Butterflies 4 Brains

Lyrics

(1)

Got a reason to live, got a reason... (2)

For brains, butterflies for brains

That's it
Butterflies for brains
She's got
Whizz bang, butterflies for brains 

Would walk ten country miles
In a fat person's moccasin (3)
Butterflies for brains

Whizz bang, butterflies for brains
Butterflies for brains

It comes, butterflies for brains
'At's got butterflies for brains 

The four of us are dying (4)
I'm very concerned about school buildings
Got a reason to live
Got black-cloud aura (5)

Whizz bang, butterflies for brains
Butterflies for brains

She's got, butterflies for brains
That's got, butterflies for brains

Here it is
That's it 

Butterflies for brains
She's got

Butterflies for brains
Here it is
Butterflies for brains
She's got 
Here it is
Butterflies for brains
She's got 
Butterflies for brains
She's got
Butterflies for brains
She's got 

SaveSave

Notes

1. An earlier version from 1989 called "Whizz Bang" surfaced in 2005 on the Peel box set. This one features a psychedelic guitar, whereas the other is propelled by a keening fiddle, if "propelled by a keening fiddle" isn't too much like something Rolling Stone would say. Aside from the two title phrases, the lyrics are different.

^

2. The Monks' "Shut Up," which is clearly a musical influence on this song, begins "Got a reason to laugh..." Although it is in a different key, the chord changes of "Shut Up" are similar, and the "She's got..." sections are sung to a similar cadence as that in which the Monks sing "Shut up..."

^

3. Dan:

This seems to be a common phrase, or a version of a common phrase, often attributed to Native Americans in some versions: "don't judge your neighbour until you've walked a mile/ten miles in their moccasins." Also "would walk X miles for..." is another idiom, with of course a different meaning.

^

4. "The Four of Us Are Dying" is the title of a Twilight Zone episode, which was also an inspiration for "What You Need."

^

5. This line is reminiscent of the Fall song "Cloud of Black," from the Shift-Work era.

^

SaveSave

Comments (9)

Rik
  • 1. Rik | 12/08/2013
This track may be about Saffron Prior (MES ex wife).
If you Google her name....you'lll find her Twiiter thing and its something like butterflies4br - I know it's her because she's in the Shiftwork and Holidays video release
nairng
  • 2. nairng | 16/08/2013
British soldiers in WW1 would refer to German shells as whizz-bangs

http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/whizzbang.htm

Therefore link to other soldier tunes eg Tommy Shooter?

The first lines are very obvious borrowing from Shut Up by the Monks, later covered on Middle Class Revolt
dannyno
  • 3. dannyno | 24/10/2013
I've got slightly different lyrics:

"Got a reason to live, got a reason
For brains, butterflies for brains
(That's it), butterflies for brains
Whizz bang, butterflies for brains
Would walk ten country miles
In a fat person's moccasin
Butterflies for brains
Whizz bang, butterflies for brains
Butterflies for brains
It comes, butterflies for brains
Has got, butterflies for brains
The four of us are dying
I'm very concerned about school buildings
Got a reason to live
Got black cloud aura
Whizz bang, butterflies for brains
Butterflies for brains
She's got butterflies for brains
It's got butterflies for brains
(Here it is), butterflies for brains
(She's got) butterflies for brains
(Here it is) butterflies for brains
(She's got)
(Here it is), butterflies for brains
(She's got) butterflies for brains
(She's got) butterflies for brains
(She's got) butterflies for brains
She's got"
dannyno
  • 4. dannyno | 03/12/2013
Hmm. Listen to The Monks' "Shut Up", then listen to this. There's a point where there's a distinct similarity.

And the reference to "black cloud aura" would seem to link to the song "Cloud of Black", wouldn't it?
dannyno
  • 5. dannyno | 03/12/2013
I mean, not just the slight lyrical echo, as noted above by nairng, musically too.
bzfgtI
  • 6. bzfgtI | 16/12/2013
Yes, the similarities to "Shut Up" are patent, thanks all...I don't understand this, the comments now make me look at an ad, but I don't have to type anything in any more. I suppose robots can't move the slider? If so, then I guess I understand...
dannyno
  • 7. dannyno | 25/01/2017

Would walk ten country miles
In a fat person's moccasin


This seems to be a common phrase, or a version of a common phrase, often attributed to Native Americans in some versions: "don't judge your neighbour until you've walked a mile/ten miles in their moccasins"
dannyno
  • 8. dannyno | 31/03/2017
Only the right hand parenthesis of your note-link "(5)" is actually a link.
Martin
  • 9. Martin | 15/05/2020
I've no idea as to why MES should be worried about school buildings, but structures in general (as well as schools) feature heavily in his lyrics.

Add a comment