The red shoes mentioned in the song's lyrics appear in several contexts. The couple wanders solemnly through the outback with some other Aboriginal people, when the young woman finds a pair of mystical red pumps on a desert mountain and instantly learns to dance. Bowie's calling 'put on your red shoes' recalls Hans Christian Andersen's tale "The Red Shoes", in which the little girl was vainly tempted to wear the shoes only to find they could not be removed, separating her from God's grace – "let's dance for fear your grace should fall" "The red shoes are a found symbol. They are the simplicity of the capitalist society and sort of striving for success – black music is all about 'Put on your red shoes'", as Bowie confirmed.