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The Mission — Butterfly On A Wheel
Album: Carved In Sand
Avg rating:
6.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 531









Released: 1990
Length: 4:54
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Silver and gold
And it's growing cold
Autumn leaves lay
As thick as thieves

Shivers down your spine
Chill you to the bone
'Cos the mandolin wind
Is the melody that turns
Your heart to stone

The heat of your breath
Carving shadows on the mist
Every angel has the wish that
She's never been kissed

A broken dream
Haunting in your sleep
And hiding in your smile
A secret you must keep
Love cuts you deep

Love breaks the wings of a butterfly
On a wheel
Love breaks the wings of a butterfly
On a wheel

There's no scarlet in you
Lay your veil down for me
As sure as God made wine
You can't wrap your arms
Around a memory

Take warmth from me
Cold Autumn winds
Cut sharp as a knife
And in the dark for me
You're the candle flame that
Flickers to life

Love breaks the wings of a butterfly
On a wheel
Love will break the wings of a butterfly
On a wheel

Wise men say all is fair
In love and war
And there's no right or wrong
In the design of love

And I could only watch
As the wind crushed your wings
Broken and torn
Crushed like the flower under the snow
And like the flower in spring
Love will rise again to heal your wings

Love heals the wings of a butterfly
On a wheel
Love will heal the wings of a butterfly
On a wheel
Comments (33)add comment
 NeilBlanchard wrote:

Man - the recording quality is awful. Compressed and poor frequency extremes.



I don't care I don't care I don't care if you're Madonna or Cher....
Posted 2 years ago by johnfiva    [ Reply ]
Well.  Those were certainly words.
Posted 3 years ago by Laurelai    [ Reply ]
I have to admit, in real time during the 80's I didn't care for a lot of the synth pop action... but with 30+ years of time and nostalgia, I'm digging it now
Posted 4 years ago by obankenobi    [ Reply ]
First time I have ever heard this song and, if the Gods smile on me, the last as well.  
Posted 4 years ago by Alastair    [ Reply ]
What a SONG... oh my ...Butterflies and all !
Posted 4 years ago by douglwagner    [ Reply ]
 Grammarcop wrote:
And I could only watch
As the wind crushed your wings
Broken and torn
Crushed like the flower under the snow
And like the flower in spring
Love will rise again to heal your wings

Oh, please.
 
It would seem that the concept of a metaphor is lost in your comment and/or perhaps you've never been "crushed" by a failing of love in some way.  I've seen a number of poetic compositions that don't come nearly as close as this does... imho
Posted 5 years ago by flight750    [ Reply ]
Give me Deliverance.
Posted 5 years ago by Pjesnik    [ Reply ]
Not the best from this album, and not their best work by far but by God it brings back memories.

Play Tower of Strength Bill, please
Posted 5 years ago by be4con    [ Reply ]
 Grammarcop wrote:
And I could only watch
As the wind crushed your wings
Broken and torn
Crushed like the flower under the snow
And like the flower in spring
Love will rise again to heal your wings

Oh, please.
 
...but... that's all Wayne Hussey ever did. He's the original Mr Cliche and you just have to run with it.
Posted 5 years ago by be4con    [ Reply ]
Such a great band, not their finest track, but love it all the same
Posted 5 years ago by Timmer7    [ Reply ]
Man - the recording quality is awful. Compressed and poor frequency extremes.
Posted 7 years ago by NeilBlanchard    [ Reply ]
time has not been kind to this one, I find this terrible. see every 80's movie sad teenager in love montage
Posted 7 years ago by Decoy    [ Reply ]
And I could only watch
As the wind crushed your wings
Broken and torn
Crushed like the flower under the snow
And like the flower in spring
Love will rise again to heal your wings

Oh, please.
Posted 7 years ago by Grammarcop    [ Reply ]
Mmmhhh... Love memories
Posted 7 years ago by strous    [ Reply ]
A great song from a geat album such memories.
Posted 7 years ago by janac13    [ Reply ]
How did I manage to miss this song when it came out?  Yipes, a great tune.  Thanks RP
Posted 8 years ago by Johnny_Wave    [ Reply ]
 passsion8 wrote:
Sounds like the singer from Ultravox to me.
 

