Ian Love's musical career has changed almost as much as his life has. Haili… Read Full Bio ↴Ian Love's musical career has changed almost as much as his life has. Hailing from New York City, Ian has been obsessed with music since his teenage days in the popular New York punk/hardcore band Burn. While things at this time were going great for him musically, drugs and hard drinking almost took everything away. After spending time in rehab, he was able to straighten his life out and explore the musical landscape again. From working live sound in NYC clubs to traveling the world, Ian soaked in all kinds of great music, which ultimately led him to forming Rival Schools alongside Walter Schreifels (from the seminal bands Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand). While in Rival Schools, Ian played huge venues and festivals throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. While that might seem it would take all of a person's energy, Ian was still able to write new material and start another enormously successful band, Cardia.

And now Ian has decided to move into an entirely new phase of his musical career by writing and self-recording a solo album inspired by his life experiences, which was completely redefined by the recent birth of his daughter. The result is a magnificent album that captures the beauty and power of the music that has he has shaped, as well as everything that has shaped him

Butterfly
Ian Love Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I watch the sun go down over the ocean tide, tide
The wind is blowing from the shore
Through my hair, it's beautiful tonight
Oh, I can't explain
But I want to feel like a butterfly, as free
I want to be as open as the sea

I sat for a while, stared up to the sky

It's so alive, alive
The ships far out that I can see
They're drifting away
They're drifting away from me
I wanna drift away too

Still I can't explain
Why I want to feel like a butterfly, as free
I want to be as open as the sea
Drifting far away
Where I am free

Like a butterfly, as free
I want to be as open as the sea

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ian Love's Butterfly describe a person experiencing a feeling of yearning to be free, open, and unencumbered. The song starts with the sun setting over the ocean, and the wind blowing through the singer's hair. The beauty of the moment is evident to the singer, and he cannot explain why he feels like he wants to be as free as a butterfly, and as open as the sea. The sea, in this context, represents a sense of limitlessness, boundlessness, and infinite possibilities. It is the embodiment of freedom.

As the song progresses, the singer describes gazing up at the sky, and seeing ships afar drifting away from him. The ships are used metaphorically to describe the singer's own desires to break free from the constraints of everyday life and to drift away; to be free like a butterfly to flutter where the wind may take him. The metaphor of the butterfly is an apt one, as it represents transformation, beauty, fragility, and ultimately freedom.

The song is a powerful one, and its message is universal. Almost everyone knows the feeling of wanting to escape the monotony of life, and to be free to explore the world and experience everything it has to offer. The lyrics tap into that feeling and express it beautifully. The longing for freedom is universal, and the song perfectly captures it.

Line by Line Meaning

I watch the sun go down over the ocean tide, tide
The singer is admiring the sunset over the ocean and the ebb and flow of the tide.

The wind is blowing from the shore
The singer notices the wind coming from the shore and moving through their hair.

Through my hair, it's beautiful tonight
The singer feels the wind in their hair and is awestruck by the natural scenery around them.

Oh, I can't explain
The artist finds it difficult to describe the beauty of their surroundings and the emotions they are feeling.

But I want to feel like a butterfly, as free
The artist desires to feel unburdened and liberated, like a butterfly able to go wherever it pleases without hindrance.

I want to be as open as the sea
The singer longs to be as boundless and expansive as the sea, without any constraints or restrictions.

I sat for a while, stared up to the sky
The singer reflects on their surroundings by observing the sky and clouds for a time.

It's so alive, alive
The artist is moved by the sense of vitality and energy they feel in their environment.

The ships far out that I can see
The artist notices ships in the distance that are sailing away from them.

They're drifting away
The artist observes the ships slowly moving away from them.

They're drifting away from me
The singer notes how the ships are moving farther and farther from their current location and realizes how separated they are from the rest of the world.

I wanna drift away too
The artist desires to depart from their current location and travel without any obstacles or limitations.

Still I can't explain
The singer acknowledges that they cannot fully put into words the emotions they are experiencing and the beauty they are seeing.

Drifting far away
The singer wants to leave their current situation and embark on a journey that allows them to be free and unencumbered, like a butterfly.

Where I am free
The singer longs for a state of being where they are free from constraints and able to move and explore as they please.

Like a butterfly, as free
The artist desires to feel the freedom and lightness of a butterfly, able to move without restraint or limitation.

I want to be as open as the sea
The artist deeply desires to feel unbound and limitless, exemplified by the vastness and expansiveness of the sea.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Spirit Music Group
Written by: Andy Love, Matthias Max

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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