One hails from St. Louis, has a band, and has been quietly and steadily building a fervent following across the country, stepping outside his role as one of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefers to front his own band, The Peter Mayer Group. Melding a unique and eclectic writing style, a distinctive voice, and virtuoso musicianship, Peter and his band create compelling and accessible music that is electrifying in live performance.
The other is a folk singer and hails from Stillwater, MN. This Peter writes songs for a small planet—songs about interconnectedness and the human journey; about the beauty and the mystery of the world. Whimsical, humorous, and profound, his music breaks the boundaries of "folk" and transcends to a realm beyond the everyday love song, to a place of wonder at the very heart of life itself.
This second Peter began playing the guitar and writing songs when he was in high school. He studied theology and music in college and then spent two years in seminary. After deciding that the priesthood wasn't for him, he took a part-time job as a church music director for eight years, while performing at clubs and colleges and writing and recording his music. In 1995, he quit his job and started touring full-time. Since then, Peter has gradually gained a dedicated, word-of-mouth following, selling out shows from Minnesota to Texas, New England to California. He has eight CDs to his credit, and has sold over 50,000 of them independently.
Shall We Dance
Peter Mayer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chasin' July away
Under the bare tree tops
School yard children play
If winter chill takes my desire
Won't you come on in and light the fire for me
Violins will play
Dance to the beat of our hearts
Shall we dance
No one's gonna tear us apart no no no
Boy and his girl they moved into the room next door
And every night I hear
Every little crack on the floor
I'm getting tired of being wooed
By the box that glows in the living room
Hey hey
Cowboys ride away
Shall we dance
Dance to the beat of our hearts
Shall we dance
No one's gonna tear us apart
Shall we dance
Every little move is a dance
So tired of talking about it
So tired of being without it
Put your hand over my heart
A little music
Play a little music
September winds will blow
Chasing my time away
But I won't spend my time
Waitin' for a morning in May
Cause what I feel when I take your hand
Is something I will never understand
Violins will play
Shall we dance
Dance to the beat of our hearts
Shall we dance
No one's gonna tear us apart
Shall we dance
Every little move is a dance
The opening lines of the song, "September winds will blow, chasin' July away, under the bare tree tops, school yard children play" signify a transition from summer to fall, where children return to school and the leaves on the trees begin to fall. The following lines, "If winter chill takes my desire, won't you come on in and light the fire for me, violins will play" suggest a sense of longing, where the singer is seeking comfort from the cold and music to warm their soul.
As the song progresses, it takes a romantic turn as the singer hears the sounds of a boy and girl moving into the room next door. The lines "I'm getting tired of being wooed by the box that glows in the living room, cowboys ride away" suggest a desire for human connection and meaningful experiences, rather than being consumed by technology and entertainment.
The chorus, "Shall we dance, dance to the beat of our hearts, shall we dance, no one's gonna tear us apart, every little move is a dance" is an invitation to connect, move and sway to the rhythm of their hearts without worrying about outside forces tearing them apart. The song concludes with the singer embracing the present moment and finding happiness and solace in being with their loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
September winds will blow
It's autumn and the winds are blowing hard.
Chasin' July away
Summer is officially over, and the autumn has arrived.
Under the bare tree tops
The leaves have fallen, and the trees are empty.
School yard children play
Children never stop playing, despite the season.
If winter chill takes my desire
If the cold weather makes me unenthusiastic,
Won't you come on in and light the fire for me
Could you come to my place and light the fire?
Violins will play
The instruments will start playing as the night sets in.
Shall we dance
Would you like to dance?
Dance to the beat of our hearts
Let's dance to the rhythm of our hearts.
No one's gonna tear us apart no no no
No one will be permitted to disrupt our dance.
Boy and his girl they moved into the room next door
The couple has shifted next door.
And every night I hear
Every night, I can hear their movements.
Every little crack on the floor
I can hear every small sound they make.
I'm getting tired of being wooed
I'm exhausted with the persuasion attempts.
By the box that glows in the living room
I'm weary of the electronic device in the living room.
Hey hey
Hey hey!
Cowboys ride away
The cowboys leave for their destination.
Shall we dance
Do you want to dance?
Every little move is a dance
The dance is in every action we do.
So tired of talking about it
I'm tired of discussing it.
So tired of being without it
I'm tired of lacking it.
Put your hand over my heart
Place your hand over my heart.
A little music
We need some soothing music.
Play a little music
Please play some music.
September winds will blow
The autumn wind will keep on blowing.
Chasing my time away
It feels like my time is running away with the wind.
But I won't spend my time
I won't waste my time.
Waitin' for a morning in May
Waiting for a beautiful morning in May isn't the solution.
Cause what I feel when I take your hand
Your touch makes me feel deep emotions.
Is something I will never understand
It's a feeling that is hard to comprehend or put into words.
Shall we dance
Can we dance?
Dance to the beat of our hearts
Let's dance to our heartbeats.
No one's gonna tear us apart
Nobody will have the power to end our dance.
Every little move is a dance
All of our movements are intertwined with the rhythm of our dance.
Contributed by Carter I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Edelkamp
How can you not just watch this over and over again? It’s so Beautiful!
Russault Gaming
awesome tune... Hello Pete ... I was there watching FTMO at Lucious Boomers on Lacledes Landing
Pam R
♥