According to the Slow Songfacts, Sarah spent the early years of her life in Pakistan,having been born in Islamabad on 3rd June 1979, where her father was the chief-engineer of the enormous Tarbela Dam, 30 miles to the northwest of Islamabad. The youngest of seven children, living in an expat colony without TV or newspapers, Rumer and her family would often sing and write songs together. Her brother Rob gave Rumer her first guitar; which she taught herself to play, and on which, years later, she wrote all the songs on her debut album, Seasons of My Soul.
The singer/songwriter spent her teenage years in Carlisle at Newman School before leaving at 16 to pursue her ambition. It has been a hard slog but years later she is finally hitting the big time and gradually becoming a household name. She now hopes her success will inspire other young people to follow their dreams.
Having had her single listed ahead of its release on both Radio 2 and Magic FM, she is also preparing to support Jools Holland on his UK tour this autumn – the finale being a show at the Albert Hall.
She also has a celebrity fan in the form of easy listening legend Burt Bacharach, who invited her to sing for him when she visited California.
Butterfly
Rumer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came into our room
One summer night
Lit the gloom
And our hearts took flight
You and I
And our butterfly
Such pretty things
I still recall
I close my eyes
To a waterfall
Why, oh, why
Baby butterfly
One day
We'll follow you into the garden
We'll lay down flowers in the rain
Where life would never be the same
That day
You flew away and left us changed
Who could have known
You'd leave more
Than life could give
One day
We'll follow you into the garden
We'll lay our flowers in the rain
Where life would never be the same
And someday
We'll know where life goes into colour
And everyone we've loved before
Will take us through
Butterfly
Came into our room
One summer night
Lit the gloom
And our hearts took flight
You and I
And our butterfly
The first few lines of Rumer's song “Butterfly” create a feeling of peacefulness and tranquillity. The lines “Came into our room, one summer night, lit the gloom” give the impression that the butterfly is a symbol of hope and happiness, bringing light into dark times. As the singer sings about the butterfly, the tone of the song becomes more romantic, as they sing about “our butterfly” suggesting the butterfly is a shared symbol of hope between two people.
The second verse appears to move away from the romantic notion of the butterfly and focuses more on its life-cycle; the line “you flew away and left us changed” suggests that the butterfly's departure has signified more than just a fleeting moment of happiness. Instead, it appears to have a profound and lasting impact on those who witnessed its beauty. The third and final verse becomes more sombre, singing about death and the afterlife. The line “and everyone we’ve loved before will take us through” suggests a belief in the afterlife, where loved ones will be reunited once again.
Overall, “Butterfly” appears to be a song that draws upon themes of hope and the transient nature of life. It suggests that happiness can be found in the smallest things and that these things are capable of changing us in profound ways. Rumer’s beautiful voice, combined with the gentle acoustic tone of the song, creates a truly atmospheric and emotional experience for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Came into our room
A butterfly entered our room
One summer night
It was during the summer, at night
Lit the gloom
The butterfly brought light into the dark room
And our hearts took flight
We felt an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement
You and I
We were together in that moment
And our butterfly
The butterfly was a part of that moment
Two wings
The butterfly had two wings
Such pretty things
The wings were beautiful
I still recall
I remember it vividly
I close my eyes
I envision it in my mind
To a waterfall
I imagine a waterfall
Why, oh, why
An expression of sadness and confusion
Baby butterfly
A term of endearment for the butterfly
One day
At some point in the future
We'll follow you into the garden
We will follow the butterfly into the garden
We'll lay down flowers in the rain
We will put flowers down while it's raining
Where life would never be the same
It will be a transformative experience
That day
Refers to the day we mentioned earlier
You flew away and left us changed
The butterfly left and we were forever different because of it
Who could have known
Expressing surprise at the butterfly's impact
You'd leave more
The butterfly's impact was greater than expected
Than life could give
The butterfly's impact was more valuable than what life can provide
And someday
At some point in the future
We'll know where life goes into colour
We will understand how life becomes vibrant and exciting
And everyone we've loved before
Our loved ones who have passed away
Will take us through
Will guide us through this understanding
Butterfly
The butterfly
Came into our room
Entered our room
One summer night
During one summer night
Lit the gloom
Brightened the darkness
And our hearts took flight
Filled us with joy and excitement
You and I
We together
And our butterfly
The butterfly that was a part of our experience
Contributed by Blake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.