"Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" is a quotation – sometimes misquoted with "on" in place of "upon" – from Alexander Pope's "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot" of January 1735. The line has entered common use and has become associated with more recent figures.

 

It can be taken as referring to putting massive effort into achieving something minor or unimportant, and alludes to "breaking on the wheel", a form of torture in which victims had their long bones broken by an iron bar while tied to a Catherine wheel.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_breaks_a_butterfly_upon_a_wheel%3F

^Oh thanks. Makes more sense now. :)

So the girl in Paradise put a massive effort into achieving Paradise but failed? Meh I don´t like the wiki definition. For my own listening pleasure I will stick to my interpretation, even if it might not be the one intended :)

It's from a nursery rhyme I believe. That's my favorite lyric in the whole song. Plus it ties in well with the Oasis song falling down (another of my favorite bands), which references the rhyme as well. I think it hassomething to do with losing hope or something.

I like the losing hope interpretation much better :)

I noticed this, still dont get what 'bullets catch in her teeth' means...

Wow! Thanks so much guys, I'd never heard that Oasis song, I have to say it's probably the best thing I've ever heard from them (only really heard the first two albums played on continual repeat at uni bars), what a stormer!!

 

I'll have to look more at their back catalogue. That is real, proper, rock and roll :)

 

The modern knowledge of the phrase is due to the Rolling Stones' court case in the 60s, which was pretty era-defining in England, and I'm guessing that's what all the tracks on this thread reference.

 

Tonsu?! Where have you been?! It's a wonderful song! Probably their most unOasis song (and the last Oasis song with involvement by Noel Gallagher). This 22 minute remix of Falling Down (broken into 3 videos) by Noel and Amorphous Adrogynous (Noel's producers on his album after High Flying Birds) will blow your mind.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgdHUMIFGzY]Oasis Falling Down (A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Mix part 1 and 2) - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tb1qlHDb0&feature=related]Oasis Falling Down (A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Mix part 3 and 4) - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vza0c7Fdbu8&feature=related]Oasis Falling Down (A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Mix part 5) - YouTube[/ame]

I'm completely late to the party :curtain: and I know that the "real" explanation to the line has been posted but I just wanted it on the record that it's one of my favourite lines from the song.

 

Life goes on it gets so heavy, the wheel breaks the butterfly

 

To me it really talks about change and that sometimes beautiful, fragile things can break because of that change...

 

I don't know, it's 2am here and I should go to bed :P

 

:escaping:

OASIS IS THE BEST!

I think it has a meaning in that the wheel (the car) clobbers butterflies (monarchs and many rare species) - the more cars driving about, the fewer butterflies survive. It's an unfortunate matter that milkweed plants often grow along roadsides, and monarchs seem to like to float on the thermals rising off macadam roads here, so cars are taking their toll on the natural population.

When I think about this, this song comes to mind:

I noticed this, still dont get what 'bullets catch in her teeth' means...

 

Catching a bullet in your teeth is a magic trick where, well, it's self explanatory. Being a magic trick, obviously the person is not ACTUALLY catching a bullet in their teeth but in the context of the song, I think it's supposed to signify something incredibly difficult or dangerous .

The wheel breaks the butterfly. Is a metaphor the wheel is life, the butterfly is the girl (fragile) The elephant in the video is a symbol (weight) of the world. Bullets catch in her teeth.. Its like the metaphor bite the bullet (just put up with things) paradise is such a wonderful song! the symbols, and metaphors pull you in and make you think...

i always sing "the butter fly" :D :lol:

The phrase means putting massive effort into achieving something minor or unimportant.

 

It is derived from Alexander's Pope Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot of January 1735.

 

"

Let Sporus tremble –"What? that thing of silk,

Sporus, that mere white curd of ass's milk?

Satire or sense, alas! can Sporus feel?

Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?"

Yet let me flap this bug with gilded wings,

This painted child of dirt that stinks and stings;

Whose buzz the witty and the fair annoys,

Yet wit ne'er tastes, and beauty ne'er enjoys, "