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Stefan Bachmann
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 5:46 am
Post subject: A phrase I am not sure about |
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Hello Newsgroup!
I am new to this place, so I am not sure at all if this is the right
place to put my question (also please excuse my a bit rusted english -
it's been a while since I spoke to a native speaker.
So I am wondering about this: I own the internet-domain
www.iron-butterfly.de (nothing to see there at the moment, and when I
registered it I did not think about the band "iron butterfly" - that was
before I started to listen to music). Now I want to put some blog onto
that page, and I am looking for some kind of a theme, and randomly
listened to a song from garbage, calles "butterfly collector". There is
also mentioned "queen of the butterfly collectors".
Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing "Iron
ButterflY" (bought a CD now  ), I wonder if there is a special meaning
in this "(king of the) butterfly collectors"? Somehow I fear that this is
a phrase that might be used by a subculture, and it might mean something
I don't want to be connected with.
Oh, maybe I am totally wrong, and people now wonder about this line, so
here is a link to the lyrics of the song:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garbage/butterflycollector.html
Sorry again for my rusty english (this is what happens if you speak to
russian and chinese people in english all the time ... hope it was not
too bad!)
Thank you in advance!
Stefan
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John of Aix
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:14 pm
Post subject: Re: A phrase I am not sure about |
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Stefan Bachmann wrote:
| Quote: | Hello Newsgroup!
Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing "Iron
ButterflY" (bought a CD now ), I wonder if there is a special
meaning in this "(king of the) butterfly collectors"? Somehow I fear
that this is a phrase that might be used by a subculture, and it
might mean something I don't want to be connected with.
|
Usually when 'king' (or queen) is used in a phrase like this it means
that the person is the best at whatever it is, so in this case, the best
butterfly collector. |
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Ivan
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 10:51 pm
Post subject: Re: A phrase I am not sure about |
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John of Aix wrote:
| Quote: | Stefan Bachmann wrote:
Hello Newsgroup!
Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing
"Iron
ButterflY" (bought a CD now ), I wonder if there is a special
meaning in this "(king of the) butterfly collectors"? Somehow I
fear
that this is a phrase that might be used by a subculture, and it
might mean something I don't want to be connected with.
Usually when 'king' (or queen) is used in a phrase like this it means
that the person is the best at whatever it is, so in this case, the
best
butterfly collector.
|
I thnk he is asking if "butterfly collector" has any slang meaning that
might be derogatory or obscene. I am not aware of any, but I'm not up
on all the latest slang, either. The song he cites seems to just be
using it as a phrase meaning frivolous pursuit.
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 11:46 pm
Post subject: Re: A phrase I am not sure about |
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On 3 Apr 2005 09:51:58 -0700, "Ivan" <vorotyntsev@yahoo.com> wrote:
| Quote: |
John of Aix wrote:
Stefan Bachmann wrote:
Hello Newsgroup!
Well ... as I am already a bit embarresed about me not knowing
"Iron
ButterflY" (bought a CD now ), I wonder if there is a special
meaning in this "(king of the) butterfly collectors"? Somehow I
fear
that this is a phrase that might be used by a subculture, and it
might mean something I don't want to be connected with.
Usually when 'king' (or queen) is used in a phrase like this it means
that the person is the best at whatever it is, so in this case, the
best
butterfly collector.
I thnk he is asking if "butterfly collector" has any slang meaning that
might be derogatory or obscene. I am not aware of any, but I'm not up
on all the latest slang, either. The song he cites seems to just be
using it as a phrase meaning frivolous pursuit.
|
I agree with the first part of your comment.
However, my reading of the song is that "butterfly collecting" is not
necessarily frivolous or casual. The "butterfly collector" is a woman who
treats men as objects to be collected. She entices and enthrals them not
only sexually but also mentally:
"There's tarts and whores but you're much more
You're a different kind 'cause you want their minds"
--
Peter Duncanson
UK
(posting from u.c.l.e) |
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David
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 1:08 am
Post subject: Re: A phrase I am not sure about |
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In article <tda051tfia78a3hhg7jrg1rs0elo8hb9mu@4ax.com>, Peter
Duncanson <mail@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
| Quote: | On 3 Apr 2005 09:51:58 -0700, "Ivan" <vorotyntsev@yahoo.com> wrote:
I thnk he is asking if "butterfly collector" has any slang meaning
that might be derogatory or obscene. I am not aware of any, but I'm
not up on all the latest slang, either. The song he cites seems to
just be using it as a phrase meaning frivolous pursuit.
I agree with the first part of your comment.
However, my reading of the song is that "butterfly collecting" is not
necessarily frivolous or casual. The "butterfly collector" is a woman
who treats men as objects to be collected. She entices and enthrals
them not only sexually but also mentally:
"There's tarts and whores but you're much more You're a different
kind 'cause you want their minds"
|
A collector of souls: Greek psyche, butterfly?
--
http://www.dacha.freeuk.com/penny/1d-01.htm
the old woman died so agonisingly and slowly one night after
becoming impaled on the old lilac tree beneath her bedroom window. |
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:43 pm
Post subject: Re: A phrase I am not sure about |
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On Sun, 03 Apr 2005 20:08:08 +0100, David <david@dacha.freeuk.com> wrote:
| Quote: | In article <tda051tfia78a3hhg7jrg1rs0elo8hb9mu@4ax.com>, Peter
Duncanson <mail@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
On 3 Apr 2005 09:51:58 -0700, "Ivan" <vorotyntsev@yahoo.com> wrote:
I thnk he is asking if "butterfly collector" has any slang meaning
that might be derogatory or obscene. I am not aware of any, but I'm
not up on all the latest slang, either. The song he cites seems to
just be using it as a phrase meaning frivolous pursuit.
I agree with the first part of your comment.
However, my reading of the song is that "butterfly collecting" is not
necessarily frivolous or casual. The "butterfly collector" is a woman
who treats men as objects to be collected. She entices and enthrals
them not only sexually but also mentally:
"There's tarts and whores but you're much more You're a different
kind 'cause you want their minds"
A collector of souls: Greek psyche, butterfly?
|
I suspect that interpretation might come as news to the lyricist. :-)
Having re-read the song I suggest that what the writer had in mind was a
butterfly collection in a display cabinet, with the butterflies fixed in
rows and columns.
In the song the singer, the butterfly, is living rather than dead so the
nature of control exercised is different.
The first two lines of the song are:
"So you finally got what you wanted
You've achieved your aim by making me walk in line"
--
Peter Duncanson
UK
(posting from u.c.l.e) |
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Stefan Bachmann
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 6:29 am
Post subject: Re: A phrase I am not sure about |
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Hi!
Thanx to everybody for the help! I think I don't get into problems by
using phrases and quotations of the song on my homepage then! Again:
Thanx to everybody for helping!
Stefan |
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