My name is Mary and I'm from Greenville, Mississippi
But this is where I live here in this old folks' dormitory
Every Sunday night Sarah comes to see us
And she plays that old upright
But Sarah always seems to leave us

When she plays something comes over me
Goes from my head all the way to my feet

And I wanna dance
I wanna snap my fingers all night long and dance
I wanna move around the room just like a woman in a trance
All night, I wanna dance
I wanna wrap my arms around your neck and dance
I wanna listen to the music that's been ringing in my ears
And one day I'm gonna dance my way right outta here

I had three girls and a boy but now one's gone up to Heaven
She's with her papa now 'cause he left for lack of penicillin
The older that I get I figure everyone is dying
They're all dying for a change
I know I'm dying for some action

But days like these Sunday seems so far away
So until then I'm gonna sit right here and here I'll stay

I wanna dance
I wanna snap my fingers all night long and dance
I wanna move around the room just like a woman in a trance
All night, I wanna dance
I wanna wrap my arms around your neck and dance
I wanna listen to the music that's been ringing in my ears
And one day I'm gonna dance my way right outta here

I'd marry you, if you could dance, that's what I said
Cuz where I'm going they'll be dancing everyday

words and music by Derek Webb

Behind the Song:
"This song was written after an emotional visit with my grandmother, Mary Webb, in an assisted living facility in Memphis, Tennessee. She recounted most of her life story to my Dad and I, continuing to return to the thing that she enjoyed the most: dancing." - Derek Webb (Caedmon's Call)