The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Walking up to me expecting
Walking up to me
Expecting words
It happens all the time
Present company excepted
Present company
Accept the worst
It happens every night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded every time
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
The best that you can find
Talking like a jerk
Except you are an actual jerk
And living proof
That sometimes friends are mean
Present company expect it
Present company
Just laugh it off
It's better than it seems
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in every way
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Makes me wanna stay
Killing it with close inspection
Killing it can only make it worse
It sort of makes it breathe
Present company accepting
Presently we all expect the worst
It works just like a need
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in the night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Included in the fight
Ah-ah
Ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah
Don't you want for me to wake up?
Then give me just a bit of your time
Arguments are made for make outs
So give it just a little more time
We've got to bring our resources
I wanna play it 'til the time comes
Forget your string of divorces
Just go and throw your little hands up
It's late
Oh
Honey, it's late
Oh
I miss the way the night comes
With friends who always make it feel good
This basement has a cold glow
Though it's better than a bunch of others
So go and dance yourself clean
Go and dance yourself clean, yeah
You're blowing Marxism to pieces
Baby, their arguments to pieces
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
Put your little feet down
I'm hiding out
Every night's a different story
It's a thirty car pile-up with you
Everybody's getting younger
It's the end of an era, it's true
And you go
Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Break me into bigger pieces
So some of me is home with you
But wait until the weekend
And we can make our bad dreams come true
And it's a-go
Yeah, it's a-go
And if we wait until the weekend
We can miss the best things to do
You go and dance yourself clean
Gotta dance yourself clean, yeah
And blow the Marxism to pieces
Their little arguments to pieces
Oh
Wish you'd try a little harder
In the tedious march of the few
Every day's a different warning
There's a part of me hoping it's true
Walking up to me
Expecting words
It happens all the time
Present company excepted
Present company
Accept the worst
It happens every night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded every time
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
The best that you can find
Talking like a jerk
Except you are an actual jerk
And living proof
That sometimes friends are mean
Present company expect it
Present company
Just laugh it off
It's better than it seems
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in every way
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Makes me wanna stay
Killing it with close inspection
Killing it can only make it worse
It sort of makes it breathe
Present company accepting
Presently we all expect the worst
It works just like a need
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Excluded in the night
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Present company
Included in the fight
Ah-ah
Ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah
Don't you want for me to wake up?
Then give me just a bit of your time
Arguments are made for make outs
So give it just a little more time
We've got to bring our resources
I wanna play it 'til the time comes
Forget your string of divorces
Just go and throw your little hands up
It's late
Oh
Honey, it's late
Oh
I miss the way the night comes
With friends who always make it feel good
This basement has a cold glow
Though it's better than a bunch of others
So go and dance yourself clean
Go and dance yourself clean, yeah
You're blowing Marxism to pieces
Baby, their arguments to pieces
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
It's your show
Put your little feet down
I'm hiding out
Every night's a different story
It's a thirty car pile-up with you
Everybody's getting younger
It's the end of an era, it's true
And you go
Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Break me into bigger pieces
So some of me is home with you
But wait until the weekend
And we can make our bad dreams come true
And it's a-go
Yeah, it's a-go
And if we wait until the weekend
We can miss the best things to do
You go and dance yourself clean
Gotta dance yourself clean, yeah
And blow the Marxism to pieces
Their little arguments to pieces
Oh
Wish you'd try a little harder
In the tedious march of the few
Every day's a different warning
There's a part of me hoping it's true
Lyrics submitted by _hideandseek, edited by kidcharlamegne, NZfishboy, pikoliu
Dance Yrself Clean Lyrics as written by James Jeremiah Murphy
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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From the lyrics booklet...
Walking up to me expecting words– It happens all the time Present company excepted: Present company, except the worst… It happens every night, Present company excluded every time. Present company: The best that you can find,
Talking like a jerk except you are an actual jerk And living proof, that sometimes friends are mean. Present company expect it Present company just laugh it off… It's better than it seems, Present company excluded in every way Present company makes me wanna stay go,
Killing it with close inspection. Killing it can only make it worse, It sort of makes it breed, Present company accepting Presently we all expect the worst, It works just like a need. Present company excluded in the night, Present company included in the fight, go,
Don't you want me to wake up? Then give me just a bit of your time. Arguments are made for make-ups, So give it just a little more time.
