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Soul Asylum Lyrics
Who would break a butterfly on a wheel?
Not me, my precious child
Sweet angel, wrap me in your velvet cloak, my dear
Love's a sweet warm goddess I invited here
So many times I call your name, ooh baby, baby, please
So many times I call your name, ooh yeah
Before the night is through
Grant me one last wish
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
Who would crush this woman underfoot?
Ooh, not me, my chosen one
(My chosen one)
Sweet angel, wrap me in your velvet cloak, my dear
Love's a sweet warm goddess I invited here
So many times I call your name, oh please, baby, yeah
So many times I call your name
Before the night is through
Grant me one last wish
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
Oh, ooh baby, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh oh oh
Takes me far away
So many times I call your name, oh baby, baby, please
So many times I call your name
(Before the night is through)
Before the night is through
(Grant me one last wish)
Oh, grant me one last wish
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
(Before the night is through)
(Grant me one last wish)
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
Oh, sweet soul asylum
Sweet soul, yeah
Sweet soul asylum, oh
Not me, my precious child
Sweet angel, wrap me in your velvet cloak, my dear
Love's a sweet warm goddess I invited here
So many times I call your name, ooh yeah
Before the night is through
Grant me one last wish
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
Ooh, not me, my chosen one
(My chosen one)
Sweet angel, wrap me in your velvet cloak, my dear
Love's a sweet warm goddess I invited here
So many times I call your name
Before the night is through
Grant me one last wish
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
Oh, ooh baby, yeah, yeah, yeah
Takes me far away
So many times I call your name
(Before the night is through)
Before the night is through
(Grant me one last wish)
Oh, grant me one last wish
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
(Grant me one last wish)
Sweet soul asylum, yeah
An everlasting kiss
Oh, sweet soul asylum
Sweet soul, yeah
Sweet soul asylum, oh
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This one's hard. My best guess is that he's with a hooker. The term asylum could mean many things, but one meaning is it's a refuge of sorts. So it's like she's offering his soul asylum. A lot of verses make it seem like she's evil or sinful. Mostly the part, "Who would crush this woman under foot." Didn't have to look that one up. That's the imagry for Jesus crushing the head of Satan under his heel. The butterfly on a wheel one I did have to look up. It's a term for giving too much effort for little results. I don't know about that one. Maybe that hookers are easier than having an actual relationship. The everlasting kiss might refer to herpes, but that's a weird thing to bring up for such a cool song.
This is one of my favorite songs from The Cult.
I feel there is an underlying obsession with the woman in the song — not necessarily a harmful obsession (although yes, the tone of the song IS dark), but I’d say it’s a love that is either unrequited, or made impossible by some physical or at least metaphorical distance. Whatever it is, it’s perhaps a misguided take on love overall.
The “break a butterfly on the wheel” and “trample this woman under foot” seems to indicate a vulnerability — pressure on her life from the outside, or a hard life in general — and perhaps he seeks to be some sort of shelter.
Something about her fuels, fulfills or heals his soul — or something missing from his life. So the chorus represents a dark desire to “seal the deal” in some way.