Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave but don't leave me
Look around, choose your own ground
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all your touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be

Run rabbit run
Dig that hole, forget the sun
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race towards an early grave



Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae

Track duration: 04:54

"Breathe (In the Air)" as written by Gilmour Waters

Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.

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Breathe song meanings
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  • +1
    Song Meaning:The guys in Pink Floyd describe a loose plot in the album Dark Side of the Moon as the experience of one person's life in this difficult world, from beginning to end. Breathe is about being born. The 1st verse is the realization of being alive, the freedom and endless possibilities ahead, and the desire of the parent to allow the child to be her/himself yet reluctant to let go.

    The 2nd verse is about falling into obedience and the expectation of conformity. It's about finding one's miserable place as a cog in the machine, and how one's work never seems to accomplish anything meaningful.

    This story arc is continued in Time, where time is flying by much too fast. Yet there is occasional respite in the Breathe reprise. The songs on side 2 (of the LP) deal with lessons learned as one grows older, though the guys in the band themselves weren't terribly old when they recorded the album. Still very profound though.

    I'm not sure, but I think Eclipse finishes this arc by summarizing the one life begun in Breathe as a sort of death-bed lament.
    Flag ChiMakwaon January 02, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Breathe in the air, be in the moment.
    Listen to yourself and not society, we are all the same and need to care for each other.
    Walk away from the negativity and leave it behind you, but take the good with you.
    Take note of everything that surrounds you, consider all possibilities and make your own choices.
    We live on forever, within everything.
    Life is a learning journey that needs to be experienced.
    Be aware of yourself, know yourself.
    'hear no evil, see no evil speak no evil'.
    Distraction buries you and make you forget. You loose sight.
    We base happiness on success and social status but when you finally achieve this, there is no end because you have to keep it up.
    We can live on and keep growing.
    But only if we take it easy, let ourselves be, go with it and soak it all in.
    Balancing mind, body and soul.
    Or inevitable we self destruct .
    Flag Pypahon December 28, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Lyrically, maybe my favourtie song ever. Simply because it tells you things you recognize, but never really noticed. It's a beautiful reminder to never ignore simplicity, and to always try and recognize beauty.
    Flag ARampaginWalruson April 05, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's about the futility of jumping through all the little hoops that life tries to see you through.
    Flag Tig45on January 27, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Why can't these be highlighted & copied. This is a real bummer for those of us who like to embed lyrics into mp3s
    Flag gsleithon September 23, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The first verse is what wisdom says about life and accepting it leads to peace
    The second verse (except the last line) is how society says you should live and accepting it leads to insanity and a wasted life

    Breathe, breathe in the air: Pay attention to the breath it is the essence of life
    don't be afraid to care: Who gives a shit what society thinks
    leave but don't leave me: Forget the bullshit; Remember wisdom
    look around, choose your own ground: Pay attention, check your options then make your own decisions
    for long you live and high you fly: Be patient, you've got time and life can be awesome
    and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry: Emotions are part of life and you're human like everyone
    and all your touch and all you see
    is all your life will ever be: The five senses are what make life experiences

    Run rabbit run: Keep yourself busy/distracted/occupied so you can forget about life
    dig that hole, forget the sun: Work is most important
    and when at last the work is done
    don't sit down, it's time to dig another one: Don't take time to think or just be, keep working.
    for long you live and high you fly
    but only if you ride the tide: you need to live up to society's expectations
    and balanced on the biggest wave
    you race towards an early grave: you're spirit will die very early in life if you live like this.

    Flagged natcheralyon May 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:AWESOME SONG EVER! PINK FLOYD ALL THE F@#KING WAY!
    Flag Digimonfan2020on October 18, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:It circles dude.. Pink floyd, or Roger Waters, is/was all about the circles in life.. Almost all their albums starts and end with the same music words and so on...
    Flag Luckis2ndaryon October 18, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:has anyone else noticed the similarities between the lyrics:

    for long you live and high you fly
    and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
    and all your touch and all you see
    is all your life will ever be

    and the lyrics of eclipse?
    Flag Tonberryon May 06, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment:The album is the disenchantement one feels when they realize that they have not been living their life at all. Waiting for some distant time, preparing for a life you will never live because you arent really living your life. This album is about developing awareness just enough to notice what's wrong with everything and feeling a little lost within that thought. Its a portrait of life from a bitter, albeit, brilliant perspective.

    I see posts about insanity and people trying to analyze ..etc.etc. While this album does have some analytical value, there are several hints to a distant peace. This distant peace is found within. It is what we are all striving to reach. I dont honestly believe that Waters crafted this idea intentionally. in fact, the band was simply feeling. By feeling I dont mean emotions....I mean in the sense that they are connecting with something deep within themselves. Trying to analyze this work is fine as long as you can connect with the feelings laced throughout.

    "all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be"
    This line is very clear in the way that it shows that connecting within the moment is through your feelings, not your thoughts and trying to out-think a scenario. Now Waters says it with a somewhat bitter tone. Funny thing is that the answer is right under his nose. Accepting that experiencing is the most fulfilling way to live your life is not a let down. Its only a let down when you are EXPECTING it to be more. Expectations are false realities that steer you clear out of living. Taking in life through each experience is really the way to happiness...or so I'm told :-)
    Flag shameonus3on March 03, 2010   Link

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