Kathy Troccoli - Gotta Keep Dancin' Lyrics
Lyrics
Gotta keep dancin'
When the song is played
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Sometimes you just can't move your feet
You try, but you can't find the beat
Don't stop, don't slow down
One step at a time
Gotta keep on dancin'
Keep on, keep on
Gotta keep on dancin'
When the song is played
But even if it started to fade
Gotta keep dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
When all your hopes have come undone
Look back and see how far you've come
Reach down inside of you
Give all that you can
Gotta keep on dancin'
Keep on, keep on
Gotta keep on dancin'
When the song is played
But even if it started to fade
Gotta keep dancin', dancin'
You can take the moment
You can make it something
More than it might seems to be
Once you come to face it
Take life and embrace it
Hold on when it takes the lead
Hold on
Gotta keep on dancin'
Keep on, keep on
Gotta keep on dancin'
When the song is played
But even if it started to fade, oh...
Gotta keep on dancin'
Keep on, keep on
Gotta keep on dancin'
When the song is played
But even if it started to fade
Gotta keep dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
(Keep on dancin')
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'
Gotta keep dancin'
Gotta keep dancin', dancin', dancin'...
Video
Kathy Troccoli - Gotta Keep Dancin'
Meaning & Inspiration
Kathy Troccoli's inspiring anthem, "Gotta Keep Dancin'," emerged into the world on August 5, 1986, as a powerful track from her album, *Images*. The song's essence is a profound call to unwavering persistence and active faith, presented through the universal metaphor of dance. It champions the spirit of continuous movement and engagement with life, even when the rhythms are challenging or the music itself begins to wane. This isn't just a feel-good tune; it's a testament to enduring through difficulty, finding strength in resilience, and maintaining hope when circumstances suggest otherwise.
The song's core message centers on the necessity of spiritual and emotional endurance. The repeated declaration, "Gotta keep dancin'," isn't about literal movement but serves as a compelling metaphor for maintaining one's walk with God and purpose through life’s inevitable trials. The lines, "Sometimes you just can't move your feet / You try, but you can't find the beat," perfectly articulate those seasons of spiritual weariness or profound discouragement. These moments, where personal momentum stalls and the path ahead seems unclear, are universally understood. Yet, the song’s immediate counsel to "Don't stop, don't slow down / One step at a time" offers a powerful biblical principle: steady, faithful progress. This resonates deeply with Philippians 3:13-14, where Paul encourages forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, pressing on toward the prize. It also brings to mind the patient endurance described in Hebrews 12:1-2, urging us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. The message here is clear: even in paralysis, small acts of faith can initiate significant movement.
The lyrical journey intensifies with the poignant acknowledgment, "When all your hopes have come undone." This isn't a superficial glance at difficulty but a direct confrontation with the depths of despair, where dreams seem shattered and the future appears bleak. In such moments of profound brokenness, the song offers a crucial, divinely inspired directive: "Look back and see how far you've come." This act of remembrance is deeply spiritual, prompting us to recall God's faithfulness in past trials and His consistent presence throughout our journey. Psalm 77:11-12 reminds us to recall the deeds of the Lord and meditate on all His works, drawing strength from His historical interventions and unwavering character. It’s a call to gain perspective, recognizing that even in apparent defeat, there's a testimony of past divine enablement and growth. The subsequent charge, "Reach down inside of you / Give all that you can," while seemingly self-reliant, is beautifully understood within a faith context as tapping into the Holy Spirit's indwelling power. Philippians 2:13 confirms, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." It signifies that our strength for endurance is not solely our own, but God working through us, enabling us to persevere even when we feel depleted. This sustained effort, this "keeping on dancin' when the song is played," and, significantly, "even if it started to fade," portrays a faith that doesn't depend on favorable external conditions but perseveres through the quiet, uncertain stretches of life, much like walking by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The song's final verses provide an even more explicit invitation to proactive engagement and surrender, stating, "You can take the moment / You can make it something / More than it might seems to be." This speaks powerfully to the transformative potential of a faith-filled perspective, enabling us to discern grace and opportunity even amidst challenging circumstances. It’s a vibrant echo of Romans 8:28, which assures us that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." The instruction to "Once you come to face it / Take life and embrace it / Hold on when it takes the lead" moves beyond mere endurance to active participation and trusting submission. "Embracing life" with all its complexities, and particularly "holding on when it takes the lead," beautifully encapsulates the Christian posture of surrendering to divine sovereignty. It's an act of trusting God's plan even when we don't fully comprehend the steps, allowing Him to choreograph our "dance" through life. This profoundly resonates with Proverbs 3:5-6, which admonishes, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Kathy Troccoli's "Gotta Keep Dancin'" ultimately transcends a simple motivational tune to become a vibrant spiritual declaration, urging believers to maintain their walk of faith with perseverance, hope, and surrender, regardless of life's changing rhythms or fading melodies, confident that even in the stillness, God's steadfast purpose for their "dance" remains.