BUTTERFLIES Lyrics – Justin Bieber

BUTTERFLIES Lyrics Meaning

[Intro]
This part shows frustration toward someone who’s obsessed with money. It feels like they don’t care about real feelings or people, just cash. The speaker’s clearly upset, feeling like the other person’s priorities are all wrong. It’s like he’s saying, “If all you care about is money, then you’re not really here for me.”

[Verse 1]
Here, he reflects on how money doesn’t last. It comes and goes, and in the end, it doesn’t leave you with much. What’s left is something empty that just looks nice on the outside. He talks about the mix of pain and joy in life, saying it’s never just simple or clear. Even though things keep going, like the sun still shining, he just wants to shut his eyes and block it all out.

[Pre-Chorus]
He’s wishing away those nervous, fluttery feelings—probably from love or emotional confusion. It seems like he doesn’t want to feel this way anymore and wants the emotional weight to disappear.

[Chorus]
He’s feeling like he’s constantly in motion, but not in a good way. It’s like he’s drifting through life or maybe emotionally shutting down. The more he keeps moving, the more he feels himself slipping further from reality or from who he used to be. There’s this sense of being lost or out of control, like no matter what he does, he can’t stop this downward slide. It feels like he’s getting pulled into a place where he doesn’t feel connected anymore—not to himself, not to love, not to the person he’s singing to. The repetition of “moving” makes it feel exhausting and endless, like he’s stuck in a loop he can’t break free from.

[Verse 2]
He’s saying that the hurt he’s carrying could destroy love, even if it’s strong. There’s something beautiful between them—maybe a deep connection—but his pain is putting it at risk. He’s warning not to drift too far apart, or they could lose what they have.

[Pre-Chorus]
Once again, he’s trying to push away those emotional feelings, those butterflies that usually come with love or vulnerability. But they always fade or don’t stay, and he’s noticing that pattern. It makes him feel like emotional closeness never lasts.

[Chorus]
He keeps describing this feeling of constantly moving, like he’s always in motion but going nowhere meaningful. It’s more about mentally or emotionally drifting away rather than physically. The phrase “slipping away” keeps repeating, showing that he feels himself fading—maybe from the relationship, maybe from life, or just from his own emotions. It’s like he can’t grab onto anything solid. He might be trying to stay strong or hold on, but something inside him feels like it’s giving up or breaking down. The constant repetition makes it feel overwhelming, like he’s stuck in this emotional spiral that he doesn’t know how to stop.

[Outro]
He circles back to the idea of butterflies, which could represent love, nervousness, or emotional sensitivity. He keeps saying he’s about to slip away, almost like a warning or realization that he’s not able to hold on much longer. The butterflies are still there, but they’re tied to the feeling of fading away—making it bittersweet, like love is still present but can’t save him from slipping.