Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Sleeps With Butterflies reprise


i posted about this here, but i was recently asked again why i call my blog "sleeps with butterflies". i didn't go into much detail on that post so i will now.

for those of you who may already know and for those who do not know, tori amos is one of my mentors in every way. listening to her music from the time i was in high school until now, she has helped me through some very tough times in my life as well as some very happy times. i have truly been able to relate to her in every aspect through her music. she is an odd bird, yes i know, but she is an incredible soul. she is the ultimate woman in my eyes. she's strong, she's beautiful, she's smart, she's unique, she's eclectic, she's powerful, she's the symbol of feminine. as so much of us are and may not embrace it or have even realized it. she helped me realize that in myself.

most men do not prefer her as they feel her engulfing feminine energy and it probably frightens them a bit. the women i know either adore her or loathe her. i have never met someone the thought tori was "ok".

there can be many interpretations of the song "sleeps with butterflies" that tori wrote - on the album the beekeeper. as with any song, each individual interprets it in a different way. here are the lyrics:


Airplanes
Take you away again
Are you flying
Above where we live
Then I look up a glare in my eyes
Are you having regrets about last night
I'm not but I like rivers that rush in
So then I dove in
Is there trouble ahead
For you the acrobat
I won't push you unless you have a net

You say the word
You know I will find you
Or if you need some time
I don't mind
I don't hold on
To the tail of your kite
I'm not like the girls that you've known
But I believe I'm worth coming home to
Kiss away night
This girl only sleeps with butterflies
With butterflies
So go on and fly then boy

Balloons
Look good from on the ground
I fear with pins and needles around
We may fall then stumble
Upon a carousel
It could take us anywhere

You say the word
You know I will find you
Or if you need some time
I don't mind
I don't hold on
To the tail of your kite
I'm not like the girls that you've known
But I believe I'm worth coming home to
Kiss away night
This girl only sleeps with butterflies
With butterflies
With butterflies
So go on and fly boy

what do you think it means?

i am connected to this song because i relate to it so well. my interpretation is tweaked a little bit every time i listen to it, but overall my take is that she is in love with a man (doesn't necessarily have to be a new relationship - could even be very established - that's up for interpretation as well) who might have a bit of a commitment issue of sorts or feels too tied down. maybe he feels this way and has left. but she's assuring him that she's not like the girls that he's known...but she believes she's worth coming home to (such a powerful lyric here - so full of self-worth). she's letting him know that she won't smother him and she'll be here when he gets back. as for the sleeps with butterflies part, to me, that's like assuring him that she doesn't sleep around and she will be here when he comes back for her. other people may interpret as she sleeps with only butterflies (such as him - letting him fly and come back to her) - and telling him to go - she'll be there waiting.

i feel this way about someone - i won't go into detail, but it's kind of been a pattern for us. but i chose to look at it as a thing of beauty.

at any rate, i feel a special connection with this song and i decided to name my blog after it.




Tori Amos - Sleeps with Butterflies.mp3 -

2 comments:

Brandi Reynolds said...

*happy sigh*

you totally hit the nail on the head that each can interpret her lyrics a little differently.

love this post.

Anonymous said...

Well. . . there could be many interpretations here but I think your's is right on point. I lean more toward that she sleeps with that which is beautiful and free, like a butterfly, per se, and she would never want to change that about him.

Cool lyrics. . . thanks for sharing.