We've got to bring the resources, I'm gonna play until the time comes, Forget your string of divorces, Just go and throw your little hands up.
It's late, I miss the way the night comes My friends know how to make it feel good The basement has a cold glow, Though better than a bunch of others…
So go and dance yourself clean, Go and dance yourself clean, yeah, You're blowing marxism to pieces, Their little arguments to pieces,
Show. It's your show.
Put your little feet down and hang out. Every night's a different story, It's a thirty car pile-up with you, Everybody's getting younger… It's the end of an era – it's true.
And you go: "Stop",
Break me into bigger pieces, So some of me is home with you, Wait until the weekend And we can make our dreams come true
And it's a go, Yeah it's a go, But if we wait until the weekend, We could miss the best things to do,
So go and dance yourself clean, Gotta dance yourself clean, Yeah and blow the marxists into pieces Their little argument to pieces,
Wish you'd try a little harder, In the tedious march of the few, Every day a different warning, There's a part of me hoping it's true
The first time I heard this song, I had two immediate reactions to the phrase "dance yourself clean." My first thought was of dancing the drugs right out of your system, and not stopping until sobriety. The second, in essence, is the purging of that which is troublesome via dance. No worries, just dance. Real Hakuna Matata, huh?
This song goes explores the murky moral territory of a failed romantic relationship. It's a land no man wants to inhabit, but according to Greg Gillis "it's better than it seems." But indeed, due to the periodicity inherent in human mood cycles--"it happens every night." Note that's also an allusion to Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow!
This is such a beautiful song. So much depth, too.
This song is everything Electro Music should be.
epic opening track
one of the most brillant songs i have ever heard
<br /> I'm going to take a stab at this because it's an excellent song and one that only gets better if you know what he's up to. It's a song about individualism vs. collectivism, about vanity vs. humility, about how those differences can cause conflict, and about how we manage to overcome them through empathy and, yes I'm going to say it, love.<br /> <br /> "Walking up to me expecting words–<br /> It happens all the time"<br /> <br /> This is about entitlement and elitism. How some people walk up to you and automatically expect something from you. It's up to you to have something important or interesting to say or they don't have time for you. <br /> <br /> "Present company excepted:<br /> Present company, except the worst…<br /> It happens every night,"<br /> <br /> Assemble a group of people who feel entitled or elite and the result is what you might call, "exceptionalism." If it happens at night, you have yourself a social scene, or a clique, if you will. "Present company" is a group who knows feeling superior to a group who doesn't.<br /> <br /> "Present company excluded every time."<br /> Present company: The best that you can find,"<br /> <br /> Excluded from the rules perhaps? Rules of good behavior? The rule that says be kind to your neighbor? Don't be two-faced, etc... Rules apply to other people, not to group knowing.<br /> <br /> "Talking like a jerk except you are an actual jerk<br /> And living proof, that sometimes friends are mean."<br /> <br /> You might have friends like that. I might. We accept it and we accept them because they're one of us. We make exclusions for what they say and do, once again, because the rules don't apply. If someone else says or does the same thing, they're a jerk, which makes your friend a jerk too, but he/she is your jerk/friend. So what do you do... <br /> <br /> "Present company expect it<br /> Present company just laugh it off…<br /> It's better than it seems,<br /> Present company excluded in every way<br /> Present company makes me wanna stay go,"<br /> <br /> I don't hear the "go" in the song but it's in the lyrics. The "stay/go" probably tells us he's conflicted. Sometimes wiling to put up with it and sometimes not. He's conflicted about it and it's obviously bothering him...<br /> <br /> "Killing it with close inspection.<br /> Killing it can only make it worse,<br /> It sort of makes it breed,"<br /> <br /> Start picking people apart for what they say and do and you start becoming what you despise. <br /> <br /> "Present company accepting<br /> Presently we all expect the worst,<br /> It works just like a need."<br /> <br /> Once again, we accept our friends'/loved one's faults because we need them to accept ours. <br /> <br /> "Present company excluded in the night,<br /> Present company included in the fight, go"<br /> <br /> Eventually, the conflict boils up into a fight, and he confronts it.