Bob Lind (born Robert Neale Lind, in Baltimore, Ohio, 25 November 1942) was… Read Full Bio ↴Bob Lind (born Robert Neale Lind, in Baltimore, Ohio, 25 November 1942) was a folk music singer/songwriter in the 1960s, who released one transatlantic chart hit single. That song was entitled "Elusive Butterfly", which was a prominent track in 1966.

[edit] Career
Lind signed a recording contract with World Pacific Records in 1965, and it was on that label that he had his huge hit. The single may have done even better in the UK Singles Chart had he not had competition from Val Doonican, who released a rival version of the same song. In the end, both versions made the Top Ten.

He remains a virtual one-hit wonder, and retired from the music business in 1969 to pursue other interests. In more recent years he has resided in Florida, and works as a writer. He is the author of five novels, and has written for publications such as Weekly World News and the Sun. He returned to the music business in 2004 when he began performing again and established an official website.

The british Band "Pulp" have a song called after him. "Bob Lind (The only way is down)" from their last album "We love life".

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Unlike what is the case with many artists, Bob Lind is an active participant in his own official site - so one can have the rare experience of communicating with one's music idol, asking him curly questions about the lyrics to his songs, and occasionally getting the answers! There have also been recent reissues of some of his 1960's and 70's releases, including the album that carried Elusive Butterfly.

Perspective
Bob Lind Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What if you leave me
The faithful moon will keep on rising
Stars will shimmer birds will fly
The nights will fall and years will slide
Across me

When you leave me
I’ll still wake up I’ll still grow old

And close the door against the cold
The same red plastic cups will hold
My coffee

The world will still go on
The world won’t know you’re gone
What if you leave me
The setting sun will still be casting
Emerald highlights on the grass
The ordinary days will pass
Without you

When you leave me
Across the sea the Chinese rain
Will drop on thirsty fields and plains
And no one there will dream in vain
About you

The world will still go on.
The world won’t know you’re gone

What if you leave me
These bolts will hold this chair in place
This soft and silky pillow case
Will yield the imprint of your face
Eventually

When you leave me
The spring will turn the gardens green
I’ll find the time to mend the screens
And no one else will see these dreams
You lent me

The world will not recall
The world won’t care at all

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bob Lind's song Perspective explore the subtle yet profound ways that life moves on after a loved one leaves. The singer grapples with the idea that although their world may seem to fall apart with the absence of their loved one, the rest of the world will continue as if nothing has changed. The faithful moon and shimmering stars will still rise and fall, the sun will still set, and the seasons will still change. Even in those day-to-day routines that seemed so intimately connected to the loved one, like sipping coffee from red plastic cups, life will carry on.

The song takes a turn when the singer mentions how the world without their loved one will continue far from their own borders. The Chinese rain will fall on thirsty plains and no one will dream in vain about the person who left. This reflective moment highlights the singer's isolation and loneliness in their experience of heartbreak. In the final verse, the singer takes notice of the smaller details that the loved one has left behind, like the imprint of their face on a pillowcase, and the dreams that they shared. Life may continue but their memory will linger in the natural world and within the singer's intimate space.

Overall, Perspective by Bob Lind is a beautiful and thoughtful exploration of the grief and nostalgia felt when a loved one has left. The song illuminates the ways in which life goes on despite heartbreak, and the significance of small nostalgic details that remain.

Line by Line Meaning

What if you leave me
The singer wonders what would happen if their partner were to leave them.

The faithful moon will keep on rising
The moon will still rise and provide light at night, regardless of whether the singer's partner is there or not.

Stars will shimmer birds will fly
The natural world will continue on as usual, with animals and celestial bodies behaving as they always have.

The nights will fall and years will slide across me
Time will continue to pass, with day and night cycles and the years slipping by, even if the artist's partner leaves.

I’ll still wake up I’ll still grow old
The artist will continue to age and live their life, even if their partner is no longer with them.

And close the door against the cold
The singer will still need to keep their living space warm and comfortable, regardless of their partner's presence.

The same red plastic cups will hold my coffee
The little details of the singer's life will remain the same, including the type of cups they use for coffee.

The world will still go on
The larger world outside of the artist's personal life will continue on as usual, with all its events and changes.

The world won’t know you’re gone
The world outside of the artist's personal life will not be affected by their partner's absence.

The setting sun will still be casting emerald highlights on the grass
The beauty of nature will remain unchanged, even if the artist's partner leaves.

The ordinary days will pass without you
Life will continue to move forward and days will pass, including those which the singer's partner would have been a part of.

Across the sea the Chinese rain will drop on thirsty fields and plains
Even far away lands and their weather patterns will remain the same, even without the artist's partner there to witness them.

And no one there will dream in vain about you
The people in far away lands won't know or care about the singer's partner, and won't be affected by their absence.

These bolts will hold this chair in place
The mundane aspects of the singer's life will continue on as usual, with objects like a chair staying in place even if their partner is not there.

This soft and silky pillow case will yield the imprint of your face eventually
Even though the singer's partner won't be there to sleep next to them, their physical presence will still have an impact on the singer's life and living space.

The spring will turn the gardens green
Life will continue on as usual, with the changing of the seasons and the arrival of spring.

I’ll find the time to mend the screens
The artist will continue to have tasks and chores to do, even if their partner isn't around to help them.

And no one else will see these dreams you lent me
The memories and experiences the singer had with their partner will remain private and personal, even if their partner is gone.

The world will not recall
The larger world and people outside of the singer's personal life will not remember or care about the singer's partner's absence.

The world won’t care at all
The world outside of the artist's personal life will not be affected by their partner's absence and will proceed on as usual.

Writer(s): Bob Neale Lind

Contributed by Ava S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS