Buttercups
Fran Healy Lyrics

The opening lines of “Buttercups” by Fran Healy, “It never rains but it pours, do keep the wolf from the door” may initially conjure images of a torrential storm, but they actually refer to a popular phrase meaning that when things go wrong, they tend to go really wrong. The second line “do keep the wolf from the door” means to keep one's financial difficulties at bay. Healy then describes seeing someone sitting outside his house in silence, “quiet as a mouse”. The first verse seems to speak of a love interest who Healy is unable to lavish gifts upon due to external circumstances. He has tried to buy them roses, which are often associated with love, but is unable to. Similar to the opening lines, Healy mentions diamonds but expresses his inability to wear one in any other capacity than through his nose.

The second verse shifts focus to what the love interest is saying. “You said to have and to hold, do let me in from the cold,” likely referring to the adage recited at weddings for the couple's unending commitment to one another. The second half of the song reiterates Healy's inability to win the affections of the person he loves. The repeated lines “But I can't dance and I can't sing, A loser I suppose, So all I have is buttercups” refers to his inability to charm anyone with his dancing or singing abilities, thus, resorting to the simple act of giving buttercups. The song ends with a tone of uncertainty, as Healy repeats “What is wrong with buttercups, Who knows”.