“Will you walk a little faster,”
said the whiting to the snail.
There’s a porpoise close behind me
and he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the
turtles all advance,
They are waiting on the shingle,
Will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won’t
you, will you come and join the dance?
“You can really have no notion how delightful it will be!
When they take us up and throw us with the lobster out to sea.”

But the snail replied,
“Too far, too far!”
and gave a look askance.
Said he thanked the whiting
but he could not join the dance.
Would not, could not,
would not, could not,
would not, could not, join the dance.

“Oh what matters it how far we go?”
His scaly friend replied
“there’s another shore, you know”
he said, up on the other side.
It is on the other side.
And the further off from England,
yet the nearer ‘tis to France.
Then turn not so pale, beloved snail,
but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you,
will you, won't you,
will you come and join the dance.

「你能走快點嗎？」
鱷魚對蝸牛說，
「一隻海豚緊跟在我們後頭，
踩到了我的尾巴。
瞧啊，
龍蝦和海龜多麼起勁，
他們在海灘上等待。
你願意一起去跳舞嗎？
你願去，你想去，你願去，你想去
你願意一起去跳舞嗎？」
「你真不知道那有多麼開心，
我們和龍蝦一起被他們丟進海裡老遠!」

蝸牛斜了一隻眼回答：
「太遠啦，太遠啦!」
牠謝謝鯉魚的好意，
但牠不想去跳舞，
牠不願，牠不能，牠不願，牠不能，
牠不能一起去跳舞。

「丟得遠又有什麼關係？」
蝸牛那位有鱗的朋友答道，
「要知道，在大海的那邊，
還有另一個海岸。
離英格蘭遠了，
就會更靠近法蘭西。
親愛的蝸牛，你別害怕，    -
一起去跳舞吧!
你願去，你想去，你願去，你想去，
你願意一起去跳舞嗎？」