Butterfly – English Lyrics

• By: Christina Perri
• Album: head or heart

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Christina Perri's "Butterfly," a poignant pop ballad that beautifully expresses the universal ache of unrequited love and the longing for commitment. Its clear, evocative lyrics and emotional delivery make it an excellent song for English language learners to explore themes of relationships, vulnerability, and self-realization through music.

[English]

You're a pretty butterfly

You keep on passing by

You never land inside my hands

Your home is in the sky

And there's a lesson waiting to be learned

The fire starters always get the burns

And the good guys never get the girl

And shooting stars cannot fix the world

And I've made the same mistakes

But I won't this time

No I won't this time

...

And you're a pretty butterfly

And I believed all your lies

And blinded by your sideways smile

And the kindness in your eyes

But there's a limit to your flight

I can offer you a better life

But you keep on flying from the light

And I've lost my faith in wrong and right

And I have made the same mistakes

But I won't this time

No I won't this time

...

I know exactly what you do

I made damn sure I studied you

You won't pick me

I am just a breeze underneath your wings

So I pray each night you change your mind

And maybe I am worth the fight

But I am wrong every time

You only know how to fly

...

You only know how to fly

You only know how to fly

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
butterfly /ˈbʌt.ər.flaɪ/ A2	noun - an insect with large, often brightly coloured wings and a thin body
pretty /ˈprɪt.i/ A1	adjective - (especially of women, girls, or children) pleasant to look at, or (especially of places) pleasant and attractive
land /lænd/ A1	verb - to (cause to) arrive on the ground or other surface after moving down through the air
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the space above the earth that you can see, where clouds and the sun, moon, and stars appear
lesson /ˈles.ən/ A2	noun - a useful piece of information that you learn from an experience or mistake
learned /lɜːnd/ A1	verb - past simple and past participle of 'learn' (to get new knowledge or a new skill by studying, practising, or being taught)
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A1	noun - the state of burning that produces flames that send out heat and light, and often smoke
burns /bɜːnz/ B1	noun - an injury caused by fire, heat, or acid verb - to be hurt, damaged, or destroyed by fire or extreme heat, or to cause this to happen
mistakes /mɪˈsteɪk/ A2	noun - an action, decision, or judgment that causes an undesirable or unintentional result
lies /laɪz/ A2	noun - something that is not true
blinded /ˈblaɪn.dɪd/ B1	verb - past simple and past participle of 'blind' (to make someone unable to see) adjective - unable to see for a period of time, often because of too much light
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a happy or friendly expression on the face in which the corners of the mouth turn slightly upwards, or a similar expression on the faces of some animals
flight /flaɪt/ A2	noun - the act of flying or moving through the air
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the brightness that comes from the sun, fire, etc. and allows you to see things
faith /feɪθ/ B1	noun - great trust or confidence in something or someone
wrong /rɒŋ/ (UK), /rɑːŋ/ (US) A1	adjective - not morally right or acceptable noun - an unfair or illegal act
right /raɪt/ A1	adjective - morally good or acceptable noun - something that a person is legally or morally allowed to have or do
breeze /briːz/ B1	noun - a gentle wind
wings /wɪŋz/ A2	noun - one of the two parts of a bird or insect that it uses for flying
fly /flaɪ/ A1	verb - (of an animal, especially a bird or insect) to move through the air using wings

Key Grammar Structures

• You're a pretty butterfly

  ➔ Present simple tense with the subject 'you' and the verb 'are' contracted as 'You're'.

  ➔ Used to describe or identify someone or something in the present.

• You keep on passing by

  ➔ Present continuous tense with 'keep on' followed by the verb in the gerund (passing).

  ➔ Indicates the continuation or repeated action of passing by.

• Your home is in the sky

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating location 'in the sky' with 'is' as the linking verb.

  ➔ Shows the place where the subject exists or is located.

• And there's a lesson waiting to be learned

  ➔ Present participle 'waiting' used as part of a relative clause to describe 'lesson'.

  ➔ Describes a lesson that is currently there and ready to be learned.

• The fire starters always get the burns

  ➔ Present simple tense with 'always' for habitual action, active voice with 'get' (meaning 'receive').

  ➔ Expresses that fire starters habitually experience burns, indicating a repeated consequence.

• And I've made the same mistakes

  ➔ Present perfect tense with 'have' + past participle 'made'.

  ➔ Indicates an action that happened at an unspecified time before now and is relevant to the current situation.

• You only know how to fly

  ➔ Modal verb 'only' used to restrict or emphasize the verb phrase 'know how to fly'.

  ➔ Highlights that the person only has the ability to fly and nothing else.