Dance Monkey

Lyrics Meaning of Dance Monkey by Tones and I

"Dance Monkey" is a song by Australian singer Tones and I released in 2019 her debut EP, The Kids Are Coming. The song was produced and mixed by Konstantin Kersting.

"Dance Monkey" topped the official singles charts in over 30 countries and peaked within the top ten of many others, including the United States.

The song broke the record for the most weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart at 24 non-consecutive weeks.

It also broke the record for the most weeks spent at the top of the UK Singles Chart by a female artist with 11 weeks at the top. When it hit number four in the US, it became the first top-five hit solely written by a woman in over eight years.

The song has received a number of awards. It won Best Pop Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, Song of the Year at the APRA Music Awards of 2020 and Independent Song of the Year at the AIR Awards of 2020.

When interviewed by DJ Smallzy in July 2019 on Australian radio station Nova FM, Tones explained that Dance Monkey's lyrics are about the relationship she had with her audience when she was performing on the streets of Australia:

"I wrote this song when I was busking, and about the pressure that I felt to always be entertaining people on the street. And if they didn't like it, when they looked at their phones they could just click something else; ... we are all so used to being entertained at the click of a button."

"So when you're busking on the street, to command your attention, people would be like: 'again! again!' … 'more! more!' … or they would just leave. So if you replace the lyric: 'dance for me, dance for me' with 'sing for me, sing for me,' it's pretty literal," she said.

Dance Monkey lyrics by Tones and I

They say, "Oh my God, I see the way you shine

Take your hands, my dear, and place them both in mine"

You know you stopped me dead while I was passing by

And now I beg to see you dance just one more time

Ooh, I see you, see you, see you every time

And oh my, I, I like your style

You, you make me, make me, make me wanna cry

And now I beg to see you dance just one more time

So they say

"Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh

I've never seen anybody do the things you do before"

They say

"Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy

And when you're done, I'll make you do it all again"

I said, "Oh my God, I see you walking by

Take my hands, my dear, and look me in my eyes"

Just like a monkey, I've been dancin' my whole life

But you just beg to see me dance just one more time

Ooh, I see you, see you, see you every time

And oh my, I, I like your style

You, you make me, make me, make me wanna cry

And now I beg to see you dance just one more time

So they say

"Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh

I've never seen anybody do the things you do before"

They say

"Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy

And when you're done, I'll make you do it all again"

They say

"Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh

I've never seen anybody do the things you do before"

They say

"Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy

And when you're done, I'll make you do it all again"

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh

Ooh, ah-ah, ah-ah

They say

"Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh

I've never seen anybody do the things you do before"

They say

"Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy

And when you're done, I'll make you do it all again"

They say

"Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh

I've never seen anybody do the things you do before"

They say

"Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy

And when you're done, I'll make you do it all again

All again"