The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance
Sting

In the streets around here there was nobody tougher than me,

I was quick with me fists and fast with me footwork as you can plainly see,

But while fighting was useful for getting your way,

Among the toughs of the town where you could hold sway,

There had to be something that was better than this,

I was fifteen years old and I'd never been kissed.


Well of course she'd ignore me, her friends would all sneer,

At me bloody nose dripping and me cauliflower ear,

For it's hard to convince in a romantic pose,

With a lovely black eye and a broken nose,

Where a girl is attracted to skills more refined,

Than the pugilist's art, and so I inclined,

To take meself serious as a modern romancer,

And I secretly learnt all the moves of a dancer.


Ye swing to the left, ye swing to the right,

Keep your eyes on your partner, more or less like a fight,

Ye just follow the rhythm, and ye keep to the beat,

The important thing's never to look at your feet,

Then a miracle happens, your mind's in a trance,

Though the strategy's subtle, retreat and advance,

It's all about attitude, all in your stance,

Attention to detail, leaving nothing to chance,

Which explains how the pugilist finally learned how to dance.


Well, I'd waltz with a broomstick and if I was caught,

I'd pretend I was sweeping or practicing sport,

But I really had eyes for your mother ye see,

Wanting her to acknowledge this new version of me,

But now everyone's watching, expecting I'll fail,

But there's fire in me belly, there's wind in me sails,

I knew it was risky and I was taking a chance,

I couldn't retreat now, I had to advance.


So I swing to the left, I swing to the right,

Keep me eyes on me partner, like I would in a fight,

I just keep to the rhythm and follow the beat,

The important thing's never to look at yr feet,

But a miracle's happened, and your mind's in a trance,

They're all laughing and cheering and looking askance,

On the night that the pugilist finally learned how to dance.


It's a three-minute round and you're back in yr corner,

You're licking yr wounds just like little Jack Horner,

Don't let your guard down try a jab with your right,

Or you're losing on points by the end of the night,

Then a miracle happens, and everyone's screaming,

You're pinching yourself just in case you're still dreaming,

You've taken the initiative, you've taken your chance,

It's the night when this pugilist finally learned how to dance.


In a bout where the strategist's bridges were burned,

Where it seemed that his fortune had suddenly turned,

'Twas the night that this scrapper was suddenly dapper,

And this poor fellow's heart was still going like the clappers,

The night that the pugilist finally learned how to dance.


