Don't Forget to Dance
The Kinks Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You look out of your window
Into the night
Could be rain, could be snow
But it can't feel as cold as you're feeling inside

And all of you friends are either married, vanished
Or just left alone
But that's no reason to just stop living
That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Don't forget to smile
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Forget it for a while

'Cause darling, darling
I bet you danced a good one in your time
And if this were a party
I'd really make sure the next one would be mine
Yes, you with the broken heart

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Don't forget to smile
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Forget it for a while

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Forget it for a while

You walk down the street
And all the young punks whistle at you
A nice bit of old
Just goes to show what you can achieve
With the right attitude
As you pass them by
They whisper their remarks one to another
And you give them the eye
Even that you know that you could be their mother
You do the thing you love the most
What separates you from the rest
And what you love to do the most?
And when they ask me how you dance
I say that you dance real close

No, no , no , don't forget to dance
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no




Don't forget to dance
Don't forget to dance

Overall Meaning

The Kinks' song Don't Forget to Dance is a reminder to the singer and the listener that, no matter how lonely or forgotten they feel, life goes on and they should not forget to enjoy it. The lyrics take us through the feeling of loneliness and despair that the singer is feeling. They're staring out the window into the dark and cold night, feeling like they're as cold inside as outside. It's suggested that friends have married, passed away or just lost contact, leaving the singer feeling abandoned. The lyrics suggest that it's no reason to stop living and that there's more to life than lamenting this loss.


The chorus, "Don't forget to dance, no, no, no. Don't forget to smile," emphasises that there is still joy to be experienced and it should be seized. The repetition of the phrase serves as a reminder for both the listener and the singer. There is also a sense of nostalgia in the song, with the singer remembering the singer dancing in their prime. In the final part of the song, the singer is walking down the street, feeling more confident, and the singer describes the glances that they get from young men, suggesting that the singer's age is not a factor. The singer is encouraged to do what they love the most, which is dancing. The song's message is about not giving up on life and to enjoy every moment, even if it's just dancing.


Line by Line Meaning

You look out of your window
You gaze out of your window with a troubled mind.


Into the night
You stare at the darkness outside which reflects your inner turmoil.


Could be rain, could be snow
The weather outside does not matter to you as you are engulfed in your sorrowful thoughts.


But it can't feel as cold as you're feeling inside
The chill of the outside world pales in comparison to the numbness and loneliness you feel on the inside.


And all of your friends are either married, vanished or just left alone
Your companions have all gone on with their lives, leaving you alone and feeling like an outcast.


But that's no reason to just stop living
Being alone is not a valid excuse for giving up on life and all its pleasures.


That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart
You must not allow your sadness and loneliness to define and consume you.


Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
You must remember to embrace joy and happiness through dancing.


Don't forget to smile
You need to make an effort to put on a smiling face despite the pain inside.


Forget it for a while
Let go of your troubles and momentarily forget your worries.


'Cause darling, darling
Hey, sweetheart,


I bet you danced a good one in your time
I'm sure you used to be an excellent dancer back in the day.


And if this were a party
If this were a fun gathering,


I'd really make sure the next one would be mine
I'd love to dance with you at the next party we attend.


Yes, you with the broken heart
You, who have been heartbroken,


You walk down the street
As you stroll along the road,


And all the young punks whistle at you
Even though you aren't as young as the people around you, you still attract attention.


A nice bit of old
You are old, but still have a warm and wonderful vibe.


Just goes to show what you can achieve
Your youthful spirit proves that age is just a number and one can still achieve great things in life.


With the right attitude
All you need is the right mindset.


As you pass them by
As you walk past the young punks who are checking you out,


They whisper their remarks one to another
They make comments among themselves, amused by your presence.


And you give them the eye
You show them that you're not just an old lady and that you still have confidence.


Even that you know that you could be their mother
Even though these young punks are much younger than you, you show them that you can still hold your own.


You do the thing you love the most
You engage in the activity that brings you the most joy.


What separates you from the rest
This is what makes you unique and sets you apart from others.


And what you love to do the most?
What activity do you enjoy the most?


And when they ask me how you dance
When others ask me about your dancing skills,


I say that you dance real close
I tell them that you dance with passion and intensity.


No, no , no , don't forget to dance
Remember to dance with all your heart.


Don't forget to dance
Don't lose sight of the joy and happiness that can be found through dancing.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RAY DAVIES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

myoi g

You look out of your window
Into the night
Could be rain, could be snow
But it can't feel as cold as you're feeling inside
And all of you friends are either married, vanished
Or just left alone
But that's no reason to just stop living
That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Don't forget to smile
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Forget it for a while
'Cause darling, darling
I bet you danced a good one in your time
And if this were a party
I'd really make sure the next one would be mine
Yes, you with the broken heart
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Don't forget to smile
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Forget it for a while
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Forget it for a while
You walk down the street
And all the young punks whistle at you
A nice bit of old
Just goes to show what you can achieve
With the right attitude
As you pass them by
They whisper their remarks one to another
And you give them the eye
Even that you know that you could be their mother
You do the thing you love the most
What separates you from the rest
And what you love to do the most?
And when they ask me how you dance
I say that you dance real close
No, no , no , don't forget to dance
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no
Don't forget to dance
Don't forget to dance



johnny zell

You look out of your window,
Into the night.
Could be rain, could be snow,
But it can't feel as cold as what you're feeling inside.

And all of you friends are either married, vanished,
Or just left alone.
But that's no reason to just stop living.
That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Don't forget to smile.
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Forget it for a while.

'Cause darling, darling,
I bet you danced a good one in your time.
And if this were a party
I'd really make sure the next one would be mine.
Yes, you with the broken heart.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Don't forget to smile.
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Forget it for a while.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Forget it for a while.

You walk down the street
And all the young punks whistle at you.
A nice bit of old,
Just goes to show what you can achieve
With the right attitude.
As you pass them by
They whisper their remarks one to another,
And you give them the eye
Even that you know that you could be their mother.
You do the thing you love the best.
What separates you from the rest,
And what you love to do the most?
And when they ask me how you dance,
I say that you dance real close.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Don't forget to dance.



All comments from YouTube:

dave miller

Come Dancing is a fun song, but this is the best song the kinks ever did. Beautiful in its simplicity, yet its beauty is complex.
Ray Davies is one talented guy.

Tom B

Always thought this was the better of the two.

Keith Essary

Come Dancing is just as sad, just a lively beat, in my opinion

Marc Nelson

Yes indeed. Couldn't say it any better myself

Danielle Chaput

Agreed

cat-star

Such a great song! It has that melancholy dreaminess similar to Roxy Music's "Avalon", which was released around the same time.

switch2kryptonite

Sad how so many radio stations totally forget about songs like this. I loved it when I was a kid.

Jay Boz

switch2kryptonite I just heard this on the radio at 4am. Reminded me I like the Kinks

Nancy Prevost

I forgot also. Have had it running thru my head for two weeks. Heard the male actors acting out the trump/repub mess today and fell in love again. Old enough to be mother. Listen.

catholic200747

This was a very rare song. The radio stations never played it. I only saw it on MTV. This one should've been bigger.

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