he would say goodbye to his partner at night and leave her place
He'd use his last strength
To wave back
Dan would wave back to show his politeness, even if he was exhausted after his tiring day
And once back in his room
Once back in his room
He'd return his waving hand
Back to its cliff
When he would get back to his room, he would let his hand fall back down, feeling like he was back to his exhausting routine
He liked her more than life itself
I'm sure
He really cared for his partner and valued the moments he had with her
'Cause Dan had never danced outside of his room
Dan was not comfortable with dancing in public, he only danced when he was alone in his room
When no one was home and he would start to hear the door
He would only dance when he was sure that no one was home, but would stop instantly if he heard a knock on the door
So when he moved with you
And felt his body let go
Of course you couldn't know
When he danced with his partner, he was more comfortable with himself and his partner made him feel that way
It was you and you alone
That he had shown his bedroom dancer to
Dan only felt comfortable showing his partner his dancing skills, something he never showed anyone else
And he would never tell you that it was his first time
He would never admit that it was his first time dancing with a partner, even though he was enjoying it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mitsuki Laycock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GOTEWORK
Lyrics
Dan had very long limbs
From leading day to day
Hanging onto a cliff
That stretched him everyday
And when she'd ask to hold hands
He would smile and
Let one of his hands go
His whole life in one hand
His whole life
And when he'd say goodnight and
Leave her doorstep
He'd use his last strength
To wave back
And once back in his room
Once back in his room
He'd return his waving hand
Back to its cliff
He liked her more than life itself
I'm sure
'Cause Dan had never danced outside of his room
When no one was home and he would start to hear the door
So when he moved with you
And felt his body let go
Of course you couldn't know
It was you and you alone
That he had shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
And he would never tell you that it was his first time
@Koweitz
" He liked her more than life itself I'm sure " AUUUGHHH MITSKIIIIIII
@GOTEWORK
Lyrics
Dan had very long limbs
From leading day to day
Hanging onto a cliff
That stretched him everyday
And when she'd ask to hold hands
He would smile and
Let one of his hands go
His whole life in one hand
His whole life
And when he'd say goodnight and
Leave her doorstep
He'd use his last strength
To wave back
And once back in his room
Once back in his room
He'd return his waving hand
Back to its cliff
He liked her more than life itself
I'm sure
'Cause Dan had never danced outside of his room
When no one was home and he would start to hear the door
So when he moved with you
And felt his body let go
Of course you couldn't know
It was you and you alone
That he had shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
Shown his bedroom dancer to
And he would never tell you that it was his first time
@goopernation
“his whole life in one hand his whole life” OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOD
@someperson298
this song is literally the definition of underrated its actually so good
@sun_the_silly
fr
@j4zzycat._7
REALLL
@lynnzelay
IKR ??
@chaoticangelic
AGREED
@M4rMar199
Most underrated Puberty 2 Song i love it so muchh 🗣️😭❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
@Miriam-ft4ph
Yayyyy maaannn it was a lil bit of that REDDDD STUFF BABBBBYYYYY❤❤❤❤❤🎉❤🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤🎉🎉❤🎉❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤😂❤🎉🎉😂❤😂❤😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉😂🎉😂😂😂🎉😂❤❤😂😂😂🎉😂😂❤❤😂❤😂❤🎉🎉😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂❤❤❤❤😂😂❤😂❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉🎉🎉🎉😂🎉😂❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉😂❤🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉😂🎉😂😂🎉😂😂😂😂🎉😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂❤😂❤😂❤😂❤😂❤😂😂😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂😂😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉😂🎉😂😂🎉😂😂🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉😂😂🎉🎉😂🎉🎉😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂🎉😂😂🎉❤❤🎉❤😂❤😂❤😂❤😂❤😂😂🎉😂😂❤😂🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉😂❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂❤😂❤😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉❤❤😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂❤😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤😂🎉😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂❤😂❤😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉😂🎉🎉🎉🎉😂🎉😂🎉😂😂😂🎉😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂🎉😂😂❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂❤❤😂😂🎉😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂❤😂❤😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂🎉😂🎉😂❤❤❤❤❤😂😂❤😂😂❤❤😂😂❤❤😂😂❤😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂🎉🎉😂🎉🎉😂😂😂❤❤😂❤❤❤😂❤❤😂😂😂❤❤😂😂❤❤😂😂🎉😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤😂😂❤😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉😂❤❤🎉😂🎉🎉❤❤😂😂🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂🎉🎉😂😂❤❤😂😂❤😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤😂😂🎉😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂🎉😂😂😂🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂🎉😂🎉😂😂🎉😂🎉😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉😂🎉😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉❤❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🦚