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Lyrics by Sting

  \u201cRyght honorable: as I have bin most bounde u...   3 O'Clock Shot   3 O'clock Shot - Live   3 O'clock Shot - Live   50,000   6Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming   A Day In The Life   A Kind Of Loving   A Sermon   A Thousand Years   After The Rain Has Fallen   Ain't No Sunshine   Ain't No Sunshine   All For Love   All Four Seasons   All This Time   Almost There   Always on Your Side [*]   An Englishman in New York   And Yet   Angel Eyes   Another Day   Another Day [DVD]   Another Pyramid   As The Years Go Passing By   August Winds   Away From Home   Baby Please Don't Go   Ballad Of The Great Eastern   Balulalow   Be My Girl - Sally   Be Still My Beating Heart   Bed's Too Big Without You   Belle Dame Sans Regrets   Beneath A Desert Moon   Bethlehem Down   Big Lie Small World   Big Lie, Small World   Black & White Army   Black & White X 5   Black & White Army   Black And White Army (Bringing The Pride Back Home...   Blake's Cradle Song   Bombs Away   Book of My Life   Born In The 50's   Born In The 50's   Brand New Day   Brimstone 2   Brimstone And Treacle   Bring On The Night   Bring on the Night/When the World   Bring on the Night/When the World Is Running Down ...   Broken Lady   Can She Excuse My Wrongs?   Can she excuse my wrongs? - The Earl of Essex\u201...   Can't Stand Losing You   Canary In A Coalmine   Carrion Prince (O Ye Of Little Faith)   Catch Tomorrow   Cherry Tree Carol   Children's Crusade   Christmas At Sea   Clear Or Cloudy   Clear or cloudy - Second Booke of Songes, 1600, no...   Codeword Elvis   Coffee Song   Cold Song   Come Again   Come again - First Booke of Songes, 1597, no17   Come Down In Time   Come, heavy sleep - First Booke of Songes, 1597, n...   Consider Me Gone   Contact   Conversation With A Dog   Cry Of Angels   Cushie Butterfield   Dance Of Love   Darkness   Day Breaks My Heart   Dazed   De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da   De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (in spanish)   Dead End Job   Dead Man's Boots   Dead Man's Rope   Deathwish   Demolition Man   Demolition Man [DVD]   Desert Rose   Desert Rose (english translations)   Desiree   Dienda   Does Everyone Stare   Don't Box Me In   Don't Care   Don't Let It Bring You Down   Don't Stand So Close To Me   Don't Stand So Close To Me   Down Down Down   Down So Long   Drama At Home   Dream of the Blue Turtles/DeMolition Man   Driven to Ears   Driven To Tears   Driven to Tears [DVD]   Electron Romance   Ellas Danzan Solas   Ellas Danzan Solas (Cueca Solas)   Ellas Danzan Solas (Cueca Solas) (They Dance Alone...   End Of The Game   Englishman In New York   Englishman in New York [From Stars and Bars]   Englishmen In New York   Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me)   Epilouge (Nothing 'Bout Me)   Every Breath You Take   Every Breath You Take [Live]   Every Days' The Same   Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic   Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (original sol...   Everybody Laughed But You   Everything (...Is Never Quite Enough) - Wasis Diop   Excesses   Eyes Of A Stranger   Fall Out   Fields Of Gold   Fill Her Up   Fine knacks for ladies - Second Booke of Songs, 16...   Flashback   Flow my tears (Lachrimae) - Second Booke of Songes...   Flow, My Tears (Lachrimae)   Forget About The Future   Fortress Around Your Heart   Fortress Around Yur Heart   Four Firemen   Fourpenny Bus Ride   Fragil   Fragil (Portuguese)   Fragile   Fragile [From the Living Sea]   Fragile [Live]   Fragilidad   Fragilidad (Spanish)   Frame Of Mind   Friends   Gabriel's Message   Gabriel's Message   Get Up Stand Up   Ghost Story   Giacomo's Blues   Guerilla   Hadaway   Have you seen the bright lily grow - from Ben Jons...   