The Crow & The Butterfly
A musician’s inspiration for a song can come from anywhere, even their own subconscious, and that proves true in the case of my favorite song “The Crow & The Butterfly” by Shinedown. The singer of the band and the writer of the song, Brent Smith, has said his inspiration came from a dream he had about a mother dealing with the death of a child. The song to me represents loss in any sense that is relevant to the listener. The emotion you feel while listening to the lyrics can speak to anyone in different aspects of their life. I’m not going to lie, it’s a sad song, but the melody and orchestra aspects make it so beautiful and almost theatrical.
“I painted your room at midnight so I’d know yesterday was over
I put …show more content…
If you didn’t know it was written about a child passing away you could interpret it as a breakup or a child growing up and moving out for the first time. It paints a portrait of someone absolutely trying to cope with a loved one not being around anymore. You feel the pain of someone trying to put away constant reminders of a loved one in an effort to heal. I wouldn’t say they are trying to forget about them completely, just moving the physical memories out of sight. The chorus of this song leaves so much open to interpretation that people have linked the lyrics to drug addiction and even chasing a relationship between two friends. “Just like a crow chasing a butterfly, dandelions lost in the summer sky
When you and I were getting high as outer space, I never thought you’d slip away
I guess I was just a little too late”
A crow chasing a butterfly could represent death chasing a beautiful life much like crows and ravens represent bad luck in other areas of pop culture. A crow could also represent addiction for some people and the butterfly sobriety. That understanding would make sense for the “getting high as outer space” line but that’s not the way I interpret it. I think of a child’s imagination, like when they’re on a swing and think they can touch the …show more content…
Sting said he woke up in the night with that line in his head. The whole song sounds like a guy stalking a woman and when you think about it coming from a dream it makes me wonder what was going on in sting’s life at the time. He tries to say it was written with a feeling of “surveillance and control” created by the government at the time. I can see that in some parts but most of this song feels like a broken heart. “Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break Every step you take, I’ll be watching you” “Every single day, every word you say, every game you play Every night you stay, I’ll be watching you”
I hope you listen to my favorite song and it pulls on your heartstrings like it does mine. I hope it helps you find peace, even if you didn’t know you needed it. If you don’t care for the lyrics I hope you enjoy the tremendous vocal range of Brent Smith and the orchestra-like instrumentals. Shinedown is a phenomenal group that deserves a great deal of respect for their anti-bullying stance and their encouragement of unity in this country. If you ever see them live you will witness both of those passions at the forefront of their core values. They are tremendous men and
A musician’s inspiration for a song can come from anywhere, even their own subconscious, and that proves true in the case of my favorite song “The Crow & The Butterfly” by Shinedown. The singer of the band and the writer of the song, Brent Smith, has said his inspiration came from a dream he had about a mother dealing with the death of a child. The song to me represents loss in any sense that is relevant to the listener. The emotion you feel while listening to the lyrics can speak to anyone in different aspects of their life. I’m not going to lie, it’s a sad song, but the melody and orchestra aspects make it so beautiful and almost theatrical.
“I painted your room at midnight so I’d know yesterday was over
I put …show more content…
If you didn’t know it was written about a child passing away you could interpret it as a breakup or a child growing up and moving out for the first time. It paints a portrait of someone absolutely trying to cope with a loved one not being around anymore. You feel the pain of someone trying to put away constant reminders of a loved one in an effort to heal. I wouldn’t say they are trying to forget about them completely, just moving the physical memories out of sight. The chorus of this song leaves so much open to interpretation that people have linked the lyrics to drug addiction and even chasing a relationship between two friends. “Just like a crow chasing a butterfly, dandelions lost in the summer sky
When you and I were getting high as outer space, I never thought you’d slip away
I guess I was just a little too late”
A crow chasing a butterfly could represent death chasing a beautiful life much like crows and ravens represent bad luck in other areas of pop culture. A crow could also represent addiction for some people and the butterfly sobriety. That understanding would make sense for the “getting high as outer space” line but that’s not the way I interpret it. I think of a child’s imagination, like when they’re on a swing and think they can touch the …show more content…
Sting said he woke up in the night with that line in his head. The whole song sounds like a guy stalking a woman and when you think about it coming from a dream it makes me wonder what was going on in sting’s life at the time. He tries to say it was written with a feeling of “surveillance and control” created by the government at the time. I can see that in some parts but most of this song feels like a broken heart. “Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break Every step you take, I’ll be watching you” “Every single day, every word you say, every game you play Every night you stay, I’ll be watching you”
I hope you listen to my favorite song and it pulls on your heartstrings like it does mine. I hope it helps you find peace, even if you didn’t know you needed it. If you don’t care for the lyrics I hope you enjoy the tremendous vocal range of Brent Smith and the orchestra-like instrumentals. Shinedown is a phenomenal group that deserves a great deal of respect for their anti-bullying stance and their encouragement of unity in this country. If you ever see them live you will witness both of those passions at the forefront of their core values. They are tremendous men and