Butch Walker (born Bradley … Read Full Bio ↴See also Butch Walker & The Black Widows
Butch Walker (born Bradley Glenn Walker on November 14, 1969) is a recording artist, songwriter, and record producer.
Walker grew up in Cartersville, Georgia and stood out as a guitarist and performer in several rock bands in the '80s including Bad Boyz and Byte the Bullet. In 1988, he took Byte the Bullet to LA and they were signed to Virgin Records within the year. The band changed names to Southgang and released two albums, Tainted Angel in 1991 and Group Therapy in 1992. Southgang was one of the first bands to tour China in the early '90s.
Afterwards, Butch took over lead vocals and with ex-SouthGang members Jayce Fincher and Mitch McLee formed several bands in the 90s including Floyds Funk Revival, The Floyds, and the popular pop-rock band Marvelous 3. After the break-up of the band in early 2000, Butch then began a solo career, releasing the albums Left of Self-Centered in 2002 and Letters in 2004, finishing 2005 playing over 200 live shows across both the US and Japan. In 2006 he released an album called "Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonities". Butch Walker was recently featured as a headlining artist on the My Space promoted Inaugural Hotel Cafe tour - supporting independent artists from the Los Angeles Venue of the same name.
Several of his songs have been hits for other artists, including Bowling for Soup's Girl All the Bad Guys Want and Avril Lavigne's #1 Hit My Happy Ending. He has written and produced albums for such artists as Bowling for Soup, Pink, Lindsay Lohan, Avril Lavigne, Lit, Sevendust, The Donnas, American Hi-Fi, and SR-71.
He is also featured in Tommy Lee's new album Tommyland: The Ride in the song "Good Times."
In late 2005, he released his first DVD "Live At Budokan."
In 2008, Butch released the live double album "Leavin' the Game on Luckie St." for free download on the internet. He followed this up be releasing another studio album, "Sycamore Meadows", the same year. In 2010, Butch will release his new album, "I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart," on February 23rd.
House Of Cards
Butch Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has finally fallen down
Expect me to come scrape
Your ego off the ground
Cause everybody talks
Everybody talks
And I can tell
What will you do when all of them
Want you, want you, want you around
Your little costume party's almost over now
Alone to momma's house
Before the sun goes down
Cause everybody talks
Everybody talks
Nobody's got a heart
To tear you all apart
And you can tell
That I can tell
What will you do when all of them
Want you, want you, want you around
And you can tell
That I can tell
What will you do when none of them
Want you, want you, want you around
Your 15 minutes are about
To just run out
Any of us to take you seriously now?
Cause everybody talks
Everybody talks
Nobody's got a heart
To tear you all apart
This house of cards you've built
Has finally fallen down
The lyrics in Butch Walker's song "House of Cards" reflect on a deceiving and manipulative person who has built a fragile structure of lies and pretense. The chorus sings scornfully that "everybody talks" but nobody has the guts to break the facade of the person's reputation. The singer seems to know the truth and points out that the person they are addressing also knows that their lies and false front are crumbling.
The second verse of the song highlights the temporary nature of this house of cards, as the party is almost over and the person has to go back to their mother's house. The singer implies the person is running out of time to keep up their act, and asks pointedly what they will do when nobody wants them around anymore. As the song reaches its climax, the chorus repeats that "nobody's got a heart to tear you all apart," but then juxtaposes it with the final line of the song, that "this house of cards you've built has finally fallen down."
Overall, the lyrics of "House of Cards" give expression to the themes of deception, betrayal, and the eventual downfall of those who build their lives on lies. The song suggests that no matter how well-crafted a person's facade may be, eventually the truth will catch up with them and their house of cards will come crashing down.
Line by Line Meaning
This house of cards you've built
Refers to the fragile and unstable situation that the subject has created.
Has finally fallen down
Indicates that the situation has reached its breaking point and everything has fallen apart.
Expect me to come scrape
Implies that the subject is too prideful to admit defeat and will need help to pick up the pieces.
Your ego off the ground
Highlights how the subject's ego has been damaged by the situation and that they are in dire need of support.
Cause everybody talks
Suggests that the subject's poor decisions have gained a lot of attention and that people are talking about their downfall.
And I can tell
Reinforces the idea that the singer is aware of the situation and can sense what is going on.
That you can tell
Indicates that the subject also knows that things are falling apart and that they are being judged by others.
What will you do when all of them
Asks the subject what their plan is when others start to seek them out and ask for answers.
Want you, want you, want you around
Suggests that people might start to desert the subject once they find out the truth, leaving them alone.
Your little costume party's almost over now
Highlights how the subject has been pretending to be something they're not, but their deception is about to be exposed.
Alone to momma's house
Refers to the subject's desire to retreat to a safe and familiar place, where they can avoid further judgement or criticism.
Before the sun goes down
Emphasizes the urgency of the situation and how the subject needs to act fast before it gets worse.
Nobody's got a heart
Suggests that people are not willing to let the subject off easy and that they will face consequences for their actions.
To tear you all apart
Implies that the subject will face backlash and social isolation from those who have been hurt by their actions.
What will you do when none of them
Asks the subject what their reaction will be when they realize that they no longer have any friends or supporters left.
Your 15 minutes are about
Uses a metaphor to describe the subject's brief moment of fame and glory that is about to end.
To just run out
Emphasizes the finality of the situation and that there is no going back for the subject.
Any of us to take you seriously now?
Conveys the idea that no one will take the subject seriously or trust them again after what they have done.
Contributed by Maria D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.