This song was influenced by a photograph of a friend (Jenny Bruce ) in a boat on a lake while on a vacation with her husband and children and she said in a message "life's a song and I just want to sing it " and I asked if I could use that line ..the reason waterfalls and butterflies is waterfalls cut a path through anything with power and grace and butterflies are not designed to fly so though they look pretty they have to fight for every piece of air .