He's a WHAT? he's a WHAT?
He's a newspaper man
And he gets his best ideas
From a newspaper stand;
From his boots to his pants
To his comments and his rants
He knows that any little article will do!

Though he expresses some confusion
Bout his part in the plan,
And he can't understand
That he's not in command;
The decisions underwritten
By the cash in his hand
Bought a sweater for
His weimariner too

Now I'm no mad man,
But that's insanity
Feast before famine,
And more before family
Goes and shows up with
More bowls and more
Cups and the riot for the
Last hot meal erupts
Corrupts his hard drive
Through the leanest months
Shells out the hard cash
For the sickest stunts;
On aftershave, on gasoline
He flips the page and turns
The scene

In my mind I'm drowning butterflies
Broken dreams and alibis;
That's fine.
I've seen my palette blown
To monochrome-
Hollow heart
Clicks hollowtone,
It's time.

Eye on authority,
Thumb prints a forgery
Boy, ain't it crazy what the
Lights can do
For counterfeit community;
Every opportunity
Wasted as the space
Between the flash tattoo

And the half-hearted hologram,
Posed for the party
Now he gloss full bleed
On a deaf dumb tree
Cod liver dollar signs,
Credit card autograph
Down for the record
But not for freedom

Angry young mannequin
American, apparently
Still to the rhythm
Better get to the back of me
Can't stand the vision,
Better tongue the anatomy
Gold plated overhead,
Blank transparency
In the days of old,
You were a nut
Now you need three bumps
Before you cut
Not that I should care about,
Nothing I ain't scared of, but
I guess you had
To
Be
There.

In my mind I'm breeding butterflies,
Broken dreams, and alibis
That's fine.
I've seen my palette
Blown to monochrome
Hollow heart
Clicks hollowtone
In time.

I see you figured in your action pose
Foam-injected axl rose,
Life size
Should something shake you
And you drop the news,
Lord, just keep your dancing shoes
Off mine


Lyrics submitted by peopledontdance

Dancing Choose Lyrics as written by David Andrew Sitek Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Dancing Choose song meanings
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25 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I agree it seems like social commentary.

    The guy he's talking about gets all his ideas from the newsmedia, reciting their positions but not realizing that he's not ultimately in control of anything. He also spends frivolously through hard economic times like there's no tomorrow until... "more bowls and more cups and the riot for the last hot meal erupts."

    ("Now I'm no mad man, but that's insanity," indeed.)

    The refrain seems like a reflection on the letdowns of his life. "Drowning butterflies," beautiful things (hopes and dreams) destroyed. Palette turns to monochrome, bright future looking bleak.

    The second verse seems to elaborate how this guy is just a shill for the powers that be. "And the half-hearted hologram, posed for the party..." He's got his eye on authority and he's not down for freedom. He's an "angry young mannequin" and a "foam-injected Axl Rose" a propped-up, empty figure of feigned outrage, but in reality just a shill.

    (Sarcastically, he's also "American apparently" when his actions aren't the least bit American in principle)

    muteoffon October 05, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this is such a killer song.

    peopledontdanceon September 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it sums up most of the worlds thinking nowadays and about 99% of Americas thinking. I love the line "bought a sweater for his weimariner too" Like he could not have found something better to do with money like help the world..... But at the end of the day after our stock market drops 777 points just keep your dancing shoes off mine. HA This song is rad. I am think I am going to go buy a new Range Rover and put some 26" on it tomorrow!!! WAKE UP!!!!!

    radioheadfanon September 30, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I actually interpret the lyric "angry young mannequin American Apparently" to be a bit of a criticism of those who wear American Apparel, consumerism in general. I think Tunde has a very dark, sarcastic brand of humor and it shows in lyrics like this and from Dry Drunk Emperor. Good stuff.

    CoySmileExposeson October 06, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Really? How do you know? I came on because I thought I had the revelation it is about Bush.

    "from his boots to his pants to his comments and his rants" about him being from Texas and his scare tactics.

    "and he can't understand that he's not in command; the decisions underwritten" well, no one would really let him be truly in command.

    The whole next part about trying to make and keep America the richest country and not helping poor third world countries.

    Etc. There are definitely problems I haven't worked out with this interp, and I don't feel like continuing on, but I think if you listen with this in mind you get a really interesting viewpoint on it.

    HilbertThm90on October 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Did anyone notice that Dancing Choose's acronym is D.C.? Wouldn't this somehow support the idea that TVOTR is pertaining to the current government regime and the American public in the littlest sense based on the title alone? I mean, dancing choose could also mean that whomever America elects to run the government is pointless, since results wouldn't matter if society is still oblivious to the problem at hand and would rather "dance" their nights away.

    vismund_cygnuson November 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Tunde's style of singing starting with "Eye on authority" reminds me of Billy Joel in "We didn't start the fire"

    Listening to TVOTR is like going to a playground that never runs out of fun rides

    TokenManon November 06, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The part before the first chorus reminds me of "Rock Island" - the opening song from "The Music Man" musical.

    rjdon January 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    What a great song - very dense with metaphors and allusions to pop culture, modern life, etc.

    Some thoughts:

    I don't necessarily agree that the speaker is Bush 43 or any other specific politician, I get much more of a materialistic I-banker vibe, though the first lines identify him as a newspaper man, so he could be a writer just as much - many double meanings here. I love the reference in the third verse about "Mad Men," the drama about Madison Ave. ad agencies, the men who sowed the seeds of the consumer culture in the 1960s by shilling everything from Frosted Flakes to Lucky Strikes to children. This ties right in to the consumer culture criticism of the first few verses. I believe the speaker lives in the material world of his magazine ads, and can "turn the scene" of his fantasy life as easily as flipping the page to the next full-page full-color ad.

    The self-focus of the main subject hurts the singer/writer/narrator, who rails against his credit-fueled spending and ignorance of the larger world and indifference to his family and even his country. The speaker even predicts the dark road for our poor subject - missing life (losing the rhythm, can't stand the vision) turning to drugs (three "bumps" of coke), ending up lifeless and "foam-injected." A sad end, for sure.

    I don't understand the verse ending in the "flash tattoo," though it may be a paparazzi reference.

    Again, what a well-written tune!

    RDaneelon January 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    A flash tattoo is a tattoo that someone chose from the wall of the tattoo shop, instead of doing research or creating a custom design. Generally it's something generic like a star, butterfly, "chinese proverb" or whatever. People who are serious about tattoos tend to look down on flash because it is seen as shallow and without individuality.

    I heart TVotR, and I think this song is a really fun takedown of yuppies and conformists that is also kind of ironic and doesn't take itself seriously. I think the "keep your dancing shoes off mine" lyric shows that in the end they're on the same dance floor, participating in the same system, even if some of us are more aware of it than others.

    asimaiyaton February 10, 2009   Link

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