<br /> <br /> "Don't you want me to wake up?<br /> Then give me just a bit of your time."<br /> <br /> Resolving conflicts is a two-way street, one that requires you to put aside your vanity, pride, ego, etc., and see someone else's POV.<br /> <br /> "Arguments are made for make-ups,<br /> So give it just a little more time."<br /> <br /> I love the confidence of this line, the reassurance. This is what relationships are about. Overcoming the insecurity of the person you're fighting with, along with your own, and being committed to finding a peaceful resolution in the end.<br /> <br /> "We've got to bring the resources,<br /> I'm gonna play until the time comes,"<br /> <br /> Dig down, beneath the vanity, the conceit. Find empathy. It's there. Might take time.<br /> <br /> "Forget your string of divorces,<br /> Just go and throw your little hands up."<br /> <br /> Wow! Does this guy have something to say about the divorce rate? I think so. <br /> <br /> "It's late, I miss the way the night comes<br /> My friends know how to make it feel good"<br /> The basement has a cold glow,<br /> Though better than a bunch of others…<br /> <br /> Remember those jerks, uh, your friends? The elitists? Well, there's a reason why you put up with them, isn't there? It "works just like a need." You need them, especially when you're sleeping on the couch. They might be a bunch of two-faced snobs, but they're "the best that you could find." And at least they're there for you when you need them.<br /> <br /> "So go and dance yourself clean,<br /> Go and dance yourself clean, yeah"<br /> "You're blowing marxism to pieces,<br /> Their little arguments to pieces"<br /> <br /> So obviously, dancing means something in this song. It's an expression of a lot of the things he's already talked about. It's an expression of individuality. It can be an expression of vanity. It's also a way to clean your head of stressful things like conflicts, both inner and interpersonal. Dancing is, among other things, a conceit; the ultimate ego trip...<br /> <br /> "Show.<br /> It's your show."<br /> <br /> Marxism is broadly defined as collectivism. The antithesis to collectivism is individuality. And dancing is, for many, a pure form of individual expression. As an expression of individuality, dancing is a destructive force against group conformity. Exceptionalism, elitism, vanity, etc. are all opposed to collectivism. But he's not just talking about dancing here. He's talking about dancing yourself "clean." And the funny thing about dancing is that it's something that groups do together. They do it in time, moving to the same beat, eventually blending their individual differences until they move like a single organism. In that sense, it's an expression of the individual that has transcendent potential. Dancing as catharsis is an age-old literary/cultural metaphor. <br /> <br /> "Put your little feet down and hang out."<br /> <br /> And he holds the vocals for "down" and "hang out" to great effect. <br /> <br /> "Every night's a different story,<br /> It's a thirty car pile-up with you,<br /> <br /> It's like, enough drama already.<br /> <br /> "Everybody's getting younger…<br /> It's the end of an era – it's true."<br /> <br /> Have to admit, don't know what he really means by those line.<br /> <br /> "And you go: 'Stop',"<br /> <br /> Let's take a moment for reflection...<br /> <br /> "Break me into bigger pieces,<br /> So some of me is home with you,"<br /> <br /> Aw, so sweet.<br /> <br /> "Wait until the weekend<br /> And we can make our dreams come true.<br /> And it's a go,<br /> Yeah it's a go,<br /> But if we wait until the weekend,<br /> We could miss the best things to do,<br /> <br /> There, we've made it through. And arguments are made for make-ups. Don't we all feel better now?<br /> <br /> "So go and dance yourself clean,<br /> Gotta dance yourself clean,<br /> Yeah and blow the marxists into pieces<br /> Their little argument to pieces,"<br /> <br /> He's being permissive and accepting here, sort of like he's been from the beginning. He's accepting of the vanity, the elitism, accepting of his friend who talks like a jerk, becuase his friends are the "best he could find," and he has a need for them. And in the end, we can all dance ourselves clean. But he has a final word to say...<br /> <br /> "Wish you'd try a little harder,<br /> In the tedious march of the few,"<br /> <br /> Relationships are work, especially when you're committed to really understanding each other and resolving conflicts instead of throwing your little hands up and, say, getting divorced. It's tedious work, and one that requires individuals to sublimate their egos for the better of the relationship/group, etc. Few people know or demonstrate it. But when you do, you find that you're moving to the same beat, sort of like a marching band, a pure expression of collectivism.<br /> <br /> "Every day a different warning,<br /> There's a part of me hoping it's true "<br /> <br /> This is a hopeful song with an ominous ending. One where warning signs come true. Hope he finds a way to dance himself clean.<br /> <br /> Might be totally off the mark with some or all of it but it's still a brilliant song and album. <br />
