Life and career
Born in Truckee, California, United States, and raised in The Woodlands, Texas, Will is the son of Liza Rey, a classical musician, and Edwin Farnham Butler II, a geologist. His maternal grandfather was guitarist Alvino Rey. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 2001, where he lived in Abbot Hall, and subsequently attended Northwestern University, majoring in Poetry and Slavic studies. During this time, he worked as a DJ for the WNUR Rock Show, where he also hired Nathan Amundson of Rivulets to be a substitute DJ at WNUR-FM. He also served as the poetry editor of Northwestern's literary magazine, Helicon. An excerpt of a poem from his senior thesis is quoted in Brian Bouldrey's book, "Honorable Bandit: A Walk Across Corsica." While at Northwestern, Butler lived in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the mid-2000s to join his brother Win Butler and band Arcade Fire.
In January 2008 Butler married dancer Jenny Shore.
In January 2014, Butler and Owen Pallett were nominated for Best Original Score at the 86th Academy Awards for their work on Her.
Butler was a student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he pursued a Mid-Career Master in Public Administration.
Solo career
On March 3, 2015, Butler's debut solo album Policy was released under Merge Records, accompanied by an international tour alongside Arcade Fire drummer Jeremy Gara. According to Butler, Policy is intended to reflect his omnivorous musical taste.
Butler wrote five songs for The Guardian, based on news headlines, with each song created and shared a day apart. They were mixed properly and released on Policy Deluxe in May 2015.
Butler's song "Sun Comes Up" from the 2016 solo album Friday Night caught the ear of DJ B-Roc of The Knocks, and subsequently the Knocks-produced remix of the song was released alongside a video directed by Butler, filmed in part on the New York City subway system.
Butler has written original songs for the new David Adjmi play Stereophonic, scheduled to premiere on Broadway in 2021.
Sun Comes Up
Will Butler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wrote it on the wall
Something about heaven
Something about the fall
Half way through, I needed paint
I headed for the door
I think I saw you light the match
The papers spread on the floor
Spread out on the floor
I don't remember being warm
I don't remember the lights
I don't remember the closing door
Or walking into the night
Out into the night
Out into the night
Out into the night
Out into the night
A humming bird came up to me
He stopped to scratch his wing
I said you better hurry up
Or better learn to sing
Instead he fell down to the ground
I had to close my eyes
I only opened them yesterday
I don't think it was wise
I didn't miss the maple tree
The way it plays in the light
I didn't miss the city streets
The surface burning so bright
It's burning too bright, it's burning too bright
It's burning too bright, it's burning too bright
Oh it's one for the Devil, it's two for the Devil
It's three for his friends, it's four for the trouble
It's five for the taking, six for the taking
It's seven for the taking, it's seven for the taking
You say that there must be someway out of here
I said you sure joke
You laugh at our confusion
I wish I hadn't spoke
I wish I hadn't whispered
I wish I hadn't moaned
I wish you wouldn't sing this song
Not while we're alone
Not while we're alone
Not while we're alone
not while we're alone
Not while we're alone
Not while we're alone
Oh when the sun comes up
he's gonna laugh
Oh when the sun comes up
he's gonna laugh
Oh when the sun comes up
he's gonna laugh
Oh when the sun comes...
Oh when the sun comes up
Oh when the sun comes up
Oh when the sun comes up
Will Butler's Sun Comes Up is a hauntingly introspective song that muses on the fleeting nature of memory and the pain of confronting past mistakes. The first verse sets the tone of the song, with the singer recalling a conversation with someone that he eventually wrote on the wall. The reference to "something about heaven, something about the fall" could be a metaphor for the ups and downs of relationships or the struggle between good and evil. As he realizes that he needs paint to continue writing, he leaves the room and sees the other person light a match, which could be interpreted as destroying the message on the wall that represented their relationship.
The second stanza is filled with surreal imagery that paints a picture of disorientation and confusion. Will Butler sings about not remembering the warmth or lights of the room, the closing door, or even leaving the building. This lack of memory could suggest that the singer is wrestling with some sort of trauma or dissociation. The mention of a hummingbird who stops to scratch its wing and then falls to the ground could symbolize the fragility of life or the helplessness that the character may feel.
The chorus speaks of the inevitability of the sun rising, which could represent the inevitability of change or the passing of time. The repetition of "Oh when the sun comes up, he's gonna laugh" could mean that the singer feels judged or ridiculed by the light of day. The final verse speaks of regret and longing, with references to confusion and wishful thinking. The singer wishes he could undo his mistakes and stop his partner from singing a painful song reminiscent of their time together.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember what you said to me?
Do you recall anything you told me earlier?
I wrote it on the wall
I kept a record of what you said by writing it down on the wall.
Something about heaven
You mentioned something about heaven.
Something about the fall
You mentioned something regarding the fall.
Half way through, I needed paint
Halfway through writing what you said, I required some paint.
I headed for the door
I went towards the door to get the paint.
I think I saw you light the match
I believe I saw you igniting a match.
The papers spread on the floor
The papers got scattered on the floor.
I don't remember being warm
I have no remembrance of feeling warm.
I don't remember the lights
I cannot recollect the lights' presence.
I don't remember the closing door
I have no memory of the door closing.
Or walking into the night
Or walking out during the night.
A humming bird came up to me
A hummingbird approached me.
He stopped to scratch his wing
It ceased to scratch its wing.
I said you better hurry up
I advised it to hurry up.
Or better learn to sing
Or it may want to improve its singing abilities.
Instead he fell down to the ground
Instead, it fell to the ground.
I had to close my eyes
I was forced to shut my eyes.
I only opened them yesterday
I finally opened them only yesterday.
I don't think it was wise
I believe that wasn't wise.
I didn't miss the maple tree
I did not have any yearning for the maple tree.
The way it plays in the light
The way it swings with the light.
I didn't miss the city streets
I did not have any longing for the city streets.
The surface burning so bright
The surface glowing so brightly.
It's burning too bright, it's burning too bright
It is burning too luminously, so much that it is unpleasant.
Oh it's one for the Devil, it's two for the Devil
Each of these are meant to be dedicated to the Devil, the first one and the second one.
It's three for his friends, it's four for the trouble
The third one for his companions, the fourth one for the problems that come with it.
It's five for the taking, six for the taking
The fifth and the sixth are dedicated to capturing something.
It's seven for the taking, it's seven for the taking
The seventh one is also meant for capturing or taking something.
You say that there must be someway out of here
You believe there must be a way to escape from here.
I said you sure joke
I responded doubting the credibility of your comment.
You laugh at our confusion
You find amusement in our perplexity.
I wish I hadn't spoke
I regret speaking now.
I wish I hadn't whispered
I wish I had not murmured.
I wish I hadn't moaned
I regret moaning or groaning.
I wish you wouldn't sing this song
I wish you wouldn't be singing this song.
Not while we're alone
Especially when we're only together.
When the sun comes up he's gonna laugh
By the time the sun comes up, it would be the reason to find humor in something.
Oh when the sun comes up
The moment the sun emerges.
Contributed by Penelope L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lindy Bjurstrom
This is incredible!
Josefine -
I LOVE THIS!! Thank you
Graham Purcell
24 hour loop of the outro is a necessity
Christine Spidell
So good!!!
whiskeyclones
I can’t believe will butler is now an edm icon
Thomas Kop
@chimai001 that is simply not true.
chimai001
well EDM is our future! it is everywhere and stays that,sooner or later all music goes EDM
Frncsc
Why not
mdrmg
Awesome video! ❤️
Victor Hugo Tec- Mec- BH
its Crazy 👏🤘😌