Story Behind The Song

The kernel of the song is a dream I had about a butterfly. I was lost at sea (a time-honored metaphor for the unconscious in dream/myth interpretation) when a huge storm hit and I was washed into the waves. At that moment a picture of a butterfly came into my head. When I woke up all I could remember was the butterfly -- it took a long time to recall the shipwreck part. And even at that, I couldn't remember any more than what I just wrote. So, I wanted to capture the feel of a long, angst-filled narration punctuated by pure bliss or serenity.

Song Description

The singer is making strides toward self-awareness: he knows that he is at odds with the rhythms of modernity; he is a world-class procrastinator; he prefers the dulling opiate of solitude to the frightening tumult of relationships. But he is trying to reach out. The chorus is both a two-word plea for intimacy and an exact description of what Depression feels like.

Lyrics

I'm a living relic of a time gone past
I believe I'm entitled
to a moment of Happiness.

(Chorus)
Hold me, Hold me!
It feels like I could float away.

I am like Siddhartha's pebble in the stream.
On the path of least resistance
They've built a shrine to honor me.

(chorus)
Hold me, Hold me!
It feels like I could collapse
And continue 'til there's nothing else.
And I think I'll dream of...butterflies.

Today, my name is Sinbad of the Seven Seas.
The only friend that I have
Is this cloud hanging over me.

(chorus)
Hold me, Hold me!
It feels like I could float away.

I am like a relic of a time gone past
I believe I'm entitled to my bit of Happiness.

(chorus)
Hold me, Hold me!
It feels like I could float away.
Hold me, Hold me!
It feels like I could collapse,
And continue 'til there's nothing left.
And I think I'll dream of...butterflies.