The Dance

Album: Garth Brooks (1989)
Charted: 36
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  • (Thank you)
    (This is uh, this is a song that, uh, when he asked)
    (Before uh, things kinda got a little of hand here, uh)
    (He asked what my favorite song was of the stuff we do)
    (And uh, this is hands down my very, very favorite song)
    (Uh, I wonder if it will be for all of my life)
    (As it is, I mean if it is, I think I'm 'onna be okay with it)
    (It's called the dance)

    Looking back
    On the memory of
    The dance we shared
    'Neath the stars above
    And for a moment
    All the world was right
    But how could I have known
    That you'd ever say goodbye

    And now
    I'm glad I didn't know
    The way it all would end
    The way it all would go
    Our lives
    Are better left to chance
    I could have missed the pain
    But I'd have had to miss
    The dance

    Holding you
    I held everything
    For a moment
    Wasn't I a king
    But if I'd only known
    How the king would fall
    Hey, who's to say
    You know I might have changed it all

    And now
    I'm glad I didn't know
    The way it all would end
    The way it all would go
    Our lives
    Are better left to chance
    I could have missed the pain
    But I'd have had to miss
    The dance

    Yes, my life
    It's better left to chance
    I could have missed the pain
    But I'd have had to miss
    The dance

    (To everybody that's here tonight)
    (Either on the radio or right here in person tonight)
    (Um, I don't know if you've ever experienced this)
    (But going somewhere far, far away from your home)
    (And still feeling at home is quite a thing to experience)
    (Thank you very much for it)
    (God bless you guys, have a good night)

    (If we can, uh, and you guys don't mind)
    (Let's uh, let's have a big, uh, hand for the band)
    (Let's get them back up here)

    (I tell you what, we can, uh)
    (We'd be happy to, uh, like do some request and stuff)
    (If we can't play, we'll just tell you, no)
    (Uh, I mean that's, I mean that's all we can do But)
    (If anybody has anything things, you said, uh, The River)
    (We'd be happy to try The River)
    (And uh, some things also, that, that take a lot of fiddle)
    (You gotta know that, uh, Jimmy, uh, hasn't played with us that long)
    (So, um, We're kinda carrying him right now)
    (But uh, but he, uh, he'll find his way)
    (So we're, we're gonna try this, this is uh)
    (She asked for The River down here, so we're gonna go ahead and try that)
    (My pleasure) Writer/s: Tony Arata
    Publisher: Ambavi, BMG Rights Management, C&C Digital Services OÜ (UniteSync), CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, TuneCore Inc.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 25

