Grown up
She just turned 16
Stuck in the moment
Dead at the scene
And it's on tonight
This is the life that you wanted, right?
So turn off all the lights
Dressed up just like a movie star
At all the parties they'll know who you are
Wouldn't it be great, to be fashionably late?
So why don't you wait, till you're sedated

Don't it feel like something's not right in his kiss tonight?

Yeah what I'm saying is do you, do you want to lose it all?
Cause this is more than just a dance hall drug
You can't wait to fall in love
All I'm saying is do you, do you want to learn to fly?
Then you should pack it up and say goodbye
Cause when the push comes to the shove
It's just a dance hall drug

Step in and you can lock the door
The candles are lit and the clothes on the floor
You could take a chance on finding romance
Now you're holding hands
But he's got other plans
Tick-tock, the clock is turning red
The room won't stop spinning and thoughts in your head
And it's too late
You feel like you're making a big mistake
You should've waited

Don't it feel like something's not right in his kiss tonight?

Yeah what I'm saying is do you, do you want to lose it all?
Cause this is more than just a dance hall drug
You can't wait to fall in love
All I'm saying is do you, do you want to learn to fly?
Then you should pack it up and say goodbye
Cause when the push comes to the shove
It's just a dance hall drug

Just wait love
Show 'em what you're made of

Don't it feel like something's not right in his kiss tonight?

Do you, do you want to lose it all?
Cause this is more than just a dance hall drug
You can't wait to fall in love
All I'm saying is do you, do you want to learn to fly?
Then you should pack it up and say goodbye
Cause when the push comes to the shove
It's just a dance hall drug
Do you, do you want to lose it all?
Cause this is more than just a dance hall drug
You can't wait to fall in love
All I'm saying is do you, do you want to learn to fly?
Then you should pack it up and say goodbye
Cause when the push comes to the shove
It's just a dance hall drug



Lyrics submitted by FakeItThroughTheDay

Track duration: 03:30

"Dance Hall Drug" as written by Martin Johnson

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Dance Hall Drug song meanings
Add your thoughts

72 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I don't take the word 'drug' literally here. I think his song is more along the lines of a one night stand with a girl that's clearly too young for him. Then again, I'm probably wrong...
    Flagged EmilySophieRoseon February 06, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning: Martin Johnson said "So many kids are growing up too fast. 13 year olds are giving each other hand jobs in the back of the bus, 14 year olds are already drinking and partying, and kids spend more time worried about growing up and being cool than they do actually growing up and being a kid. This song is basically a lyrical preaching to a 16 year old girl who is stuck wishing she was older, tempted by older guys, sex, grown up situations and drugs. The 'Dance Hall Drug' metaphor is like what ecstasy does to your brain. It gives you a false sense of happiness and reality. In her case, her false sense of happiness is an older, tempting guy, who she doesn't have to give her body up to be happy."

    songfacts.com/…
    euphoniaonline.net: :)
    Flag flyingwithwingson February 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Its about how teenagers are trying to grow up too fast. The girl in the song is regretting her decision because she isnt in love. She's young and infatuated and trying to grow up faster ("grown up- just turned 16')
    Flag Corey5268on November 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's about a girl who is giving up her virginity at prom to a guy she hardly knows. Simple as that.
    Flag jematt13on October 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i belive this song is about a young girl who wants to find love when its lust all the guy is after is sex and shes after love she belives that shes grown up beacuse of what she wears and the parties shes goes to. she doesnt notice when her boyfriend or what ever isnt kissing her as he normally does beacuse he just wants to hit it and quit it... i love boys like girls and all theyre songggsss
    Flag EmoLover123on October 14, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I believe the lyrics tell the story of a teenage girl who does everything to fit in and be popular. That’s all she wants to be at the time, she’s just turned 16 and wants to get out and have fun. How she looks, how she dresses it’s all to make a good impression. So she goes to the parties but arrives late to make a scene because she wants the attention. So she hits it off with some guy and they end up in a room alone together and she wants to believe they have something special between them that will continue on after that night but it seems he’s got other ideas. He just wants her for the night to have some fun. She wanted to be popular and get all the attention but now she’s unsure of whether what she’s doing is right. But then she’s put herself in this bad position and they end up doing it anyway and then she knows she’s made a mistake and should’ve waited for the right guy to come along. Then she should have done it with someone special instead of wasting it just to gain social standing.

    (‘You can’t wait to fall in love’): There it’s saying to her “You’re rushing into things too soon, you should wait until you find someone special, when you know that its love because then it will feel right”.

    (‘All I’m saying is do you, do you want to learn to fly? / Then you should pack it up and say goodbye’: Then it’s saying “Do you want to know how it feels to be in love and have that experience but it feeling right? Then don’t waste your time here, this isn’t what you want.”

    Really good song, about the struggle of what a lot of teenage girls seem to be facing in today’s society. It’s a real eye opener and should make you think about your actions [=
    Flag handsareturningon September 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:My good friend simply loves Boys Like Girls, so I hope my memory does some justice as to what she told me when it comes to the meaning behind this song.

    It's about the singer, Martin, and how he grew up too fast, and lost his virginity when he was 14 on a choir trip to Disneyland.

    The "girl" in this, though, seems to want nothing more than to grow up and get it over with. I believe the "dance hall drug" is just the high of the excitement of the moment, and how she gets so caught up in the adrenaline rush she forgets to think about what she's really doing. Once it begins to happen, though, she realizes what's going on and wants out, but it's too late.

    <3
    Flag Tealzon August 04, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Dance Hall Drug = ecstacy. She's either using it to feel older, or the attention is giving her the feeling of euphoria. She's setting herself up to get hurt, used, and abused but she doesn't see it yet b/c she just wants to feel cool. The guy in the song is planning to have sex w/ her, and she thinks she wants to be older, but she doesn't know what she's getting herself into. She thinks having sex = love and romance, but she realizes she made a mistake and it was too late.
    Flag xxlovelyxxon August 01, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song:P Totally a dance song :P
    I love the beat :D
    Deffinetly an awesome song!!
    Flag foblover102on June 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Hmm... all the points here are pretty much accurate. Mostly the ones about how teens are forced to grow up too quickly by doing mature things. The band specifically said in an interview regarding this particular song that it is about the partying/drinking/sex scene in the teenage world. I don't want to be redundant, so, that's all.

    One line that I think is really important that no one has really described in-depth yet is:

    "Wouldn't it be great, to be fashionably late? So why don't you wait?"

    It refers to waiting until you actually fall in love with someone to have sex with them, or whatever other things one might do in a physical relationship. Basically, the phrase "fashionably late" means that the 16 year old girl should ignore the fact that the other girls around her age are doing it, and that she should wait until SHE'S ready, and not simply because everyone else is doing it. Because, really, she is going to regret doing it with someone she doesn't love. By waiting, she is "fashionably" avoiding the regret of all the other girls making these wrong decisions.

    I don't know, I think it was an important message and I felt the need to mention it.

    That's all... amazing song, by the way!! :)
    Flag sitbackrelaxrelapseon April 21, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain