• Skip to main content

The Tony Bennett Discography

A project from the Year of Tony Bennett

  • Home
  • Albums
  • Songs
  • Sessions
  • Contact Us

Poor Butterfly

ComposerRaymond Hubble
LyricistJohn L. Golden
Year Written1916

About This Song

“Poor Butterfly” was written in 1916 by Raymond Hubble and John L. Golden. The song was inspired by Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly.

View the lyrics

There’s a story told of a little Japanese
Sitting demurely ‘neath the cherry blossom trees
Miss Butterfly her name
A sweet little innocent child was she
‘Til a fine young American from the sea
To her garden came

They met ‘neath the cherry blossoms, every day
And he taught her how to love in the American way
To love with a soul was easy to learn
And he sailed away with a promise to return

Poor Butterfly
‘Neath the blossoms, waiting
Poor Butterfly
For she loved him so
The moments pass into hours
The hours pass into years
And as she smiled through her tears
She murmured low

The moon and I
Knew that he’d be faithful
She knew he’d come
To a by and by
But if he ne’er came back
She’d never sigh or cry
She just would die
Poor Butterfly

But if he ne’er came back
She’d never sigh or cry
She just would die
Poor Butterfly

Recordings

1960

Tony Bennett recorded “Poor Butterfly” on February 29, 1960. Frank DeVol wrote the arrangement.

CO 64171

Release History

1960Columbia LP 12″: CS 8262 — Alone Together
1960Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 1471 — Alone Together
1960Philips LP 12″: BBL 7452 — Alone Together (UK)
1990CBS/Sony CD: 32DP-568 — Alone Together [Japan]
2011Columbia: The Complete Collection — Disc 17 — Alone Together

Written by

Copyright © 2026 · Altitude Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in