25 Country Songs with Lyrics About Dancing and Honky-Tonks!

1. The Dance by Garth Brooks (1989)
2. Slow Country Dance by Mary Chapin Carpenter (1989)
3. Down at the Twist & Shout, by Mary Chapin Carpenter (1990)
4. Boot Scootin’ Boogie by Brooks and Dunn (1991)
5. Life’s a Dance by John Michael Montgomery (1992)
6. I Just Wanna Dance With You by George Strait (1998)
7. We Danced by Brad Paisley (1999)
8. Take me out to a Dancehall by Pat Green (1999)
9. I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack (2000)
10. I Love This Bar by Toby Keith (2003)
11. Buy Myself a Chance by Randy Rogers (2008)
12. We’re Gonna Dance by Cody Jinks (2008)
13. Why Don’t We Just Dance by Josh Turner (2010)

14. Footloose by Blake Shelton (2011)
15. I Don’t Dance by Lee Brice (2014)
16. Dance Her Home by Cody Johnson (2014)
17. Heartache on the Dance Floor by John Pardi (2016)
18. Heartache Medication by John Pardi (2019)
19. Every Little Honky Tonk Bar by George Strait (2019)
20. Honky Tonk Time Machine by George Strait (2019)
21. Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floors by Cody Johnson (2021)
22. Two to Two Step by Midland (2021)
23. Heaven’s Jukebox by Jaden Hamilton (2021)
24. Boots by Aaron Watson (2021)
25. You In a Honky Tonk by Randall King (2023)

Starting off is the obvious classic country song about dancing! At first, I didn’t think The Dance should make the list since my goal here is songs that really speak to our actual nights out at the dance hall. Garth Brooks’ song “The Dance” speaks to a much deeper theme of course.

When I was going through the deep pain of my divorce, this was one of the songs that came to mind. And as painful as it all was the song was a great comfort since its lyrics are true!

Life is like a dance! It’s just a moment, and then it’s over, or you could also say it’s a collection of moments: many experiences that we live in for moments, and then they end. But it’s better to have had those experiences and enjoyed them than not at all!

This song obviously applies to the most significant “dances” we’ve known in our lives, but I like to think it can also speak to shorter ones too! The 26-year-long dance I had with someone who later said good-bye, and more recent literal dances I’ve had with people at my local country bar. Both are dances we shared.

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared ‘neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you’d ever say goodbye

And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn’t I a king
But if I’d only known how the king would fall
Hey who’s to say you know I might have changed it all

And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance

Next, as the title of the song suggests, is a slow country song by Mary Chapin Carpenter. I’m a big fan of hers, but didn’t remember this one! The lyrics are full and all about a night out country dancing. What I love about this is that the slow BPM lends itself to a waltz and the song references the Waltz! At 109 I believe you could also do a Cha Cha to this.

Out on the floor the couples are swinging
To one Faded Love on the jukebox tonight
You slide in your coins
And the music keeps playing
A slow country dance
On a Saturday night

Sweethearts in love and others just lonely
Searching for someone to waltz with tonight
In a smoky old bar you know that it’s only
A slow country dance
On a Saturday night

And love’s never easy or ever as true
When the changing of partners
Is no longer new
You lead with your heart and closing your eyes
Dance just to dance
In three-quarter time

For the third one, another Mary Chapin Carpenter song! I’ve also included this one over in my list of 39 Great Country Two Step Songs for the Dance Floor.

And, like the first song, it is a song about the dance that the dance also works with! Yes, with its uptempo beat, you can dance the Two Step to it! In fact, I have often Two Stepped to this song at my local country bar. And I usually point this out to whoever I’m dancing with in the moment!

Saturday night and the moon is out
I wanna head on over to the Twist and Shout
Find a two-step partner and a Cajun beat
When it lifts me up I’m gonna find my feet
Out in the middle of a big dance floor
When I hear that fiddle, wanna beg for more
Wanna dance to a band from a-Lou’sian’ tonight

The next song about dancing is about line dancing. Or is it? Upon closer examination of the lyrics I think it is only saying country dancing of some sort. Check out the lyrics:

Yeah, heel toe, docie doe, come on, baby, let’s go, boot scootin’
Oh, Cadillac, Black Jack, baby meet me outback we’re gonna boogie
Oh, get down turn around go to town boot scootin’ boogie

The bartender asks me, say, “Son what’ll it be”
I want a shot at that redhead yonder lookin’ at me
The dance floors hoppin’, and it’s hotter than the Fourth of July
I see outlaws inlaws crooks and straights
All out makin’ it shake doin’ the boot scootin’ boogie

The next one here’s another one like Garth Brooks’ The Dance–it’s more metaphorical than about literal dancing. But I still like it! And I think there are things about the lyrics that apply both to our lives as well as an actual night out dancing!

