Come Dancing

Written by: Ray Davies

Published by: Davray Music Ltd.

Chord file

Lyrics:

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
Where the supermarket used to stand.
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local palais.
That's where the big bands used to come and play.
My sister went there on a Saturday.

Come dancing,
All her boyfriends used to come and call.
Why not come dancing, it's only natural?

Another Saturday, another date.
She would be ready but she'd always make him wait.
In the hallway, in anticipation,
He didn't know the night would end up in frustration.
He'd end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek.

Come dancing,
That's how they did it when I was just a kid,
And when they said come dancing,
My sister always did.

My sister should have come in at midnight,
And my mum would always sit up and wait.
It always ended up in a big row
When my sister used to get home late.

Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight,
Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate.

The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried.
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died.

Now I'm grown up and playing in a band,
And there's a car park where the palais used to stand.
My sister's married and she lives on an estate.
Her daughters go out, now it's her turn to wait.
She knows they get away with things she never could,
But if I asked her I wonder if she would,

Come dancing,
Come on sister, have yourself a ball.
Don't be afraid to come dancing,
It's only natural.

Come dancing,
Just like the palais on a Saturday.
And all your friends would come dancing
While the big bands used to play.

This song can be found on the following releases:

stereo mix, demo version (4:40), recorded Oct 1982 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

stereo mix, UK single edit (3:59), recorded Oct 1982 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

stereo mix, US single edit (3:44), recorded Oct 1982 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

stereo mix, 12-inch single edit (4:27), recorded Oct 1982 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

stereo mix, album edit (3:54), recorded Oct 1982 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London

live, stereo mix, recorded 1 Jul, 1987 at Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

live, stereo mix, recorded 25 Mar, 1994 at Guildhall, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

stereo mix, Karaoke instrumental by unknown musicians, recorded around 1999

stereo mix, by The Briefs, recorded 2001 at Egg Studios, Seattle, Washington

stereo mix, by The Kast Off Kinks (4:04), recorded 18-19 Feb 2013 at Roundel Studios, Horton Kirby, Kent

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