William Butler
William Butler
Multi-instrumentalist for the band Arcade Fire who plays bass, synth, guitar, and percussion. He has also worked on movie soundtracks, like the one for Her.
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth6 October 1982
deal great wisdom
It would need a great deal of wisdom to know what it is we want to know.
dead grave romance romantic
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone, It's with O'Leary in the grave
english men mine send
Did that play of mine send outCertain men the English shot?
hate hatred opinions
An intellectual hatred is the worst,So let her think opinions are accursed.
bethlehem born hour last rough round toward
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last slouches toward Bethlehem to be born
conscience might vanity
Things said or done long years ago,Or things I did not do or sayBut thought that I might say or do,Weigh me down, and not a dayBut something is recalled,My conscience or my vanity appalled.
conscience might vanity weigh
Things said or done long years ago, Or things I did not do or say But thought that I might say or do, Weigh me down, and not a day But something is recalled, My conscience or my vanity appalled.
childhood
The things that have been told us in our childhoodAre not so fragile.
marble melancholy sacred seek shadow wander
See how the sacred old flamingoes come,Painting with shadow all the marble steps:Aged and wise, they seek their wonted perchesWithin the temple, devious walking, madeTo wander by their melancholy minds.
awaits dread dying hope hoping man nor
Nor dread nor hope attendA dying animal;A man awaits his endDreading and hoping all.
cheering duty nor public
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,Nor public men, nor cheering crowds.
man
A man who does not exist,A man who is but a dream.
compelled feels imagine lost melancholy passing souls streets walk
This melancholy London- I sometimes imagine that the souls of the lost are compelled to walk through its streets perpetually. One feels them passing like a whiff of air.
adopted escape mask therefore
Style, personality -- deliberately adopted and therefore a mask -- is the only escape from the hot-faced bargainers and money-changers.