Butterfly Fly Away – English Lyrics

• By: Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartwarming lyrics of "Butterfly Fly Away," a beautiful English-language duet from Hannah Montana: The Movie. This song offers a poignant exploration of growth, parental love, and embracing independence, using a simple yet powerful metaphor that makes its message universally relatable. Learning the lyrics provides insight into common English expressions related to coming-of-age and family bonds, making it a special piece for language learners.

[English]

You tucked me in, turned out the light

Kept me safe and sound at night

Little girls depend on things like that

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair

Had to drive me everywhere

You were always there when I looked back

You had to do it all alone

Make a living, make a home

Must have been as hard as it could been

And when I couldn't sleep at night

Scared things wouldn't turn out right

You would hold my hand and sing to me

Caterpillar in the tree

How you wonder who you'll be

Can't go far, but you can always dream

Wish you may, and wish you might

Don't you worry, hold on tight

I promise you there will come a day

Butterfly fly away

...

Butterfly fly away (butterfly fly away)

Got your wings, now you can't stay

Take those dreams and make them all come true

Butterfly fly away (butterfly fly away)

You've been waiting for this day

All along you've known just what to do

Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away

...

Butterfly fly away

...

Butterfly fly away

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tucked /tʌkt/ B1	verb - to put in a snug or covered position
turned /tɜrnd/ A2	verb - to change position or direction
safe /seɪf/ A2	adjective - not in danger
sound /saʊnd/ A2	noun - vibrations that travel through the air or water and can be heard adjective - in good condition or operating smoothly
depend /dɪˈpɛnd/ B1	verb - to rely on or trust for support
brush /brʌʃ/ A2	verb - to clean or style with a brush
comb /koʊm/ A2	verb - to arrange hair using a comb
drive /draɪv/ B1	verb - to operate a vehicle
make /meɪk/ A2	verb - to create or construct
hard /hɑrd/ B1	adjective - difficult or requiring a lot of effort
sleep /sliːp/ A2	verb - to rest with eyes closed
scared /skɛrd/ B1	adjective - feeling fear or worry
wonder /ˈwʌndər/ B2	verb - to think about something with curiosity or doubt
dream /driːm/ B1	verb - to experience thoughts or images during sleep or in hopes
wish /wɪʃ/ B1	verb - to desire strongly or hope for something

Key Grammar Structures

• You tucked me in, turned out the light

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ "tucked" is the past tense of "tuck", indicating an action completed in the past.

• Had to drive me everywhere

  ➔ Modal verb "had to" indicating obligation

  ➔ "Had to" expresses necessity or obligation in the past.

• Make a living, make a home

  ➔ Imperative form / parallel verb construction

  ➔ The phrase uses the base verb in a repeated or parallel structure to emphasize different responsibilities.

• Must have been as hard as it could been

  ➔ Modal perfect "must have been" to express conjecture about the past

  ➔ "Must have been" expresses a logical assumption or conclusion about the past experience.

• And when I couldn't sleep at night

  ➔ Past perfect modal "couldn't" (could not)

  ➔ "Couldn't" is the contraction of "could not", used here to show inability in the past.

• How you wonder who you'll be

  ➔ Indirect question using "wonder" + subject clause

  ➔ "Wonder" is used here to introduce a question internally, forming an indirect question about identity.

• Don't you worry, hold on tight

  ➔ Imperative sentence with negation

  ➔ "Don't" is a contraction of "do not" used here as a command to reassure someone.