The Fly
Cosmo Sheldrake Lyrics

Little Fly,
Addressing a small insect.

Thy summer's play
Referencing the short lifespan of the insect, which is expected to be spent mostly in summer.

My thoughtless hand
The accidental act by a careless human.

Has brushed away.
The insect was killed by the human's mistake.

Am not I
The artist compares himself to the dead insect.

A fly like thee?
Expressing the similarity between the singer and the insect, highlighting their shared mortality.

Or art not thou
Speculating on the possibility of the insect being different from humans.

A man like me?
The artist relates to the insect by comparing it to a human like himself.

For I dance
Sharing a common trait with the insect, that of dancing or motion.

And drink, and sing,
Listing some activities that the artist enjoys, which the insect might not experience.

Till some blind hand
Acknowledging the inevitability of death, and the random nature of its occurrence.

Shall brush my wing.
The artist expects to die by chance, just like the insect was killed accidentally by a human.

If thought is life
Pondering the nature of existence, by considering the importance of thought.

And strength and breath
Listing some vital components of life besides thought.

And the want
Highlighting the lack of thought as being equivalent to absence of life.

Of thought is death;
Concluding that without thought, everything else becomes irrelevant and a person is as good as dead.

Then am I
Accepting a potential fate of death without thought.

A happy fly,
Embracing a perspective that if life is short and thoughtless, then there is joy in the moment.

If I live,
Continuing the happiness, whether the singer stays alive or dies.

Or if I die.
Acknowledging that death is unavoidable, just like how the insect met its end unknowingly in the artist's hands.