Butterfly, How Long It Takes To Die

Album: The Terror (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Flaming Lips originally demoed the song in an earlier session to the other Terror tracks. Vocalist Wayne Coyne told MusicRadar.com: "We heard it and thought that maybe we could change it and make it seem like it was part of The Terror. It's interesting that it has more rhythm and bass than any track on the record."
  • The song finds Coyne taking something beautiful and turning it into a metaphor for the slow crawl to death. He explained to MusicRadar: "I think we really made the song fit the lyrics. There's light at the end, and you can see the universe making a new sun and a new sky. You can see the universe is ending, making a new dark and a new night. Part of that is the acceptance of the brutal truths that The Terror is: if you know 'this,' then you must know 'this.'"

    "The analogy that we sometimes use is that you're seeing your mother or your brother dead on the table," he added, "and somebody has to pull down the sheet. Their faces might be completely mangled from some horrible car accident, but you have to remember what they looked like in your mind. You have to remember the beauty, even when you're confronted by something terrible."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.