The Crow & The Butterfly
Shinedown Lyrics

I painted your room at midnight
I did this to symbolize moving on from the past and starting anew. It also represents my willingness to take action and make changes to my life.

So I'd know yesterday was over
By painting your room, I could physically see that I had moved on from the past and was ready to start fresh.

I put all your books on the top shelf
I placed all of your belongings out of sight, showing my desire to move on and not dwell on the memories of our past together.

Even the one with the four leaf clover
No item of yours was spared, even the one that used to bring me good luck. This shows that I am ready to embrace a new chapter in my life.

Man I'm getting older
I am becoming more mature and realizing that life moves on, whether I want it to or not. I am no longer the same person I once was.

I took all your pictures off the wall
This represented my desire to move forward and let go of the past. By removing all evidence of our relationship, I could truly let go.

And I wrapped them in a newspaper blanket
This symbolizes wrapping up our past and burying it, much like a corpse. This represents my desire to let go completely and start anew.

I haven't slept in what seems like a century
I am constantly thinking about you and our past, making it difficult for me to sleep. My thoughts are all-consuming and never-ending.

And now I can barely breathe
My emotions are consuming me, making it difficult for me to move on and live my life. I feel stifled and trapped by my emotions.

Just like the crow chasing the butterfly
This imagery represents my desire to pursue something that is unattainable or fleeting, much like our past relationship. The crow will forever chase the butterfly, just as I will never truly be able to forget you.

Dandelions lost in the summer sky
This imagery represents the fleeting nature of life and how quickly things can disappear. Dandelions are lost in the sky much like our past relationship slipped away from me.

When you and I were gettin' high as outer space
This represents our past drug usage and how it created a false reality for us. We were not truly living but escaping our problems through substance abuse.

I never thought you would slip away
I never imagined that our relationship would end, and you would leave me. I was blindsided by your departure.

Your words still serenade me
Your words and memories of our past still haunt me and consume my thoughts. They have become like a song that I cannot escape.

And your lullaby's, they won't let me sleep
Your words and memories have become like a lullaby that keeps me from sleeping. They lull me into a state of sadness and anxiety.

And I've never heard such a haunting melody
Your memories and words have become like a haunting melody that plays over and over again in my head. They are reminiscent of the past and consume my thoughts.

Oh it's killing me
The memories of our past are incredibly painful and consuming, making it difficult for me to move forward and live my life.

You know I can barely breathe
My emotions and memories of our past are suffocating me, making it difficult to live and breathe. I feel trapped and stifled by my thoughts.

I guess I was just a little too late
I was not able to save our relationship or prevent you from leaving me. I was too late in realizing my mistakes and trying to fix them.