Heading South On The Great North Road   Heaven (Never Seemed So Far Away)   Heavy Cloud No Rain   Heavy Cloud No Rain [Live]   History Will Teach Us Nothing   Hold Me   Hole In My Life   Hot And Bothered   How Insensitive   How Many Days   How Stupid Mr. Bates   Hungry For You   Hurdy Gurdy Man   I Been Down So Long   I Burn For You   I Burn For You (Symphonicities Album)   I Burn for You [DVD]   I Can't Stop Thinking About You   I Hung My Head   I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else   I Miss You, Kate   I Need You Like This Hole In My Head   I Need Your Love So Bad   I Saw Three Ships   I Shall Be Released   I Was Brought To My Senses   I'll Be Watching You   I'll Follow My Secret Heart   I'm Mad About You   I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying   I\'m So Happy I Can\'t Stop Crying   I'll Follow My Secret Heart   If I Ever Lose My Faith   If I Ever Lose My Faith In You   If You Can't Love Me   If You Love Somebody Set Them Free   If You Love Somebody Set Them Free [DVD][*]   If You Love Somebody Set Them Free [Multimedia Tra...   If You There   In darkness let me dwell - A Musicall Banquet, 161...   In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning   Inshallah   Inside   Invisible Sun   Island Of Souls   It Ain't Necessarily So   It Ain't Necessarily So   It's A Lonesome Old Town   It's A Lonesome Town   It's Alright For You   It's My Life (police version)   It's Not The Same Moon   It's Probably Me   It's Probally Me   It's A Lonesome Old Town   It's Alright For You   It's Probably Me   January Stars   Jeremiah Blues   Jeremiah Blues (Part I)   Jock The Singing Welder   Juno   Kids To Blame   King Of Pain   King of Pain [Live]   Kom Tilbage Nu   Kyrie   La Belle Dame Sans Regrets   Lady Of Delight   Lamon Tree   Landlord   Language Of Birds   Lazarus Heart   Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot   Lithium Sunset   Little Wing   Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming   Look At Me   Love Is Stronger Than Justice   Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seve   Love Is Stronger Than Justice (the Munificent Seve...   Love Is The Seventh Wave   Love Is The Strangest Way   Love Lessons   Low Life   Lullaby for an Anxious Child   Lullaby To An Anxious Child   Lullaby To An Anxious Child (1996)   Ma?ana   Ma\u00f1ana   Mack The Knife   Mad About You   Man Enough To Be A Woman   Man In A Suitcase   Manana   Mariposa Libre   Mariposa Libre (little Wing - Spanish Version)   Masoko Tanga   Me Ghile Mear   Message In A Bottle   Message in a Bottle [DVD]   Message In A Bottle [Live]   Midnight Wire   Miss Gradenko   Mo Ghile Mear   Moon Over Bourbon Street   Moon Over Bourbon Street [Live]   Moon Over Bourbon Street Version (Cornelius Mix)   Moonlight   Moonshine   Morning   Morning (Poem From The Movie Il Postino)   Mother   Mr. Normal   Muoio Per Te   Muoio Per Te (Mad About You: Italian)   Murder By Numbers   My Ain True Love   My Funny Friend And Me   My Funny Valentine [DVD]   My Funny Valentine [From Ashura]   My Funny Valentine [Live]   My Old School   My One And Only Love   My One and Only Love [From Leaving Las Vegas]   Narration   Narration - Brimstone & Treacle   Natural High   Ne Me Quitta Pas   Ne Me Quitte Pas   Ne Me Quitte Pas (English)   Need Your Love So Bad   Never Coming Home   Never Coming Home (gonna Live My Life Remix)   New World Blues   Next To You   Nice Work If You Can Get It   Night-Bound City   No Time This Time   None of Us Are Free   Nothing 'Bout Me   Nothing 'bout Me (Epilogue)   Nothing 'bout Me   Nothing Achieving   Now Winter Comes Slowly   Nowhere   Nuclear Waste   O My God   Office Girls   Omegaman   On Any Other Day   Once Upon A Daydream   One Fine Day   One World   One World (Not Three)   Only The Wind   Only You   Panis Angelicus   Peanuts   Peggy’s Song   Perfect Love Gone Wrong   Perfect Love Gone Wrong [Live]   Perfect Love... Gone Wrong   Petrol Head   Powerslide   Practical Arrangement   Practical Arrangement (Full Original Duet)   Practical arrangment   Prelude To The End Of The Game   Pretty Young Soldier   Recapture The Thrill   Reggatta De Blanc   Rhine Bow   Rise & Fall   Rise & Fall   Ritch In A Ditch   Rock Steady   Round Midnight   Round Midnight (feat. Andy Summers)   Roxanne   Roxanne [DVD Video]   Russian   Russians   Sacred Love   Saint Agnes And The Burning Train   Saint Augustine In Hell   San Francisco Waitress   Scary Voices   Secret Journey   Secret Marriage   Send Your Love   Send Your Love [Dave Aude Remix Edit]   Send Your Love [Dave Aude Remix]   Seven Days   Seventh Son   Shadows In The Rain   Shadows in the Rain [DVD]   Shadows in the Rain [DVD]   Shambelle   Shape   Shape Of My Heart   Shape of My Heart [From the Professional (Leon) An...   