The Dance

Song Meaning of The Dance by Garth Brooks

According to Brooks, it is best to remain in the dark about how things will turn out because if you do, you risk missing out on some experiences: You could avoid the agony, but you also might miss the dance.

Brooks attributes his extraordinary success to the "The Dance".

The song solidified Brooks' status as a country music icon and made him the face of the 90s country music surge.

Tony Arata was a little-known Nashville songwriter when he wrote this song. He met another unknown composer, Garth Brooks, at an impromptu open-mic night at Douglas Corner in Nashville.

"We were both doing whatever we could to stay in Nashville, trying to get our songs heard by anybody. The only folks listening, however, were other songwriters as no one else was usually at our shows,"

Arata recounted on his website. When Brooks heard "The Dance," he promised Arata that he would cut it if he ever received a record deal.

The Dance lyrics by Garth Brooks

Looking back on the memory of

The dance we shared 'neath the stars above

For a moment all the world was right

How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything

For a moment wasn't I a king

But if I'd only known how the king would fall

Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance