Let's Face the Music and Dance
Nelson Riddle Lyrics


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There may be trouble ahead,
But while there's music and moonlight,
And love and romance,
Let's face the music and dance.
Before the fiddlers have fled,
Before they ask us to pay the bill,
And while we still have that chance,
Let's face the music and dance.
Soon, we'll be without the moon,
Humming a different tune, and then,
There may be teardrops to shed,
So while there's music and moonlight,




And love and romance,
Let's face the music and dance.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Nelson Riddle's song Let's Face the Music and Dance are a call to live in the present moment, to let go of any apprehension about the future, and to embrace life's joys while they last. The opening lines acknowledge that there may be trouble ahead, but suggest that we should not let that stop us from enjoying ourselves while we can. The mention of music, moonlight, love, and romance create a sense of romance and nostalgia. The song urges us to take advantage of these moments while they last. Before the "fiddlers have fled" and "before they ask us to pay the bill," let's face the music and dance. The line "Before they ask us to pay the bill" implies that eventually, reality will catch up with us, and we will have to face the consequences of our actions.


The second verse suggests that everything is temporary and will eventually pass, as indicated by the line "Soon, we'll be without the moon." The verse suggests that life can be unpredictable, and we never know what the future holds. "Humming a different tune" implies that things can change unexpectedly, and we may have to adjust to new circumstances. The final lines of the song reinforce the idea that we should enjoy these moments of beauty and joy while we can, as they may not last forever. "There may be teardrops to shed," but for now, let's revel in the music and romance and face the music and dance.


Line by Line Meaning

There may be trouble ahead,
We might encounter problems in the future.


But while there's music and moonlight,
However, if there is still joy and happiness present in our lives, represented by the music and moonlight, we should not let those potential problems affect us.


And love and romance,
Especially if we have love and romance in our lives, we should cherish those moments.


Let's face the music and dance.
We should confront the reality of our situation and enjoy the time we have while we still can.


Before the fiddlers have fled,
We should make the most of what we have before we lose it, like how musicians may stop playing their instruments and leave.


Before they ask us to pay the bill,
Before we're forced to deal with the consequences of our actions or the situations we're in.


And while we still have that chance,
While we still have the opportunity to enjoy ourselves and not worry about the future.


Soon, we'll be without the moon,
Eventually, the joy and happiness that we're experiencing will be gone, just like how the moon disappears every day.


Humming a different tune, and then,
We'll be forced to deal with a different kind of reality and experience different emotions.


There may be teardrops to shed,
There might be sadness and disappointment in the future.


So while there's music and moonlight,
But for now, while we still have joy and happiness, we should enjoy ourselves.


And love and romance,
Especially if we have someone to love, we should cherish those moments even more.


Let's face the music and dance.
We should confront the reality of our situation and enjoy the time we have while we still can.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Irving Berlin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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