 
Kinda, yeah. Definitely 80s-era. Can't remember hearing this back in the day. Interesting that Bill put this in a 7-year deep freeze until this year. 
10/12/17 edit: sounds like Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen apart from the chorus. Still works for me as a new 80s flashback. 
Posted 8 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
It must be decades ago I heard this song!! Brings up memmory's of a concert of The Cure in Thialf, Heerenveen (Netherlands) where The Mission also played. Nice.....
 
Posted 8 years ago by jaha70    [ Reply ]
Excellent - under appreciated classic.  More Mission please!
Posted 8 years ago by RiverOfLife    [ Reply ]
Sounds like the singer from Ultravox to me.
 
Posted 8 years ago by passsion8    [ Reply ]
I would love to hear peoples comments to other songs by the Mission. Perhaps not the more obvious ones but some stuff like 'Afterglow' is a really well produced. Well worth a listen.  
Posted 15 years ago by RedAdmiral    [ Reply ]
until I checked the playlist, I thought this was an Echo and the Bunnymen song I'd never heard before...
Posted 19 years ago by flandersdog    [ Reply ]
I am confused -- wasn't pink floyd just on? and david bowie too? and now this? what a mood buster.
Posted 19 years ago by scruzer    [ Reply ]
This was a High School makeout song for me, and I haven't heard it since that one particular night 15 years ago. What a blast from the past!
Posted 19 years ago by bicbrightliner    [ Reply ]
His voice is certainly compelling. Sounds almost like they're trying for a 10-CC, Collective Soul kind of layered complicated sound; but they don't do it as well or as interestingly as those earlier guys.
Posted 19 years ago by adastra    [ Reply ]
Trying to like it. Just can't. Yuk. Is this from the '80s? That would certainly explain it.
Posted 19 years ago by kimmer    [ Reply ]
busch wrote:
An okay track, but not really The Mission at their best. Try some of the tracks from "Children" like "Beyond the Pale" or "Tower of Strength".
Oh yeah! You got my vote on this one.
Posted 19 years ago by MTL_Robbie    [ Reply ]
"Love breaks the wings of a butterfly"? lololol How about "Love makes God kill kittens"? Or maybe "Love is worse than Hitler"?
Posted 19 years ago by physicsgenius    [ Reply ]
bonosgirl wrote:
I love this song. Wayne Hussey's voice is just amazing and he's such a great song writer. Too bad no other songs are featured here so others can hear what a fantastic musician/singer/songwriter he is. :D
sounds like you are a big fan. Itunes only have one album a live (ever after) . Do you recommend it? or should go for a best of? if there is such a thing?
Posted 19 years ago by jean-louis    [ Reply ]
marie_pain wrote:
Today is my last working day in the company I spent the last 8 years of my life... Next Tuesday a new chapter... Listening Space Oddity, Learning to fly and Butterfly on a wheel makes me shiver and puts me in a special mood. Thanks Bill and RP for the soundtrack for these days. Saludos, Marie
:goodvibes: :grouphug:
Posted 19 years ago by Danny_G    [ Reply ]
Today is my last working day in the company I spent the last 8 years of my life... Next Tuesday a new chapter... Listening Space Oddity, Learning to fly and Butterfly on a wheel makes me shiver and puts me in a special mood. Thanks Bill and RP for the soundtrack for these days. Saludos, Marie
Posted 19 years ago by marie_pain    [ Reply ]
I love this song. Wayne Hussey's voice is just amazing and he's such a great song writer. Too bad no other songs are featured here so others can hear what a fantastic musician/singer/songwriter he is. :D
Posted 21 years ago by bonosgirl    [ Reply ]
An okay track, but not really The Mission at their best. Try some of the tracks from \"Children\" like \"Beyond the Pale\" or \"Tower of Strength\".
Posted 22 years ago by busch    [ Reply ]