Mariah Carey’s Butterfly is one of the most honest, emotionally introspective albums ever released. Aside from the Prince cover “The Beautiful Ones,” all the lyrics were penned, as usual, by Ms. Carey herself. In honor of it’s 18th Anniversary, I’ve collected a list of the 18 most emotionally charged lyrics from the album that will definitely put you in your feelings. You know, just sitting there experiencing “all the feels.” Mariah has the tendency to do that to you. “Fly Away” (the “Butterfly” reprise) and “The Beautiful Ones” have been omitted for the sake of focusing on solely original songs. Be sure to read our other Butterfly articles, vote for your favorite song from the album and enter our contest, too!
1. “Honey, I can’t describe… how good it feels inside,” from “Honey”
On the surface, this line could be interpreted as Mariah feeling so much glee inside when she’s with her beau, but I think we all know the true, double entendré Mariah intended here. It’ll certainly leave you feeling a different sort of h-word-and-bothered. Oop!
2. “I truly feel your heart will lead you back to me when you’re ready to land,” from “Butterfly”
This heartbreaking moment of hopeful letting go epitomizes the feeling of being in love when it just isn’t mutual.
3. “I’m thinking of you… in my sleepless solitude tonight,” from “My All”
If you weren’t already feeling lonely, abandoned and perhaps sexually frustrated, well… here comes Mariah to really make it sink in on “My All.”
4. “I only wanted you to taste my sadness as you kissed me in the dark,” from “The Roof”
Surely, this lyric will spark up feelings of sadness, lust and nostalgia for a love long lost. The metaphor of tasting sadness is a damn powerful one.
5. “Then you put your hand in mine, and we wandered away; I was trembling inside, but I wanted to stay,” from “Fourth of July”
Recalling intimate moments from an innocent and seemingly youthful romance, Mariah instills the feeling of that new-love-butterflies with this lyric.
6. “You called yesterday to basically say that you care for me but that you’re just not in love,” from “Breakdown”
A self-explanatorily heartbreaking, send-you-right-through-it lyric to open up one of the most honest and saddest songs ever written. This list could’ve been made up entirely of lyrics from “Breakdown.”
7. “Zoning out thinking about you and me between the sheets, I wanna get intimate but you’re not within my reach” from “Babydoll”
For sure, this song and some wine will have you picking up your phone and making a not-so-innocent phone call or text that you’ll probably regret the next day. Or not 😉
8. “I left the worst unsaid, let it all dissipate, and I try to forget,” from “Close My Eyes”
We all have “skeletons” in our closets, and bad experiences we try to bury, and forget. Hearing Mariah deal with the effects of hers so openly, your mind is bound to wander and think of your own issues, too. Feels.
9. “Love, wandered inside; Stronger than you, stronger than I; And now, that it has begun, we cannot turn back, we can only turn into one,” from “Whenever You Call”
For everyone who’s happily in love with their soulmate and things of that gooey, romantic nature, this one is for you. Wonderful, weepy wedding song material. For the single ladies, this is another one that will have you in your feels because you feel #foreveralone.
10. “Always somewhat out of place everywhere; ambiguous, without a sense of belonging to touch,” from “Outside”
Anyone who has ever felt like an “outsider” for any reason will connect with this line, and the song overall.
11. “I can’t pretend these tears aren’t overflowing steadily; I can’t prevent this hurt from almost overtaking me,” from “Butterfly”
Here, she perfectly describes the pain one feels when you have to let go of someone you love, who just doesn’t love you back. You can hear the pain in her voice and it’ll break your heart all over again.
12. “Baby can you feel me? Imagining I’m looking in your eyes; I can see you clearly, vividly emblazoned in my mind,” from “My All”
This line drips with passionate lust and longing, sure to enhance any momentary feelings of desire.
13. “Every time I feel the need I envision you caressing me, and go back in time…” from “The Roof”
Yet another moment of lustful longing, Mariah will make you think about that damn ex lover you thought you forgot. #InYourFeelings
14. “Delicately lay entwined, in an intimate daze,” from “Fourth of July”
If this lyric doesn’t make you want to cuddle and gaze at bae, I don’t know what will.
15. “How do I feel?! What do you mean, you’ve gotta know I’m suffering,” from “Breakdown”
The delivery here is equally crucial to what she actually says: this ad-lib from “Breakdown” perfectly exudes her feeling of suffering in light of recent rejection.
16. “Do you care for me, beyond idolization?” from “Babydoll”
This lyric is a bit more Mariah-specific than most, but she is questioning if her love interest really cares for her, or just idolizes her – perhaps for her celebrity, or maybe just her beauty.
17. “Still I feel like a child as I look at the moon, maybe I grew up a little too soon,” from “Close My Eyes”
For anyone whose childhood was cut short due to unfortunate circumstances, this line certainly hits home.
18. “Standing alone, blind and unguided, into a world divided, you’re thrown, where you’re never quite the same,” from “Outside”
This lyric has certainly struck a cord through the years for many of Mariah’s fans; specifically those of mixed race, and her allegiance of gay fans.