The Dance
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Publication Information
Published in Lyrics of Love and Laughter (1903)
Performed by Herbert Woodward Martin
Musical Settings
Gary Bachlund, The Dance (medium voice and piano) (January 2012)
Recommended Citation
Dunbar, Paul Laurence, "The Dance" (1903). Dunbar Music Archive. 331.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dunbar/331
COinS
Text
Heel and toe, heel and toe,
That is the song we sing;
Turn to your partner and curtsey low,
Balance and forward and swing.
Corners are draughty and meadows are white,
This is the game for a winter's night.
Hands around, hands around,
Trip it, and not too slow;
Clear is the fiddle and sweet its sound,
Keep the girls' cheeks aglow.
Still let your movements be dainty and light,
This is the game for a winter's night.
Back to back, back to back,
Turn to your place again;
Never let lightness nor nimbleness lack,
Either in maidens or men.
Time hasteth ever, beware of its flight,
Oh, what a game for a winter's night!
Slower now, slower now,
Softer the music sighs;
Look, there are beads on your partner's brow
Though there be light in her eyes.
Lead her away and her grace requite,
So goes the game on a winter's night.