Shape of My Heart [Live] [*]   She Walks This Earth   She's Too Good for Me   She's Too Good For Me (Symphonicities Album)   Shipyard   Show Some Respect   Si Estamos Juntos   Si Estamos Juntos (we'll Be Together: Spanish)   Signs Of Emotion   Sinnerman - Nina Simone   Sister Moon   Sisters Of Mercy   Sky Hooks And Tartan Paint   Small World   So Lonely   So To Speak   Someone To Talk To   Someone To Watch Over Me   Someone to Watch Over Me [From Someone to Watch Ov...   Something The Boy Said   Song For Kenny's Dienda   Soul Cake   Speech Behind Speech   Speed Demon   Spirits In The Material World   Spread A Little Happiness   Spread A Little Happyness   Stay Ready   Stolen Car   Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)   Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing) [Instrumental]   Storm The Gates Of Heaven   Straight To My Heart   Strange Fruit   Strange Things Happen   Sun Came Bursting Through My Cloud   Synchronicity I   Synchronicity Ii   Take Me To The Sunshine   Taking the Inside Rail (for the film Racing Stripe...   Tea In the Sahara   The Empty Chair   The Bed's Too Big Without You   The Bed's Too Big Without You   The Book Of My Life   The Boulevard of Broken Dreams   The Burning Babe   The Change   The Coventry Carol   The Dream Of The Blue Turtles   The Fool   The Hounds Of Winter   The Last Ship   The Last Ship (Reprise)   The Lazarus Heart   The lowest trees have tops - Third Booke of Songes...   The Madman Running Through The Fields   The Mighty   The Only Road   The Pirate's Bride   The Pirate's Bride (Symphonicities Album)   The Secret Marraige   The Secret Marriage   The Snow It Melts The Soonest   The Soul Cages   The Wild Wild Sea   The Wild, Wild Sea   The Wind Cries Mary   The Windmills Of Your Mind   The Windmills of Your Mind [Thomas Crown Affair]   There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue   They Dance Alone   They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)   They Dance Alone [Cueca Solo] [Version]   This Cowboy Song   This Island   This War   This Was Never Meant to Be   Three Steps To Heaven   Thrills   Tides   Tomorrow Is Another Day   Tomorrow We'll See   Too Kool To Kalypso   Too Much Information   Touch Of Tequila   Towers Tumble   Towers Tumbled   Trans Am   Truth Hits Everybody   Trying To Get On The Radio   Tutti Frutti   Twenty-Five to Midnight   Union   Until   Until... [From Kate and Leopold]   Up From The Skies   Valparaiso   Valparaiso [From White Squall]   Vengo Del Sur   Vengo del Sur (Spanish) (Why Should I Cry For You?...   Vengo Del Sur (Why Should I Cry for You? : Spanish...   Victory   Video Magic   Visions Of The Night   Voices Inside My Head   Walking In Your Footsteps   Walking On The Moon   Waters Of Tyne   We Work The Black Seam   We Work The Black Seam (Symphonicities Album)   We Work the Black Seam [DVD]   We'll Be Together   We're Sending Our Love Down The Well   We'll Be Together   Weep You No More, Sad Fountain   Weep you no more, sad fountains - Third Booke of S...   What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?   What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? [DVD]   What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? [Enhance...   What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? [Live]   What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? [Live]   What Have We Got?   What Say You Meg   When The Angels Fall   When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best   When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best ...   When We Dance   When We Dance (Edit)   When We Dance (Symphonicities Album)   Whenever I Say Your Name   Whispering Voices   Why Don't You Answer?   Why Should I Cry For You   Why Should I Cry For You?   Wilt thou unkind thus reave me - First Booke of So...   Windmills Of Your Mind   Windmills Of Your Mind - Sting   Windmills of Your Mind [From the Thomas Crown Affa...   World War Three   Wrapped Around Your Finger   You Know I Had The Strangest Dream   You Only Cross My Mind In Winter   You Still Touch Me   You Were Meant For Me   you were meant for me (Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur F...   You Will Be My Ain True Love

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