When I was 14 I was fallin’ fast for a blue-eyed girl in my homeroom class
Tryin’ to find the courage to ask her out was like tryin’ to get oil from a waterspout
What she would have said I can’t say
I never did ask and she moved away
But I learned somethin’ from my blue-eyed girl
Sink or swim you gotta give it a whirl

Life’s a dance you learn as you go
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow
Don’t worry about what you don’t know
Life’s a dance you learn as you go

Next, here’s a great classic from George Strait! This song really touches on that great moment when dancing becomes romantic and is a place to enjoy your special someone!

Also, at 114 BPMs it is a great song for all the country cha cha dances. For my article about the popular ones click here.

I don’t want to be the kind to hesitate
Be too shy, wait too late
I don’t care what they say other lovers do
I just wanna dance with you

I gotta feeling that you have a heart like mine
So let it show, let it shine
If we have a chance to make one heart of two
I just wanna dance with you

I wanna dance with you
Twirl you all around the floor
That’s what they intended dancin’ for
And I just wanna dance with you

I became a country music fan in the early 2000s, so was fortunate enough to get in on some ’90s country still playing on the radio. I remember this song played a lot and I really loved it. I think what we like about it is the great story-telling of the woman that left her purse and had to come back to the bar after closing to get it!

The bar was empty
I was sweeping up the floor
That’s when she walked in
I said, I’m sorry but we’re closed
And she said “I know
But I’m afraid I left my purse”
I said, “I put one back behind the bar
I bet it’s probably yours”
And the next thing that I knew
There we were, lost in conversation
Before I handed her her purse
I said, “You’ll only get this back on one condition”

And we danced
Out there on that empty hardwood floor
The chairs up and the lights turned way down low
The music played, we held each other close
And we danced

Since I’m a big Pat Green fan I have a Pat Green Pandora channel and often hear this song. This song in particular may have inspired this whole blog post! To me “Take Me Out to a Dancehall” really captures the kind of songs that I wanted for this list. A song about the desire to get out on the dancefloor!

This one would work for Two Step, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually heard it played while dancing–that would be cool! And of course, the song is also largely about a date night at the dancehall!

So take me out to a dancehall
Tap my foot down to the rhythm
Tell ’em to play them old songs that we all love
And you tell me that you want me and I tell you that I want you too
And I’ll kiss your face, whenever you want me to.

For the next one, I’ve included a classic country song about dancing that for sure couldn’t be left off this list.

Check out both videos below. The latter is Leanne Womack’s official music video, but the first is the songwriter’s story of how she came to write I hope you dance.

While this one, like Garth Brooks’ The Dance, feels like another metaphorical song about dancing, it also applies to actual dancing! When you are out dancing, you will constantly be faced with the “choice to sit it out or dance” so…I hope you dance!

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
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
I hope you dance

Toby Keith’s I love this bar is a classic song about a honky tonk. I think as country dancers that frequent our local country dance saloon we can so relate to it. We often talk about our “home bar,” meaning we get around to a lot of the places to dance, but we generally have a favorite local spot.

And, just like the lyrics of this song, there are so many little things and nuances that we come to love about our place.

But dancing is also mentioned: “trollin’ around the dance floor” is odd to me. It’s a fishing term, so I guess it means casting a line to catch a new lady. I like to insert in my mind Two-Stepping around the dance floor for that part!

But I love this bar
It’s my kind of place
Just trollin’ around the dance floor
Puts a big smile on my face
No cover charge
Come as you are
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love this bar
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I just love this old bar

About the video below…The very well know official music video was filmed at the Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth, California. The iconic honky tonk is often used for filming saloon and dancing scenes to this day. I’ve visited and really love that bar! Check out my review here. It’s a great place to make your home bar if you live in the area and do your line dancing and Two Stepping at!

Like #8 here’s another song that got on the list because of my Texas Pandora radio station. This great song really has it all! It’s a country song you can Two Step or do a Cha Cha to that is not only about dancing but tells a great story about the drama and romance of asking someone to dance at the dancehall. And in the case of the song’s hopeful dancer, he’s hoping to steal the girl with the help of his dancing ability, a good song, and the “two left feet” of the girl’s boyfriend.