  • Edie Flint from Gulfport, FlBack on March 20th, 1994, my husband and I had a very special wedding our song was The Dance. My husband passed away on June 8th, 2023 and today June 22nd I remembered this morning that our song was The Dance needless to say I immediately went to the website Garth Brooks Lyrics to The Dance I sang the song with you and had a good cry. Thank you, Garth, for those BEAUTIFUL words & song.
  • Larry Ward from Cumming, GaWhat a perfect song to have when you are suffering the loss of a Truly, Deeply Loved Person. I was soooo deeply in love with my wife of almost four years. I was truly totally infatuated with Every Day with Her. Then a horrific car wreck took her instantly! My world was crushed along with my heart. But, I gave her eulogy with a power of delivery only capable with God’s help AND knowing that every second of our DANCE was filled with endless efforts to show our Love for Each Other!! What a comfortable feeling, even in saying The Last Goodbye. Four months later, I had to do the same for my Only Son! Then 45 days later for The Greatest Mom four kids could ever have! The Dance Thank You, Garth!
  • Okebiro Nyakundi from KenyaGot a huge playlist that mainly contained rock songs which had about seven songs from Brian Adams' here I'm album, but what struck me most was THE DANCE Garth Brooks delivered the sad sickening sad feeling and I love it whenever I wish to be alone and thoughtful
  • Lynda from Moses Lake WaI saw a video of Garth Brooks singing The Dance and a ballerina was dancing to the song. I never found it. Can you?
  • Susan from Hartland, VtListening to this YouTube, it does not sound like the Garth Brooks versi0n to me. I just heard this song on the radio and the voice was totally different. Maybe this is a live version and the other is more polished.
  • Bob from Kingwood, TxThis was the class song for the class of 1991 at Boling High School in Boling, Texas. Rest in peace, Krysti.
  • Jojo from Baton Rouge, LaI hate this song and any other one by Barff BBrooks, he really sucks, thanks for taking country music down to where it is today. he's an arrogant A@@h@le
  • Michael Scott from Punta Gorda, FlOutside of Athens, Ga. at the end of the summer of 2005, my closest cousin was rembered by a thousand guests that jammed a church. With my uncle Leon we were lucky to find 2 empty seats upstairs. This song was beautifully played on piano and sung by a cousin of one of the writers. Steve was the most impressive guy, this was his favorite.
  • Arthur Nalimma from Santiago City, Philippinesi really love the song because it reminds me of my boyfriend,because although i am a gay,he loves me then but he left for his study
  • Cathy from Cheshire, CtMy interpretation of this song is that of a marriage,life in that marriage and a divorce. And that you never know what lies in store for us and our life
  • Dara from Barnesville, OhI loved in the video for the song. It showed all the fallen Celebs that died before their times
  • Zach from Marion, InGarth Brooks is truly a god! He needs to go back on tour. This song is related to the deaths of JFK, Martin Luther King, and a few other celebrity deaths.
  • Kd from Weeki Wachee, FlNever take what you have for granted. I lost my girlfriend 14 years ogo due to the hands of another but I would rather have gone through the pain of her death than never to have known her at all. Great song.
  • Carrie from Ansonia, CtMy sister's fiance, and two of my very good friends were killed in a car accident. When i heard this song, it made me feel so much better, because, if i had never known them, i wouldn't have to feel the pain and miss them so much. But, i would rather have felt that pain, then never to have known them, becasue they touched my life in so many ways.
  • M.j. from Calgary, AbThe dance is actually Garth brooks favorite song to preform and sing. That is why it is always the last song on an album.
  • Caitlin from Brisbane, AustraliaMy grandmother passed away on my 19 brthday and I was really close to her. My family let me choose one song to play at her funeral and i chose this one. When i was younger my grandma used to dance with me to her old records. She may be gone but by choosing my birthday as her day to go, she's telling me to never forget her and always remember the fun times we spent together. Love you granny (12/05/1918 - 26/02/2007)
  • Mixermatt from Bloomington, MnIt's a song that will have you thinking that a risk should have been taken somewhere in life. For life is a dance
  • George from Jo'burg, South AfricaGarth has this way of making you feel what he feels when he performs a song. The first time I heard this song was on the "This is Garth Brooks" video and it made me think of my mom and how things could have been had she not died. This was also the theme song on the commemorative dvd's I sent out to my family on the 10th anniversary of her death and that of my fathers.

    The song itself gives one the idea to think of how the present and the past would have been different should we have not said goodbye to someone.

    On my list of 100 favorite songs... This is no. 1.
  • Alaina from Non Ya, MoI love this song. I chose this song 2 be played @ my dads funeral.
  • Dee from Los Angeles, CaI love music in any form. Country music is not among my first choices. However, among the country songs I love i.e. I Walk the Lline, Ring of Fire, I Will Always Love You, The Dance is my top 5. I listen to The Dance as a source of inspiration when people deeply disappointment me and when the issues surrounding the fizzled long-term romantic relationships get me down. I'm always prompted to stear my energies to self-improvement to become the person I need and seek to spend time showered in their energy.
  • Derek from Bowling Green, KyNot a big country fan, but I love this song. It's inspirational for those who fall on hard times in life. Especially break up's...it goes along with the saying "Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."
  • Cory from Morden, CanadaI always felt that LeAnn Womack's "I Hope You Dance" was an unfair rip-off of this song. Using dancing as a metaphor for living life is the whole basis for this song, and for "I Hope You Dance" to completely rip off that theme has always irked me.

    Garth's "The Dance" is one of the greatest Country songs of all time, though most experts will say that "Low Places" is the best Garth song of all time.
  • Falyn from Okc, OkI LOVE this song. It reminds me not to miss out on life. Take risks. Love life.
  • Cheryl from Richmond, VaThis song reminds me of a night under the stars at the river with a guy who was a friend of mine. I wanted our relationship to be more, but he wasn't ready, b/c he had recently been dumped by his longtime girlfriend. I was hurt, but I understood. I eventually met someone else. My friend & I would never get a chance to see if we could be more than friends again. But we had a wonderful time that night just talking & holding hands for awhile. I'm glad that we at least had that time together.
  • Nicole from Kenosha, WiThis song is amazing, I really love it. It inspires me to do things and take risk and live my life and not worry about what might happen, because you could be missing out on something great, I would rather die young doing something I want then die old missing out on a great life.
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