There I was with the old man
Stranded again so off I'd ran
A young world crashing around me
No possibilities of getting what I need
He looked at me and smiled
Said no, no, no, no, no child
See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he likes to fly
Dog and butterfly
Below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground, laughing
She don't know why, she don't know why
Dog and butterfly
Well I stumbled upon your secret place
Safe in the trees you had tears on your face
Wrestling with your desires frozen strangers
Stealing your fires, the message hit my mind
Only words that I could find
See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground
Laughing to the sky, up to the sky
Dog and butterfly
We're getting older the world's getting colder
For the life of me I don't know the reason why
Maybe it's livin' making us give in
Hearts rolling in taken back on the tide
We're balanced together ocean upon the sky
Another night in this strange town
Moonlight holding me light as down
Voice of confusion inside of me
Just begging to go back where I'm free
Feels like I'm through
Then the old man's words are true
See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground
With a little tear in her eye
She had to try, she had to try
Dog and butterfly, yeah
Up in the air he like to fly
The dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground, laughing
She don't know why
But she had to try, she had to try
Dog and butterfly
Stranded again so off I'd ran
A young world crashing around me
No possibilities of getting what I need
He looked at me and smiled
Said no, no, no, no, no child
See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he likes to fly
Dog and butterfly
Below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground, laughing
She don't know why, she don't know why
Dog and butterfly
Well I stumbled upon your secret place
Safe in the trees you had tears on your face
Wrestling with your desires frozen strangers
Stealing your fires, the message hit my mind
Only words that I could find
See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground
Laughing to the sky, up to the sky
Dog and butterfly
We're getting older the world's getting colder
For the life of me I don't know the reason why
Maybe it's livin' making us give in
Hearts rolling in taken back on the tide
We're balanced together ocean upon the sky
Another night in this strange town
Moonlight holding me light as down
Voice of confusion inside of me
Just begging to go back where I'm free
Feels like I'm through
Then the old man's words are true
See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground
With a little tear in her eye
She had to try, she had to try
Dog and butterfly, yeah
Up in the air he like to fly
The dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground, laughing
She don't know why
But she had to try, she had to try
Dog and butterfly
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HEART's love for dogs has even influenced their music. Ann penned the words to "Dog and Butterfly" but it was her Sheepdog that inspired the lyrics. Ann watched intently from her bedroom window as her Sheepdog chased a butterfly around the yard. "As Ann watched her dog it struck her as symbolic as to how life can be," explains Nancy. "When you're an earthbound creature we're always jumping and reaching for things we can never really catch, but you try anyway. And that's the point of the song, we're always trying to grab at something higher."
In that vein, I have to say to me, this is a story of lost love from youth. The dog, she is bound to the earth and the ground, to her circumstances which are narrated well by the captivity she finds herself in with the old man. The old man is reality, capitivity. She sees the butterfly she loves and the beauty that is his freedom. She finds him in his secret place and tries to reach him, discovering and laughing about the fact she realizes she cannot fly. She is earthbound; she is the loyal dog and her circumstances contain her within that reality. She cannot however, help but look up to the beautiful butterfly, that represents her lost freedom and true love, and at least try to join him, falling in spite of it again to the warm, soft ground that is her home, her place. She longs for her freedom, she longs to join the butterfly she loves but realizes she cannot, but has to try.
That is the forestructure, my personal reality, that I bring to interpreting this song. It is the personal meaning I attribute to the lyrics. It may be vastly different from your interpretation but it is still supported by the lyrics.
This is not to say that the song, writing or poem can mean anything we apply to it; it must be supported by the text. However, the coupling of the text with our personal interpretations are what bring a myriad of meanings to a singular work. Dog and Butterfly may be then, many things, but to me, it is my song about the freedom I wish so desperately to connect with, but realize I cannot.
I dunno, I do know after awhile I stopped searching for the real meaning. I'm afraid it will blow it for me (like if its written about a sheep-dog, I'd rather not know)! However, I did read every explanation above and do feel we are all on the same page in our conclusions. I agree about, wrestling with your desires...relating to drugs. I even agree with the cloud animals and felt it that way too.
I have a few more favorite songs that totally move me and I'm not certain exactly what they are really about either...like Tiny Dancer, and A Lighter Shade of Pale ( annie lennox does a version but its an older song than that.LOVE IT!! But whats go'n on in the song?? Is it drugs and Alcohol again?? Probably. One more is Van Morrisons, Queen of the Slipstream. TOTAL favorite of mine, feel it, love it, have my own fantacy of what it means...But what does it REALLY mean???? ANSWERS ANYONE???
Wouldn't you guys die if I wrote a long ass story of my version of three more songs!! Good LORD,
I must be lonely.
Excuse all my spelling and typo errors. Pretty bad, but I'm jamm'n and it is late & I did just manage to emotionally exhaust myself! You too? Sorry! In my own m,ind, I'm an amazing journalist!! HAH!
Good night strangers!
I'm sure by now you probably have heard about this. I'm among those of you who wish it had some deeper meaning about life and adventure along the way. C'est la vie
I'm sure by now you probably have heard about this. I'm among those of you who wish it had some deeper meaning about life and adventure along the way. C'est la vie
Except the sacred place where the river meets the sea.......
I know it is the wisdom from my father and stenth of my mother and the heart of my brother.
You just have to try...
You have to try.
My battery is going to die! Wow, sorry! Didn't know I;d get in this far....
Wow, what a release!
Peace
~Marnsmarie
Yesterday I went to lunch with my 19 year old daughter to talk about and remember her mother who died seven years ago to the day.
After lunch we bought some yellow roses and went to the cemetery where her grandmother, great grandmother and great grandfather are buried.
Her mother’s ashes were spread in the bay off the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge as was her request.
My daughter’s grandmother died of a drug overdose at the age of twenty seven, forty years ago next week.
My daughter’s mother died of liver failure on July 23rd 2004…
It was a beautiful summer day at the cemetery and life was being very real to us.
I sent an email to my daughter later in the afternoon expressing my gratitude for sharing this annual event with her, along with a link to a UTube video of “Dog & Butterfly”
While on my computer I learned of the death of Amy Winehouse of a drug overdose at the age of twenty seven. on the anniversary of my daughter’s mother’s death.
I am thankful that 7/23 is only one day in a year…
I feel that this song is for everybody, especially Haley my daughter…