Mistral Wind Lyrics
My ship was still and waitin'
I lay on that mirrored sky
A restless sail or waitin'
I closed my eyes said the
Words of will for the gentle
Breathin' that moves the seas
Make my sails fill
Awake at last like a lover
It rushed around the talkin' sweet
Roll over, roll over, roll over
And in my ear he blew his name
It sound so strange but I heard it plain
Mistral Mistral wind
I let the wind steal my power
Spin me 'round lose my course
Nights run be like hours
Well, it would show me the way
To the deepest mountains
Too high and beautiful to be
Mistral, mistral wind
I wait for that breeze to move me
And blow me back to that place
Magic space all through me
And I sigh your name
Across the empty water
You made a crazy dreamer out of me
Mistral, mistral, mistral, mistral,
Mistral, mistral

This song does bear similarities to "Soul of the Sea," but I think it is far more adventurous, both harmonically and rhythmically. That intro guitar part is very unique- might be some kind of alternate tuning. Ann Wilson also really pushes the envelope here vocally. Amazing!
A mistral wind is a strong, cold, dry wind that is caused by an area of high pressure in the Atlantic between Spain and France. The effects of the wind seem to center in and around France, and causes storms in the Mediterranean. It seems that the singer is comparing herself to a sailing vessel and the mistral wind to her lover, who fills her sails (gives her strength/energy/power), but also causes her to lose control of herself, and lose her way. She is unable to steer herself, perhaps making bad decisions.

This song is basically "Soul of the Sea Part II" they both have the same lyrical theme and structure (quiet beginning and end, loud middle)

I don't usually like to assume a meaning when I can't find what the artist has said or written themselves, but it seems pretty obvious that the wind is a metaphor for a lover, or "being in love" situation ... where things were safe, but the love situation was windy and stormy in albeit exciting and heart-pounding ways, and you could just let the feeling blow over you and take you wherever it may. That rush of being in love. And now things are back to being calm again now that it's over, but man, do you miss those feelings.

I was around 20 when Dog and Butterfly came out - I recorded a cassette tape of it so I could listen to it in the car too. I listened to it over and over that year. Originally from LA, in early 1981 I drove to the Bay Area for a long weekend with my cousin (we've been like sisters all our lives) - and we played Dog and Butterfly A LOT driving between LA and San Francisco (about 7 hours there and 7 hours back). Almost the minute we got there, I met someone, and within hours we were staring into each other's eyes - it was one of those magical and passionate love affairs where you think about the other person constantly - and it was the first time I had ever felt that way about someone. Mistral Wind in particular seemed to capture that passion, and even 40 years on, I can still remember how it felt. The way she abandons herself to the wind - Ann Wilson's voice is like no other - what an incredible song!

This song embodies the fundamental nature of poetry. The aural and lyrical imagery strongly evokes a sailing-ship on the ocean, depicting the periods of calm and gale quite clearly and evoking the feelings of the crew. Naturally, the underlying message is powerfully sexual. Water itself is a sexual symbol, and the song courses through the entire encounter, from seeking a partner to "make my sails fill", to the dropping of one's barriers, "I have always held the wheel, but I let the wind steal my power", to completion. Consider the inversion "to the deepest mountains, too high and beautiful to see": if that does not describes the loss of one's sense of self in the throes of passion, what else could it mean?