Another thing that solidly puts this song on the list is that Randy Rogers when writing this song had in mind the goal to get people out on the dance floor: “Let’s get people on the dance floor, and then give ’em a song!” (Check out his great telling of this in the video below!)

Well, I’ve been watching you stare at the floor
That guy’s got two left feet
I may be wrong but you must be bored
You look like someone who I’d like to meet

Well, if things don’t work out by the next song
And you’re looking for someone who can dance
I’ll be right over there by the jukebox
A quarter in my hand
Trying to buy myself a chance

Saw my reflection in an empty glass
So I rehearsed my lines
Said I ain’t looking for trouble
Well, I know you came in here with him tonight

Well, here goes nothing, I hope for something
I’m walking out ‘cross the floor
I cross my fingers, I tap your shoulder
And I say I’ve never done this before

But if things don’t work out by the next song
And you’re looking for someone who can dance
I’ll be right over there by the jukebox
A quarter in my hand
Trying to buy myself a chance
I’m trying to buy myself a chance

Cody Jinks is another great country singer from Texas, and We’re Gonna Dance is a great song for this list.

We’re Gonna Dance is another romantic song about dancing and it is about taking all those great dancehall skills you have and then just staying at home with your significant other and having your own more intimate dancehall right at home!

And I agree “socks move well on a hardwood floor!”

I’ve been gone for way too long
And I’ve been working way too hard
And I know, it’s taking its toll on you
But tonight I’ll make things right
By the fire with some candlelight
And I’ll tell you
What we’re gonna do

We’re not going out
We’re gonna stay right here at home
There won’t be anyone in the world
When we’re all alone

We’re gonna
Lay the worries back and love until we’re back on track
If you’ll just give me this chance
Move the couch, lock the door, socks move well on a hardwood floor
And we’re gonna dance
We’re gonna dance

This one seems perfect to follow We’re Gonna Dance since it really is the same idea: dancing at home with your partner! The main difference is that Josh Turner’s take on it is a little more upbeat and less serious. And, I think the music video really conveys that as the couple just have fun dancing together throughout their house in ever-changing clothes and styles of dance!

Baby, why don’t we just turn that TV off?
Three hundred and fifteen channels of nothing but bad news on,
Well it might be me
But the way I see it,
The whole wide world has gone crazy.
So baby, why don’t we just dance?

Just a little bitty living room ain’t gonna look like much.
But when the lights go down and we move the couch,
It’s gonna be more than enough
For my two left feet
And our two hearts beatin’
Nobody’s gonna see us go crazy.
So baby, why don’t we just dance

While Footloose was originally by Kenny Loggins for the 1984 movie soundtrack, I’m listing it by Blake Shelton since that seems to be the version played today in your local country bar. And of course, when we hear it start up, we all line up to do Slappin’ Leather! If you want to learn Slappin’ Leather see my post on 20 Beginner Line Dances You Need to Know!

I was interested in what the line dance was in the remake of the movie Footloose, so I put together a whole page diving deep into that. Check that out here: What Line Dance is in the Movie Footloose? (hint: It isn’t Slappin’ Leather!)

Back to another romantic song about dancing! As someone who likes to dance, I’m forever fighting this losing battle with friends who do not! I’m always trying to convince them of how great it is and if they are looking for a significant other, it isn’t a bad place to hang out! This song’s lyrics even suggest that who you meet where there is dancing might change your whole view about the activity!

Love’s never come my way
I’ve never been this far
‘Cause you took these two left feet
And waltzed away with my heart
No, I don’t dance, but here I am

Spinnin’ you ’round and ’round in circles
It ain’t my style, but I don’t care
I’d do anything with you anywhere
Yes, you got me in the palm of your hand girl

‘Cause, I don’t dance
Oooh. I don’t dance. Oou oou oou oou
I don’t dance, but here I am
Spinnin’ you ’round and ’round in circles

Let the romance and dance theme continue! I love this one by Cody Johnson and just how it talks about how the dance floor and a little two-steppin’ could be the beginning of something very special–you just never know!

Here she comes a walkin’ in, cotton dress a swishin’
Smoke is thick and the lights are dim and she sure got me wishin’
For a little bit of time out on that ol’ dance floor
If she gives me half a chance at romance I’m gonna dance her home

Well hey bartender see that girl ask her what she’s drinkin’
Tell her if she looks this way I’ll be the one a winkin’
‘Cause I saw her light up when the DJ played a little George Jones
If she gives me half a chance at romance I’m gonna dance her home

‘Cause if we got to two-steppin’ we could come up missin’
And find a corner booth of our own
Just a huggin’ and a kissin’ like two lovers reminiscin’
Man this feelin’s comin’ on strong
If she gives me half a chance at romance I’m gonna dance her home

I love this Jon Pardi song and think that the theme is something many of us who are single and go out dancing from time to time might be able to relate to.

