John Butler was born on April 1, 1975 in Torrance, California, to an Australian father and American mother. He moved to the small Western Australian town of Pinjarra in January 1986, when he was eleven. Butler began playing guitar at the age of sixteen, and by 1996 started his career as a busker in Fremantle, Western Australia. The John Butler Trio was formed in 1998 when Butler was joined by Gavin Shoesmith on bass and Jason McGann on drums, and by the end of that year had recorded their debut album John Butler.
They then released Three in 2001, Sunrise Over Sea in 2004 and Grand National in 2007, all of which were certified platinum.
In June 2009, a new line up of the ever evolving John Butler Trio emerged. Prominent Melbourne musician Nicky Bomba of Bomba fame and principal drummer on Sunrise Over Sea joined the band on drums and percussion, as did bass player Byron Luiters from Sydney outfit Ray Mann Three.
The latest album entitled April Uprising came from a journey John Butler undertook for the ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ TV series. He traces the Butler name through generations of hardship to a matriarch who sang for her survival and follows his Bulgarian ancestry to a forebear caught up in a violent revolt called the April Uprising. The recording process for the new album was shared with avid followers via a special studio sessions page on the band’s website.
John Butler comments on the forthcoming new album,
“The whole rehearsal and recording process so far has been a lot of fun and very gratifying. I feel the sounds and general spirit and energy of this album are best summed up in the words – free, melodic, funky, phat and rocking. There’s definitely a certain attitude that comes across on the album. Perhaps there’s a conviction, in a song writing and production sense, that I haven’t tapped into so much on earlier works that seems to be more prevalent on April Uprising. There’s chemistry and language that Nicky, Byron and I have found that really compliments these songs in all their different facets”.
What You Want
The John Butler Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait till you get home
I'm sick of communicating over the telephone
But tell me how you feel
For I am lonely too
Need you to know
I'm just as cold and numb as you
Or I could be no one
And you could be the sunshine falling over the mountains
Or you could come to stay
You could come right home
I don't see why I have to
Live this life all alone
I know there is a way to make up for old mistakes
I know what's happening is for a reason
I
I
I
In The John Butler Trio's song What You Want, the lyrics speak to a sense of isolation and disconnection that can arise from our modern modes of communication. The first lines, "What you want to say/Wait till you get home" convey a longing for more intimate and personal communication, free from the noise and distance of the telephone or other technological means. It's clear that the singer is struggling with feelings of loneliness ("For I am lonely too") and a desire for deeper connection and understanding.
The chorus offers up two possibilities for how to deal with this situation of disconnect. On one hand, it seems tempting to "fly away" or escape the situation entirely, becoming "no one," isolated from the world. But on the other hand, there's the possibility of connection and warmth ("you could be the sunshine falling over the mountains") if the person the singer is addressing were to "come right home" instead of living life alone.
Overall, the lyrics are reflective of the time period in which the song was written, and even more so, they resonate with the modern world we live in currently. As technology continues to advance and we are able to communicate with one another more easily and frequently than ever before, we may also feel more disconnected and alone than ever before. The song touches on these emotions, while also conveying a sense of hope that true connection and closeness is still possible.
Line by Line Meaning
What you want to say
Tell me what's on your mind
Wait till you get home
Let's talk in person
I'm sick of communicating over the telephone
I don't like talking on the phone
But tell me how you feel
Express yourself to me
For I am lonely too
I feel the same way
Need you to know
It's important to me that you understand
I'm just as cold and numb as you
I'm experiencing the same emotions as you
But I could fly away
I have the option to leave
Or I could be no one
I could disappear
And you could be the sunshine falling over the mountains
You could bring light and happiness
Or you could come to stay
You could choose to stay with me
You could come right home
You could return to me soon
I don't see why I have to
I don't understand why things have to be this way
Live this life all alone
Be alone for the rest of my life
I know there is a way to make up for old mistakes
I believe it's possible to fix past errors
I know what's happening is for a reason
I understand that everything happens for a purpose
I
I'm expressing my emotions and thoughts
I
I'm acknowledging the situation
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John Wiltshire-Butler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hunley Holland
Hi, there is a translation to your language at:
https://www.vagalume.com.br/john-butler-trio/what-you-want-traducao.html
I've checked the translation and it seems ok.
Oi, há uma tradução para sua língua em:
https://www.vagalume.com.br/john-butler-trio/what-you-want-traducao.html
Chequei a tradução e parece ok
Ashleigh Belt
This song is completely enchanting to me.
Marco Marcello
Enchanting is the right word.
DMS HC 101
I die for 🙏
CurvyAries
Just watched the movie In Her Skin and this was on the soundtrack. Music is my drug of choice and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard a song that touched me to my core like this 1 did. It made me feel simultaneously nostalgic, happy and sad all at the same time. Very powerful, beautiful song.
Ashleigh Belt
CurvyAries same here. I haven’t felt this way about a song since Epiphany-Staind
CurvyAries
@Ashleigh Belt Epiphany is definitely a beautiful song. Very touching.
Raff Capp
I love how this beautiful song flows into Manni and Rachel’s contemporary dance scene. It is perfect.
Ashton Smith
I walked down the isle to the instrumental part in the beginning of the song. The first time I heard this song I knew that I’d walk down the isle to that part. It was so perfect and beautiful!
LoungeFly02
My story is similar! I played this song on my guitar at my wedding (along with a couple other JBT songs) :)
AnabolicSaagAloo
I must've listened to this song 60 times on repeat after hearing it for the first time. Quality