We are the living We're out in the fields For being in the city For walking on heels We were expected We were a surprise But then when they had us We kept them alive We were the future They gave us a name They bottled and beat us They left us alone They bought us a TV They asked where we've been They called us the daughter and then They called us their son Oh when the butterflies burn The butterflies burn, the butterflies burn Yeah, when the butterflies burn The butterflies burn, burn, burn Yeah, when the butterflies burn The butterflies burn, the butterflies burn Oh, we're gonna be gone We're gonna be gone, gone, gone They had to have us 'Cause they felt alone 'Cause they really wanted 'Cause someone said so They made us from bedsheets With their heads in the clouds They made us from whiskey And tugboats and prows We are the living We are the living Oh, when the butterflies burn The butterflies burn, the butterflies burn Oh, when the butterflies burn The butterflies burn, burn, burn Yeah, when the butterflies burn The butterflies burn, the butterflies burn Oh, we're gonna be gone We're gonna be gone, gone, gone We are the living, we are the living, we are the living We are the living, we are the living, we are the living We are the living