We dance with a lot of people, but sometimes there might be someone who we feel more of a spark with. But the night ends and they’re gone! And we can’t help but wonder if we might see them again!

Like the love-sick fool that Jon Pardi plays in his music video, we keep looking, hoping to see them again in the future. Or maybe at least dream about it a little.

She was a heartache on the dance floor
(Heartache on the dance floor)
Yeah, she’s movin’ through my mind
(Movin’ through my mind)
I gotta know her name, and I got to see her again

She’s got me wonderin’
Yeah, I’m just wonderin’
Where she at, where she at, where she at tonight?
Where she at, where she at, where she at tonight?
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah

In any collection of good country songs, there will be some heartbreaks and drinking going on. I think John Pardi’s Heartache Medication is a great favorite and for country dancers who have also experienced heartbreak, it resonates even more. The country bar where there’s a hardwood dance floor, a jukebox, neon, and some dancing can be a bitter-sweet place to try to get over our last love.

If you watch the music video for the song he does some drinking but he also seems to be moving on pretty quickly to “another girl.” But is she “trouble?” Who knows? What is funny to me is the very choreographed dancing that ensues! There’s some country swing and then some line dancing of some sort! Check it out!

Another girl, another dance to a country song
Turnin’ me on, here’s to a good time
And halfway to feelin’ alright

And here I go again, I’m drinkin’ one, I’m drinkin’ two
I got my heartache medication, a strong dedication
To gettin’ over you, turnin’ me loose
On that hardwood jukebox lost in neon time
My heartache medication, well it suits me fine
And I’m drinkin’ enough to take you off my mind
I got my heartache medication

Single, drinkin’ doubles
Teardrops turnin’ into bubbles
Yeah, a little later on
I’ll probably find me some trouble

Well, so far the list has only included one George Strait song with #6’s I Just Wanna Dance with You. So, thank goodness for George Strait’s fairly recent great album Honky-Tonk Time Machine! I love this album and it gives us two great new country songs from the King about honky-tonks and dancing!

Every Little Honky Tonk Bar is a great tribute to the Honky Tonk! The lyrics are perfect, both creative and perfectly descriptive of what it is that goes on in every honky tonk. There are burnt bridges, broken hearts, lonesome eyes, and full dance floors.

This is for sure an accurate description! It’s a place where people go to escape their troubles a little.

Whiskey is the gasoline that lights the fire that burns the bridge
Ice creates the water that’s no longer runnin’ under it
Stool holds the fool that pours the whiskey on his broken heart
Cigarettes create the smoke that hides the lonesome in his eyes
The jukebox plays Hank, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
Dance floor holds the folks trying to forget who they are
And that’s what happens in every little honky tonk bar

Friday night, it’s a given
I’ll be L-I-V-N, livin’
We’ll dance on the bar ’til we’re sleeping it off in the car
Monday morning, it’s a given
I’ll be D-R-A-G-N, draggin’
And that’s what happens in every little honky tonk bar

The second song about honky-tonks and dancing on George Strait’s 2019 album really just continues describing the honky tonk atmosphere! It unfolds a great story of a retired DJ coming out on occasion and picking out the oldies on the jukebox, and “spinnin’ ’em back to the good old days.”

What a great picture that paints. And I love how the crowd doesn’t mind but fills up the dance floor–“all cowboy hats, boots, and jeans–ridin’ that honky tonk time machine.”

Well he comes in here on the first and fifteenth
Pockets just jinglin’ like a tambourine
Makes a beeline over to that old jukebox
Fills it up to the top and needle drops

And it’s off like a rocket in a neon haze
Spinnin’ ’em back to the good old days
Beer gets to flowin’ and the whiskey pours
There ain’t an empty spot on the old dance floor
All cowboy hats, boots, and jeans
Ridin’ that honky tonk time machine

Next is another great country song that really celebrates the honky tonk and the thrill of going out to enjoy a great night at one. I sort of picture Cody Johnson being at nothing less than Billy Bob’s as I listen to the lyrics–maybe the biggest honky-tonk on the planet.

I love the picture the song paints of the wall to wall western wear, shinny neon, fiddles playing and cowgirls swingin’! And I think I experience that second wind sometimes…I may not feel like going out, but when I walk in and see the dancers and hear the music, I’m in!