I agree with you pretty roundly, and the conflict between collectivism and individualism is a running theme in the song, most naturally revealed by the dancing 'blowing Marxism to pieces', but I think that whilst the song is brilliant and stimulates discussion, it is fundamentally wrong.<br /> <br /> Dancing is a collective function. Perhaps the movement or action itself is wholly individual, where you can cleanse your mind from your conscious worries and indulge in the individual unconscious.<br /> <br /> However, whilst the action is individual, the motive, cause, pressure, or influence comes from societal pressures, i.e. those dancing with you. I think that a key line from the song is 'Present company, the best that you can find' - you need the company, however imperfect it may be, as we cannot exclude ourselves from others and indulge in one's own existential essence. You are much more likely to dance with a group of people than by yourself, and this is evident in my point.<br /> <br /> So, instead of blowing Marxism to pieces, dancing actually brackets itself neatly under Marxist Critical Theory, i.e. the grand narrative that can be applied to anything.<br /> <br /> Dancing is a collective end, though achieved by individual means, just as Marx intended: the ends are collectivist and egalitarian, but the means must be an individualistic cleansing of the false consciousness, and that's where Marxist Existentialism derives from, a merging of individualism and collectivism, just as Sartre intended.
Are these official somehow? Cause I'm hearing some different things.
Such as:
"Present company EXCLUDED every time"
"Present company EXPECT IT" (rather than "expected", makes more sense.)
"You're throwing marks into pieces" is wrong, but I don't know what it is. That just doesn't have enough syllables.
"It sort of makes it BREED" (less sense, I know, but there's definitely a hard "d" there.)
"But THERE'S a string of divorces" (Or something like that. It's definitely not "like".)
"This BASEMENT has a cold glow Though it's better than a bunch of OTHERS"
"IT'S YOUR SHOW" x4
What's the extended word after "Work a little bit"? "AND YOU GO" (followed by "Stop" repeatedly)
"It's as though he's home with you" is wrong, but again, I don't know what it is.
Also, the first "Present company accepted" should be "excepted", it's a saying.
Other than that, thanks! This song is fantastic.
Far from official. I just figured that since I had nothing else to do today, I would put the lyrics up so some speculation on what James Murphy might actually be saying could be done.<br /> <br /> Thanks for your suggestions. Editing them in now.<br /> <br /> Also, I agree, this song is one of my favourites, but I honestly got halfway through it, and was like, "...I might have understood four words so far," hahaha.
i think it's "present company excepted" like, every time. <br /> <br /> ????<br /> <br /> this song is good.
I'm not sure on what "dancing" yourself "clean" is, but this song sure as hell is mindblowing.
Loooove this song. <3
It sounds like 'You're throwing Marxism to pieces' to me.
I also hear 'Make me into bigger pieces/So some of me is home with you' which DOES make sense. :)
And I hear 'arguments are made from make-ups', like making up after an argument, only reversed?
I thought it was "arguments are made FOR make-ups", not from, which fits with the "give it just a little more time" line.<br /> <br /> but anyways, amazing song by an amazing musician.
i agree completely with the other lyrics you corrected though.
This song seems to me to about a friend, probably girlfriend or wife, of the narrator who is constantly, irritatingly argumentative. Their group of friends expect to see them fight every time they go out together, and also expect to have their own thoughts ridiculed by this person ("you're blowing marxism to pieces... their little arguments to pieces"). The person always turns any casual discussion into his/her "show" to and mission to educate the people with the "little arguments". I think we've all known people like this at some point in our lives. I don't know what the title refers to, but since it is in "text-speak" it makes me think it was a text that the narrator got/sent after a nasty argument with this person.