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"I Hope You Dance" Lyrics

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verse 1
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed

verse 2
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

chorus
I hope you dance (Dance)
I hope you dance (Dance)

verse 3
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking
Loving might be a mistake, but it's worth making

verse 4
Don't let some hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

chorus
I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance (Rolling us along)
I hope you dance (Tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance (Where those years have gone?)

bridge
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

chorus
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance (Rolling us along)
I hope you dance (Tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance (Where those years have gone?)

outro
Tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder
Where those years have gone? (Dance, dance)
song info:
Verified yes
LanguageEnglish
GenreRock, Dance, Pop
Duration00:04:55
Charts
Copyright ©Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
WriterTia Sillers, Mark Sanders
Lyrics licensed byLyricFind
Added
Last updatedDecember 11th, 2023
About"I Hope You Dance" is a crossover country pop song written by Mark Sanders and Tia Sillers and recorded by country singer Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert. The song, which was featured on Womack's 2000 album of the same name, reached number one on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts, and also reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100. It is considered to be Womack's signature song, and it is the only Billboard number one for both Womack and Sons of the Desert. "I Hope You Dance" won the 2001 CMA, ACM, NSAI, ASCAP and BMI awards for Song of the Year. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song and was nominated for Song of the Year. "I Hope You Dance" is ranked 352 in the list "Songs of the Century" compiled by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "I Hope You Dance" reached its 2 million sales mark in the United States in October 2015, and as of August 2016, it has sold 2,093,000 digital copies in the US.

Womack told The Today Show, "You can't hear those lyrics and not think about children and—and—and hope for the future and things you want for them. And those are the things I want for them in life. I want them to feel small when they stand beside the ocean." She also said, "Sometimes I have fun and lighthearted things. But even "I Hope You Dance." I was so shocked to see the way the kids got it. When—when I say kids, I mean, you know, like teen-agers. And we saw a big difference in our audience and—and the young kids that were coming out to the shows and really into "I Hope You Dance." It turned into like a prom and graduation theme." Womack told The Early Show, "I thought it was very special. It made me think about Aubrie and Anna Lisa. And I—I didn't know—I can't predict if something's going to be a big hit or not. But it certainly hit home with a lot of people, connected with a lot of people and took me a lot of new places that I had not been able to go before and took my career to a new level."

Womack told Billboard, "It made me think about my daughters and the different times in their lives. As a parent, you just hope those are the kinds of things you will make your children think of. But it can be so many things to different people. Certainly, it can represent everything a parent hopes for their child, but it can also be for a relationship that's ending as a fond wish for the other person's happiness or for someone graduating, having a baby, or embarking on a new path. It fits almost every circumstance I can think of."[7] In another interview with Billboard, Womack said, "When a song really connects with so many people, it's because they felt something when they heard it. This song makes you think about and feel for the people you really love in your life. Who doesn't have someone like that in their life?"

In 2006 Womack told Billboard about an incident at the Country Radio Seminar and said, "I made some new friends at radio, caught up with friends that I had known since the beginning of my career and was able to enjoy a few drinks. Unfortunately, the next day I was performing at the MCA luncheon in front of a crowd of radio folks and, feeling a bit under the weather, I completely blanked out on the lyrics of 'I Hope You Dance,' of all songs. Lucky for me, most of the audience was hung over too and had a good sense of humour about it."

Editors at Billboard gave the song a positive review and wrote, "This is a career record. Years from now, when critics are discussing Womack's vocal gifts and impressive body of work, this is a song that will stand out. It's one of those life-affirming songs that makes you pause and take stock of how you're living. It's filled with lovely poetry that will make listeners think. It's a great song, and Womack does it justice. Her sweet, vulnerable voice perfectly captures the tender sentiment of the lyric. The production is clean and understated, letting Womack's stunning vocal and the great lyric take center stage. Excellence deserves to be rewarded. Ken Barnes of USA Today listed the "I Hope You Dance" as the fourth best song of 2000 and wrote, "Uplifting message song whose greeting-card sentiments and imprecise rhymes are outweighed by a gorgeous performance by today's reigning pure-country vocalist.

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