Every single night under a big ol’ Texas sky
Parking lot looks like a field growin’ pickup trucks
The people come from miles around just to get a little unwound
I want to drink a little, dance a little, line them lone stars up

Them neon lights shinin’ bright as diamonds
Boots and hats and pearl snaps wall to wall
The fiddle singin’ and cowgirls swingin’
Keep me comin’ through them doors
For long neck bottles and honky tonk hardwood floors

Soon as I walk in, it’s like I get my second wind
I wanna keep that good time feeling rockin’ all night long
I can’t seem to get enough y’all, it’s gotta be in my blood
‘Cause the louder that crowd gets, the more I feel at home

Two to Two Step is a cute song about a guy calling his girl out onto the dance foor–to stop just watching the dance floor, but get out there and Two Step. Two to tango, two to wango down that hardwood, don’t you think it’d do your heart good? I actually don’t feel like the song works great for Two Step, but it could work.

I wish they would have shown some dancing in the video! Maby that’s why they didn’t! But a great Midland music video where there is some Two Stepping happening is their video for Burn Out–I’ve included it on my page about Billy Bob’s honky-tonk here.

You been tappin’ your fingers, while your stare at your phone
I bet you didn’t slide those tight jeans on for nothin’
Oh, and I didn’t come here to drink alone
You’ve been watching that dancefloor all night long
Come on, let’s get into something

It’s takes two to two step
Two to tango
Two to wango down that hardwood
Don’t ya’ think it’d do your heart good?
Just me and you doin’ the new step
Getting the boots wet
Dancing in denim and diamonds and rockin’ it
Steady, you ready to lose your blues, yet?
It’s takes two to two step

We could be swayin’ our hips, keepin’ our own time
Makin’ up words that don’t even rhyme, just living
For the moment ’til the night is gone
You can do the leading, even if you’re only leading me on
Come on, here comes the perfect song

It’s takes two to two step

The next one is really fun but a little obscure. Have you heard of it? I probably would not have heard of it if I hadn’t been in Vegas last year for the Vegas Dance Explosion. There was a new line dance being taught by José Miguel Belloque Vane of the Netherlands–by the same name: Heaven’s Jukebox!

I think there are a few country songs out there that dream of what heaven will be like and if there will be some of the things cowboys enjoy of their Western lifestyle.

This song does that in a great way, with the thought: “If Heaven’s got a jukebox…” and going on from there to wish for country songs, a dance floor where we can Two Step, and enjoy good times for all eternity.

What a great song! And José & Willie’s line dance is great too! Check it out and give it a whirl!

Well, I don’t know what happens when we go
But I hear that the streets are paved in gold
And maybe there’s a little red dirt for my soul
And maybe, just maybe the beer’s still cold

If Heaven’s got a Jukebox
I hope it’s filled up with country songs
I hope it’s got a dance floor
So we can two-step to ’em all night long
I’ll keep ’em rollin’ and rockin’
So them good times ain’t stopping for all of eternity
If Heaven’s got a Jukebox
Lord knows that’s where I’ll be

Boots by Aaron Watson is another great romantic country song about dancing. I love this country-western take on that “walking on air” “cloud 9” feeling.

Just like that neon sign, I’m buzzing
Just like that full moon, I’m so high
No, it’s not what you think, it’s not from the drink
It’s not from something I’m smoking
Makes me feel like I can fly

When you’re in these arms of mine
I’m up on cloud nine
On the dance floor floating around
And I can’t keep my boots on the ground
I never want this night to end
You got me three sheets to the wind
Like a record we’re spinning around
And I can’t keep my boots on the ground

Randall King’s songs really remind me of George Strait! Maybe he’s the next “King!” He has the right name at least! I love this song about a girl and how her wearing a honky-tonk, (so, her being at the honky-tonk) is what excites him most.

To me that is a great take on the honky-tonk life, yes he loves his lady in anything she puts on, but when she’s at the honky-tonk, that’s when she really steals his breath away. This cracks me up, cause, why? Maybe because that’s when the two things he loves the most come together.

Cotton flannel on a front porch swing
Leather jacket and some tight blue jeans
Don’t get me started on the things I think
When you’re wearing nothing but them soft white sheets, yeah

Listen, baby, you can put on anything
What drives me crazy

Is seeing you in a honky-tonk
The way you’re slipping that neon on
Girl, there ain’t a look you can’t pull off
But nothing turns me on
Like you in a honky-tonk

Smoke rings, glowing greens, and reds
They hug your body like a long black dress
It’s tailor-made for your silhouette
Ooh, nothing steals my breath

Like seeing you in a honky-tonk