Dance On Glass
Dance On Glass is one of the songs Wayne Hussey wrote for The Sisters. A demo version was recorded
at Strawberry Studios Stockport in summer 1984, but Eldritch wasn't keen. In particular, he disliked the lyrics.
The music, however, became later the music to The Sisters great song Black Planet.
The bootleg Saints And Martyrs, as well as featuring the demo, takes its name from the lyrics. Finally, after
The Sisters' split, Wayne Hussey took the song with him to The Mission.
The Sisters of Mercy's demo version of Dance On Glass is available on a large variety of further bootlegs like
Victims Of Circumstance, Rare Obscurities, The Incredible History Of The Sisters - Vol 1, Demos And Remixes
and a few more. Plenty of these recordings can be found on YouTube...
A song also by the name of Dance on Glass can be found on The Mission's first album God's Own Medicine.
Some say that even if Andrew Eldritch didn't like it, Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams must have done. In fact,
however, both the music and the lyrics are quite different on that album, apart from the chorus.
Lyrics
Dance On Glass
Roll of the thunder
Kiss and the scream
Hold out my arms and scars start to show
Howling for the glory of the innocent
But don't despair for the shame I know
The taste of ash on my tongue
Faith and prayers, wanton dust
Chanting strangers, blood on their cheeks
Haunt my dreams all covered in blood
CHORUS (x2)
Dance
Dance on glass
Saints and martyrs
Tarnish, taint and punish me softly
Cut that bleeds and burning skin
Screaming in the darkness torn and ragged
For the love of god, my dreams look dim
So...
CHORUS
A whisper and a promise lit on fire
Kiss the hand where the angels dread
Love is the corpse that draws on dreams
Rips them apart and tears them to shreds
So...
CHORUS
Tarnish, taint, and punish me softly
Hold out the heat and burning skin
Screaming in the darkness torn and ragged
For the love of god, my dreams look dim
A whisper and a promise lit on fire
Kiss the hands where the angels dread
Love is the corpse that draws on dreams
Rips them apart and tears them to shreds
So...
CHORUS
Dance,
Dance on glass
Music & Lyrics: Wayne Hussey
Lyrics and music are property and copyright of their respective rights holders and provided only for study purposes.
Analysis
Wayne's usual sub-Led Zep cod-goth with a rhyming dictionary lyric style... some say, but judge by yourself.
