Veirs was raised in Colorado, studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College, worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China, and now lives in Portland, Oregon. Veirs has said that she didn't seriously listen to music until she was in her 20s; instead, she just heard what was in her environment. She listened to folk / country / classical / pop, around the house & on the radio, during her youth.
Attending Carleton College in rural Minnesota, Veirs latched onto feminist punk rock from the Pacific Northwest, eventually starting an all-female punk band called "Rair Kx!". Veirs studied geology and Mandarin Chinese. After college, she embraced older country and folk music. Her first foray into songwriting started with a geological expedition in China, where she served as translator. She was miserable and immersed herself into writing lyrics as a way of coping.
She put out her own self-titled album Laura Veirs, recorded live and featuring just her and guitar, in 1999. She has since made five highly acclaimed records with producer Tucker Martine. 2003 saw the release of Troubled by the Fire, a full-band effort that found the artist sharing the studio with such luminaries as Bill Frisell and violist Eyvind Kang. She signed to Nonesuch Records the following year with the atmospheric follow-up Carbon Glacier. Year of Meteors followed in August of 2005. She collaborated with The Decemberists on "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)", from their 2006 album The Crane Wife. Her sixth record, Saltbreakers, was released worldwide on Nonesuch Records in April 2007. Her seventh album July Flame was released in January 2010.
In November 2011, Veirs released the album Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs For Children. The album presents mostly traditional songs, and features an array of guest musicians, including Colin Meloy, Jim James, and Bela Fleck. The album won a Parents' Choice Award in 2012.
In September 2012 her first feature film soundtrack was released: Hello I Must Be Going.
Veirs tours frequently in Europe, the US and Australia both solo and with her backing band Saltbreakers, consisting of Karl Blau on bass, guitar, and backing vocals, keyboardist Steve Moore, and Tucker Martine on drums.
Black Butterfly
Laura Veirs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can take those perfect wings into outer space
'Cause there's no place left in this blood
For your restless fluttering, your sleepless ways
Black butterfly, flutter me by
Kick a little bitter into the night
Spark of the stars leaving on my heart
Salt breeze, rose city sunset
The bats are swinging 'round me like drunken ships
Ever, evergreen bows above me tower
Singing quiet stories 'bout forgiveness
Black butterfly, flutter me by
Kick a little bitter into the night
Spark of the stars leaving on my heart
Trying to be good by you, alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
Alright, alright
The song "Black Butterfly" by Laura Veirs is a melancholic but beautiful tribute to the act of letting go. The opening line bids farewell to a black butterfly, a symbol of transformation and metamorphosis, asking it to spread its wings and fly into outer space. The butterfly's "perfect wings" indicate its beauty and grace, contrasting with the singer's own "blood" and "restless fluttering", suggesting a personal sense of imperfection and anxiety. However, the singer recognizes that there is no longer any place for the butterfly in their life, and bids it a bittersweet goodbye.
The chorus of the song is more upbeat, with the black butterfly being asked to "flutter me by" and "kick a little bitter into the night". The singer acknowledges that they are trying to be good by the butterfly, perhaps as an act of atonement for letting it go. The "spark of the stars" leaving on the singer's heart suggests a sense of wonder and awe, as well as a sadness at the departure of the butterfly.
The third verse describes a scene of natural beauty, with a "rose city sunset" and "evergreen bows" singing "quiet stories 'bout forgiveness". The bats swinging around the singer like "drunken ships" create a sense of disorientation and perhaps a feeling of being lost or untethered. The final repetition of "alright, alright" may signify a sense of resignation or acceptance, as the singer takes comfort in the image of the butterfly's flight and the beauty of the natural world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye, black butterfly
Laura Veirs is saying farewell to a black butterfly.
You can take those perfect wings into outer space
The butterfly has perfect wings and Laura Veirs is suggesting it should carry them into outer space.
'Cause there's no place left in this blood
Laura Veirs feels she has no more space in her life for the butterfly.
For your restless fluttering, your sleepless ways
The butterfly's restless and sleepless ways are too much for Laura Veirs to handle.
Black butterfly, flutter me by
Laura Veirs wants the butterfly to fly past her.
Kick a little bitter into the night
Laura Veirs wants the butterfly to spread a little negativity into the night.
Spark of the stars leaving on my heart
The stars are leaving a spark on Laura Veirs' heart which the butterfly is carrying.
Trying to be good by you, alright, alright
Laura Veirs is trying to be good by the butterfly.
Salt breeze, rose city sunset
Laura Veirs is describing a calm and gentle sunset.
The bats are swinging 'round me like drunken ships
The bats are flying around Laura Veirs, seemingly drunk.
Ever, evergreen bows above me tower
Tall evergreen trees are standing above Laura Veirs.
Singing quiet stories 'bout forgiveness
The trees seem to be singing stories about forgiveness.
Alright, alright
Laura Veirs repeats 'alright' several times, perhaps to reinforce that she's trying to be good.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA VEIRS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@judgedbytime
i always come back to this song
@elenaverdiere4033
Cette chanson est magnifique et agréable à écouter... On entend rarement d'aussi belles chansons !
Signé: Elena
@ages7922
loooooove this song!!!
@Tegan166
Takes me to a fairytale... at night.
@izadeeg
I really want to play this on piano but there isn't sheet music anywhere and I can't play by ear. Sadface. I'm gonna go cry in a corner now. Why does this always happen?