Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary mu… Read Full Bio ↴Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary music career, lending his name to a series of best-selling mood music albums with jazz overtones for Capitol. Gleason felt there was a ready market for romantic instrumentals. He recalled seeing Clark Gable play love scenes in movies, and the romance was, in his words, "magnified a thousand percent" by background music. Gleason reasoned, "If Gable needs music, a guy in Brooklyn must be desperate!"

Gleason could not read or write music in a conventional sense; he was said to have conceived melodies in his head and described them vocally to staff help. He did likewise with the well-remembered themes of both The Jackie Gleason Show ("Melancholy Serenade") and The Honeymooners ("You're My Greatest Love"). There has been some controversy over the years as to how much credit Gleason should have received for the finished products; it has been written that beyond the possible conceptualizing of many of the songs, Gleason had no direct involvement such as conducting in the making of these recordings. However, his main musical companion, cornetist and trumpeter Bobby Hackett once said: "Jackie knows a lot more about music than people give him credit for. I have seen him conduct a sixty-piece orchestra and detect one discordant note in the brass section. He would immediately stop the music and locate the wrong note. It always amazed the professional musicians how a guy who technically did not know one note from another could do that. And he was never wrong."

Born February 26, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He died on June 24, 1987

Poor Butterfly
Jackie Gleason Lyrics

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There's a story told of a little Japanese
Sitting demurely 'neath the cherry blossom trees
Miss Butterfly's her name
A sweet little innocent child was she
Till a fine young American from the sea
To her garden came
They met beneath the cherry blossoms every day
And he taught her how to love the American way

To love with a soul 'twas easy to learn
Then he sailed away with a promise to return

Poor Butterfly 'neath the blossoms waiting
Poor Butterfly, for she loved him so
The moments pass into hours
The hours pass into years
And as she smiles through her tears
She murmurs low
The moon and I
Know that he'll be faithful
I'm sure he'll come to me by and by
But if he won't come back
Then I'll never sigh or cry

I just must die
Poor Butterfly

Overall Meaning

The song "Poor Butterfly" by Jackie Gleason tells a story about a young Japanese woman named Miss Butterfly who falls in love with a fine young American sailor. They met every day under the cherry blossoms in her garden, and he taught her how to love in the American way. However, just as suddenly as he arrived, he sailed away with a promise to return. Miss Butterfly spends years waiting for him, hoping that he will come back to her, but as time passes, she faces the reality that he may not return. The lyrics capture her heartbreak and longing, as she ultimately declares that she would rather die than live without him.

This song tackles themes of love, cultural differences and the pains of separation. The lyrics speak to the universality of love and heartbreak, as well as the difficulties of cross-cultural relationships. They also highlight the challenges of distance and time, and the pain of living with uncertainty. Overall, "Poor Butterfly" is a poignant and moving portrayal of the power of love, loss and longing.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a story told of a little Japanese
It has been a tale that has circulated about a young girl from Japan

Sitting demurely 'neath the cherry blossom trees
She sat quietly under the cherry blossom trees

Miss Butterfly's her name
She is commonly known as Miss Butterfly

A sweet little innocent child was she
She was a charming, guileless child

Till a fine young American from the sea
Until a splendid young American sailor

To her garden came
Arrived at her garden

They met beneath the cherry blossoms every day
They encountered each other daily beneath the cherry blossoms

And he taught her how to love the American way
He taught her American-style love

To love with a soul 'twas easy to learn
To love with intense feeling, a simple feat to master

Then he sailed away with a promise to return
Then he departed with a vow to return

Poor Butterfly 'neath the blossoms waiting
The pitiable Butterfly, waiting under the blossoms