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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    Mar 10th 2010 !⃝

    It is pretty simple the way i see it. The term "Dance with the Devil" is often a reference to breaking the rules, being destructive, and per-say "painting the town red". Therefore leading one to believe that the singer is saying he sees no good in the world and figures that he will just do what ever he wants. Cause chaos and destruction by "Dancing with the Devil" in the end leading to his destruction. Hence the final line "Goodbye"

  2. anonymous
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    Oct 29th 2009 !⃝

    I think that the song is talking about not giving up when it comes to anything and taking defeat so easily.

  3. anonymous
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    Oct 26th 2009 !⃝

    The lyrics in this song clearly are a reference to addiction. Maybe not so clear to someone who isn't a recovering addict/alcoholic, but for me it's a no brainer that this is what it's about. Ben even said himself in a recent interview with the Scranton, PA based publication "The Weekender" that he's a recovering alcoholic, and that the new album "Dear Agony" is the first he has written sober.

  4. scheckster
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    Dec 13th 2008 !⃝

    At first I thought this song was about something entirely different, but then it just hit me that it had to be about his addiction (didn't know it was heroin at the time). Everything fit. It is so hard for an addict to overcome and you really get that feeling in this song.

  5. anonymous
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    Dec 3rd 2008 !⃝

    Here I stand helpless and left for dead = Zarek was banished to Alaska without protective clothes, funds, helpers, Etc.
    Mine is kind of long but it shows all the connections I see to the book Dance with the Devil. And him saying the song is about addiction, it might be, or he knew his listeners would rather here that than "its based after a romance novel".


    Close your eyes so many days go by = Astrid drugs Zarek into unconsciousness and views his memories.

    Easy to find what’s wrong, harder to find what’s right = everyone believes Zarek is evil and should be killed but Astrid gives him the chance to prove himself.

    I believe in you I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies = Zarek act like he doesn’t care about anyone and hates the world, but Astrid can see how much insults hurt him and the kindness he tries to hide.

    I want stay long in this world so wrong = Astrid is only visits our world to judge weather certain people deserve to live or not. Every time so far they didn’t.

    Say goodbye as we dance with the devil tonight = Thantos makes a personal vendetta against Zarek, who must find a way to kill him.

    Don’t you dare look at him in the eye = it could be three things: Zarek doesn’t reckognize Thantos, but when he looks him in the eye he remembers what he did to Thantos so long ago; when Simi looks into Zarek’s eyes and unlocks his memory; or not to face his reaper (Past stated)

    Trembling crawling across my skin = could be referring to when zarek marches off into the blizzard

    Feeling your cold dead eyes stealing the life of mine = Astrid being blind, or Thantos’s cruelness in destroying things.

  6. anonymous
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    Oct 6th 2008 !⃝

    Well, I don't really know about any of that, but there is a book entitled Dance with the Devil (Sherilyn Kenyon) that's story fits this song to a t.

  7. diryde
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    Aug 1st 2008 !⃝

    Think about this next time you listen to this song or read its lyrics:

    First off, what a song is intended to be about is not necessarily what was inspired by. This song is inspired by not only the use of heroin, but also that overdose margin that a person gets to when they do too much and end up on the floor having a mini-seizure. It's from the POV of his throughts at that moment, but someone else is there with him - it doesn't specify who, but that's who he is saying or thinking of saying goodbye to, because he knew he could be dead soon from what his body was going through.

    "Close your eyes, so many days go by"
    ~His life flashing before his eyes.

    "Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right"
    ~While his life is flashing before his eyes, he mentally thinks "What have I done wrong to deserve this life I've had & end up this way?"

    "Dance with the devil"
    ~The moment in question here.

    "Don't you dare look at him in the eye"
    ~The person with the narrator, telling him to hang in there, don't look the devil/reaper in the eye and accept your death.

    "Trembling, crawling across my skin."
    ~Obviously, the very previous time he did heroine, right before he started having this seizure of sorts.

    "Hold on, hold on."
    Again, the 2nd party with the speaker physically that's telling him to hold on, hang in there, you'll be alright.

    davidbankson@yahoo.com

  8. anonymous
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    Dec 27th 2007 !⃝

    This is either about drugs or death, either work.

  9. breaking.me
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    Nov 29th 2007 !⃝

    Through out the whole CD everybody is thinking he's talking about one person and he's not! he's talking about heroin, he's giving it a face. you think he actually feels a love/hate relationship where he actually hates a girl that strong and she's that cold and he still can't let her go. He can't let heroin go. It got him by the balls its ruining his life but he still has a evil immoral love twords it.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. breaking.me
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    Nov 29th 2007 !⃝

    He is trying to quit heroin and he doesn't want to do it anymore but he's getting hight one more time and trying not to love it to much because than it will be harder. By dancing with the devil he means playing with the devil through heroin even thou he know its wrong the devil has a grip on him and he trying to not completely give in and look him in the eye or be completely satisfied without remorse.

  11. amwvirgo
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    Nov 1st 2007 !⃝

    I think he is trying to say goodbye as in goodbye to the belief or the hope of actually finding a real reason why he can not stop thinking of this girl he dreams of this whole cd is about this one person and the fact that he can not stop thinking of her is really driving him insane because his head and mind will not let him let her go in any way possible because he's just inlove and its not over

  12. anonymous
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    Jul 16th 2007 !⃝

    When he says goodbye at the end, he's saying goodbye to whoever committed suicide, because they didn't listen to him.

  13. immortalnight
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    Apr 20th 2007 !⃝

    You're right, Ilovepaparoach. He could be talking about any problem in life. True, true. I just imagine suicide whenever I listen to the song.
    =3

  14. anonymous
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    Mar 30th 2007 !⃝

    Immortalnight is right I believe that suicide is the theme of this song and you all can read the(long) one I left for unknown soldier. Anyway yes he's right and I have tried to help someone in the same situation(it worked) but I said the same things to her as Ben(the singer) is trying to say in this song.

  15. erinw88
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    Mar 26th 2007 !⃝

    But what if he was saying goodbye to the bad thing he was doing because he's realized what's right? I think suicide could work in in this song.




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