Other arrangements of The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance
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In the (Bbmaj7)streets a round here, there was (Gm7)no bod y tough er than me.
I was (Cm7)quick with me fists and (F7sus)fast with me foot work, as (Bbmaj7)you can plain ly (Bb7)see.
But while (Fm7)fight ing was use ful for (Bb7)get ting your way a mong the (Ebmaj7)toughs of the town
where (Ebm6)you could hold sway,
there (Gm)had to be some thing that was (E)bet ter than this.
I was (F7)fif teen years old
and I’d (Abdim7)nev er been kissed.
Well, of (Bbmaj7)course she’d ig nore me; her (Gm7)friends would all sneer at me (Cm7)blood y nose drip ping and me (F7sus)cau li flow’r ear.
For it’s (Cm7)hard to con vince in a (F7sus)ro man tic (F7)pose with a (Bbmaj7)love ly black eye and a bro ken (Bb6)nose, sion of me.
where a (Fm7)girl is at tract ed to (Bb7)skills more re fined than the pu gi list’s (Ebmaj7)art.
ly,
And (Ebm6)so, I in clined
to (Gm)take me self se rious as a was (Edim7)mod ern ro manc er, and I (F7)se cret ly learned all the moves of a danc (F7)er.
You (Bbmaj7)swing to the left,
you (Gm7)swing to the right, keep your eyes on your part ner, more or (F7sus)less like a fight.
You just (Cm7)fol low the rhy thm and you (F7sus)keep to the beat.
The im (Bbmaj7)por tant thing’s (Bb7)nev er to (Bb6)look at your (Bb)feet.
Then a (Fm7)mir a cle hap pens; your your (Bb7)mind’s in a trance, though the (Ebmaj7)strat e gy’s sub tle: re (Ebm6)treat and ad vance.
It’s (Bbmaj7)all a bout (Gm7)at ti tude, (Cm7)all in your (F7)stance, at (Dm7)ten tion to (Gm7)de tail, leav ing (Cm7)noth ing to (F7)chance; which ex (Dm7)plains how the (Gm7)pu gi list (Cm7)fi nal ly (F7)learned how to (Bbmaj7)dance.
Well, I’d on the (Bbmaj7)night that the pu gi (Gm7)list (Cm7)fi nal ly (F7sus)learned how (F7)to (Bmaj7)dance.
It’s a (B)three min ute round and you’re (G#m7)back in your cor ner.
You’re (C#m7)lick ing your wounds just like (F#7sus)Lit tle Jack Horn er.
Don’t (C#m7)let your guard down; try a (F#7sus)jab with your right, or you’re (Bmaj7)los ing on points by the (B6)end of the night.
Then a (F#m7)mir a cle hap pens
and ev ’ry one’s (B7)scream ing.
You’re (Emaj7)pinch ing your self just in (Em6)case you’re still dream ing.
You’ve (G#m)tak en th’in i tia (G)tive, you’ve (F)tak en your chance.
It’s the (B)night when this (G#m7)pu gi list (C#m7)fi nal ly learned how to (F)dance.
In a (D#m7)bout where the (G#m7)strat e gist’s (C#m7)bridg es were burned, where it (D#m7)seemed that his (G#m7)for tune had (C#m7)sud den ly turned, ’twas the (D#m7)night that this (G#m7)scrap per was (C#m7)sud den ly dap per.
This (F)poor fel low’s (Em)heart was still (B)going like the (Ddim7)clap pers the (C#m7)night that the pu gi list fi nal ly (F#7sus)learned how (F#7)to (Bmaj7)dance.
The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance — Classic Piano Sheet Music
10 people have learned this song
Read "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance" by Sting in classic piano notation — both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of Eb. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 160 BPM.
Tip: Use the speed control to practice at 70% tempo first. Focus on tricky chord transitions before attempting the full arrangement.
Try other practice modes:
About “The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance”
- Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance"?
- Yes — the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature Eb. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
- What key is "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance" by Sting played in?
- The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance is arranged in the key of Eb on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance"?
- The arrangement plays at 160 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance" easy to play on piano?
- This is a medium-difficulty arrangement. Most players can learn it within a few practice sessions using the speed control.
- Can I download sheet music for "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance"?
- "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance" was originally performed by Sting. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance"?
- This arrangement uses 34 chords: Abdim7, B, B6, B7, Bb, Bb6, Bb7, Bbaug, +26 more.
- What other songs by Sting can I play here?
- Try "DESERT ROSE", "WHEN WE DANCE", "IF I EVER LOSE MY FAITH IN YOU". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
- Yes — "The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature Eb, time signature, beams, dynamics — everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
- What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
- Sheet Music is the "classic" view — the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
- Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
- Yes — slow the tempo from 160 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
- Why can I click a note in the score?
- Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
- Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
- Yes — Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.