Tap, tap, tap - Death rhythmically
Taps a tomb with his heel
Death at midnight plays a gigue
Tap, tap, tap, on his violin
The Winter wind blows, the night is dark
The lime-trees groan aloud;
White skeletons flit across the gloom
Running and leaping beneath their huge shrouds
Tap, tap, tap, everyone's astir
You hear the bones of the dancers knock
A lustful couple sits down on the moss
As if to savour past delights
Tap, tap, tap, Death continues
Endlessly scraping his shrill violin
A veil has slipped! The dancer's naked!
Her partner clasps her amorously
They say she's a baroness or marchioness
And the callow gallant a poor cartwright
Good God! And now she's giving herself
As though the bumpkin were a baron!
Tap, tap, tap, what a saraband!
Circles of corpses all holding hands!
Tap, tap, tap, in the throng you can see
King and peasant dancing together!
But shh! Suddenly the dance is ended
They jostle and take flight - the cock has crowed;
Ah! Nocturnal beauty shines on the poor!
And long live death and equality!