In September 2003, Jimmy released Handmade. Recorded in Toronto and co-produced by Rankin and Tim Thorney (Song Dog) the album is built around a rustic, roots-rock vibe and lyrical themes of motion and travel.
Butterfly
Jimmy Rankin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Butterfly in full flight
The moon and stars delight to shine upon you still
Took a look around
Butterfly's old stomping ground
Barely made a sound
Left no stone unturned
Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind
Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind
Sure hope the road and all her wicked friends never turn you in
You sang a sweet song
Butterfly we all sang along
You really turn it on
An old familiar melody
You were the one that flew
Butterfly almost had me too
Can't help but think of you
But that was yesterday
Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind
Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind
Sure hope the road and all her wicked friends never turn you in
Saw you last night
Butterfly in full flight
The moon and stars delight to shine upon you still
Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind
Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind
Fly on the wings
Sure hope the road and all her wicked friends never turn you in
The Jimmy Rankin song "Butterfly" is a melodic and lyrically intriguing song that tells the tale of seeing someone from the past who is now a distant memory. The singer, who remains unnamed, sees a person he calls a butterfly in full flight, and remembers their old stomping ground. Despite the years that have passed, the moon and stars still delight in shining on the butterfly, and the song describes the emotions of the singer as he watches this person from afar.
The first verse describes the singer seeing this butterfly in full flight, and the beauty of the moon and stars shining on them. The singer also takes a look around and realizes that the butterfly's old stomping ground has changed since they were last there. The second verse describes how the butterfly sang a sweet song that everyone sang along to, and how they used to be the one that flew. However, the singer realizes that he can't help but think of the butterfly, but that was yesterday.
The chorus provides a sense of hope and encouragement for the butterfly as it says, "Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind, sure hope the road and all her wicked friends never turn you in." This gives the listener a sense of hope that the butterfly will be able to stay free and away from the harsh realities of life. The final verse reiterates the beauty of the butterfly in flight and wishes them well on their journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw you last night
I saw you last night.
Butterfly in full flight
You were fluttering around in full flight like a butterfly.
The moon and stars delight to shine upon you still
The moon and stars were happy to shine their light on you all night.
Took a look around
I looked around.
Butterfly's old stomping ground
The place where the butterfly used to fly around a lot.
Barely made a sound
I was very quiet while I looked around.
Left no stone unturned
I checked everything thoroughly.
Fly, butterfly, on the wings of wind
I hope you fly away on the winds like a butterfly.
Sure hope the road and all her wicked friends never turn you in
I hope you never run into any trouble while on the road.
You sang a sweet song
You sang a very nice and sweet song.
Butterfly we all sang along
Everyone joined in singing along with you like a butterfly.
You really turn it on
You were really getting into the performance.
An old familiar melody
It was an old, well-known song that we all knew.
You were the one that flew
You were the one who flew around like a butterfly.
Butterfly almost had me too
I almost joined you in flying like a butterfly.
Can't help but think of you
I can't stop thinking about you and the way you flew around.
But that was yesterday
That was in the past and things have changed since then.
Fly on the wings
Fly away using your wings.
Contributed by Liam C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.