What does Dance with the Devil mean?

Breaking Benjamin: Dance with the Devil Meaning

Tagged: Suicide [suggest]
Album cover for Dance with the Devil album cover

Dance with the Devil Lyrics

Here I stand, helpless and left for dead.

Close your eyes, so many days go by.
Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right.

I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.

I won't stay long,...

  1. anonymous
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    Feb 13th 2014 !⃝

    my interpretation of the song is that he trying to save someone from suicide....and
    "dancing with the devil" is about that person is close to death...and at the end he say "goodbye" saying that he gave up on the person....

  2. anonymous
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    Aug 25th 2013 !⃝

    I think this song is just about how people usually do more wrong than right if anything all those wrongs will make you meet the devil

  3. anonymous
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    Mar 13th 2013 !⃝

    my interpretation of the song was that he was struggling with a drug problem ... "dance with the devil" ... but he hated what he saw in the mirror and was referring to the drugs as the devil... "don`t you dare look at him in the eye ... and eventually said "goodbye" to drugs

  4. anonymous
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    Nov 27th 2012 !⃝

    maybe it's about hating someone your girlfriend or someone u care about... my case is that i hate my girlfriend's friend(female)and the dance with the devil is maybe a fight that u fight with that other person...i'm super jelous and i look at it that way...

  5. anonymous
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    Nov 26th 2012 !⃝

    "Dance with the Devil" is a popular slang term for Drug use in the LA area. Lifeless eyes, paranoia, and "crawling" sensations on the skin are symptoms of drug addiction/withdrawal. This song is about indulging in or being addicted to something to the point it kills you. Could be about two people buy I think he's personifying that urge in an internal struggle, as it tries to kill him.

  6. anonymous
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    Apr 4th 2012 !⃝

    I think it is about suicide. He wanted to commit suicide and someone else wanted to stop him. He says that what ever that persons telling him is a lie so he will dance with the devil referring to die and go to hell. When he says I believe in you it means that the person he's Talking with will go on with his/her life. When It says to not look at the devil in the eyes it means to not follow him to death as by looking at him you would lose your life.

  7. anonymous
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    Aug 4th 2011 !⃝

    Here I stand, helpless and left for dead.

    Close your eyes, so many days go by.
    Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right.

    I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.

    I won't stay long, in this world so wrong.

    [Chorus:]
    Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.
    Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight?

    Trembling, crawling across my skin.
    Feeling your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine.

    I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.

    I won't last long, in this world so wrong.

    [Chorus]

    Hold on. Hold on.

    [Chorus]

    Hold on. Hold on.

    Goodbye.

  8. anonymous
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    May 14th 2011 !⃝

    The term "dance with the devil" could mean dancing with your demons, or dancing/dealing with any kind of troubles or addictions you face.

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 27th 2011 !⃝

    The term 'lets dance!!!' means to fight with someone. So the line dance with the devil means the person in the song is fighting the devil and not following what the devil says. the line 'i can show you that i can see right through all your empty lies' tells the listener that the person in the song won't believe what the devil says. So the meaning of the title means 'Fight with the devil.'

  10. iKnowWhatThisSongMeans
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    Mar 12th 2011 !⃝

    I believe the word "dance" in the song title means fight. I also believe that "dance with the Devil" means to fight what makes you weak, and to fight what is keeping you away from all things good. Those things that are being fought could be drugs, alcohol, bad relationships, or even The Devil himself.

  11. anonymous
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    Feb 1st 2011 !⃝

    My interpretation of the song. I think it is about some girl who is not returning his love . The meanings are in the brackets:

    Here I stand, helpless and left for dead
    ( The one person who meant the world to me treats me as if i dont exist and does not give a damn about me)
    Close your eyes, so many days go by
    ( life with you has become so monotonous that i dont realise time passing)
    Easy to find what's wrong
    Harder to find what's right
    (you never see the good in me you just keep finding faults)

    I believe in you(i used to believe all the empty words of love you told me)

    I can show you that I can see right through
    All your empty lies( but now i know what you are and everything about your love is a lie)

    I won't stay long
    In this world so wrong
    (i will no longer be the only good person in this world of liars and cheats)

    Say goodbye,
    As we dance with the devil tonight
    Don't you dare look at him in the eye
    As we dance with the devil tonight
    ( say good bye to the good me, i am going to work with the devil and make you pay for all your sins and dont think that you can compete with the devil in being evil)

    Trembling, crawling across my skin
    Feeding your cold, dead eyes
    Stealing the life of mine
    ( all my anger is coming back to me and i remember all the times you used me as your pawn and wasted my life by enchanting me with your eyes which are actually expressionless and cold)

    I believe in you
    I can show you that I can see right through
    All your empty lies, I won't last long
    In this world so wrong

    Say goodbye,
    As we dance with the devil tonight
    Don't you dare look at him in the eye
    As we dance with the devil tonight

    Hold on
    Hold on

    Say goodbye,
    As we dance with the devil tonight
    Don't you dare look at him in the eye
    As we dance with the devil tonight

    Hold on
    Hold on

    The rest is easy to understand.
    All criticism is welcome

  12. anonymous
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    Jan 22nd 2011 !⃝

    I believe that everyone has their own interpretations but why does all the meanings i see have to be about a girl or suicide? The album is called phobia because Ben talks about his fears, in the intro you hear planes in the background cuz of his fear of flying, He is also afraid of growing old (feeling your cold dead eyes stealing the life of mine)could be about growing old and hes trying to hold on to the youth hes still got but he knows hes lying to himself (I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.)talking to himself in 3rd person. and at the end he has to face the fact hes gonna grow old. (goodbye)

  13. anonymous
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    May 2nd 2010 !⃝

    Okay, here's my interpretation, line by line.

    Here I stand, helpless and left for dead. (he/she's been betrayed, or left behind, or just feels helpless)
    Close your eyes, so many days go by.(Time flies by, almost too fast) Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right. (Too many things are going wrong, and they are trying with difficulty to see the bright side.)

    I believe in you. (They are encouraging the subject of first verses) I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies. (The subject is putting up a facade, and the singer sees through it to what's really wrong.) I won't stay long in this world so wrong. (Life is short, and the world is messed up at times) Say goodbye as we dance with the devil tonight(The singer and subject are at a breaking point, where things could spiral down or start to get better, like a 'waltz with death' or something) Don't you dare look at him in the eyes (Don't give in to temptation) As we dance with the devil tonight. (Same as first line of chorus)

    Trembing, crawling across my skin. (Singer feels something isn't right) Feeling your cold, dead eyes stealing the life of mine (The subject is 'dead' metaphorically, and it's pulling the singer down as well)

    [Chorus] (same as last time)

    Hold on (don't give in)
    Hold on (I'm here for you)
    [Repeat] (same)

    Goodbye (either they overcame the hardship and are saying goodbye to that, or the subject failed to do so and the singer is saying their last goodbye)

  14. anonymous
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    Apr 22nd 2010 !⃝

    Just saying..in the chorus, he repeats the word "we" I think that has significance to show that he will always be there for the other person he is singing about (friend, lover, etc.), that they are not alone, and that they should not think otherwise.

  15. dwryred
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    Apr 17th 2010 !⃝

    This song is definitely about a person who believes that they are able to tip-toe into the sinful things of the world without truly leaving the light of God. As this person "dances with the devil", which is a metaphor for doing sinful things without truly becoming a part of them, he "looks the devil in the eye". This is how the devil begins stealing his life, and in this choice to dance with the devil, he is "saying goodbye" to the light of God.




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