When we wrote Breathing, we wanted to capture something that could sit alongside people when they were dealing with anxiety or depression.
I’d like to post the lyrics because I think they speak what I wanted to say really well.
Lyrics:
Breathing, together, walking in our sleep
Staying in circles we talk but never meet
Life moves so fast, we drive without the brakes
The wounded around us in everything we take
What are we here for
If not for love?
I need you closer than ever before
As change finds us behind every door
Love breaks the walls we build in fear and grief
Could you help me when I cannot see
What we are here for?
If not for love?
What are we here for
If not for love?
Breathing out, breathing in
Breathing out,
Breathing out, breathing in
Breathing out, breathing in
What we are here for?
What are we here for?
If not for love
If not for love
What are we here for
If not for love?
What are we here for?
If not for love
What are we here for?
I thought I’d talk about the lyrics a bit. “Staying in circles, we talk but never meet” was my way of expressing frustration with social media or modern life, which can stifle true connection for something that’s a bit cheaper; we are “walking in our sleep”. The frantic pace of life (“we drive without the brakes”) has a fallout of wounded hearts and souls. At our core, we are relational beings but social media, while it has many good facets, can stop people feeling or finding true connection.
The second verse is an acknowledgement that what we need is true love, in spite of change, grief and when we can’t see beyond our situation – which can stop us from helping others or even ourselves.
In the middle of the song there is a chant about breathing out and breathing in – an acknowledgement of working through anxiety. An acknowledgement that sometimes you just need to ‘get through’ something.
About this version of the song. Playing the song live at Radio New Zealand early in 2019, I felt waves of anxiety wash over me before performing – one of those ironies of performing songs: that you get to feel the exact opposite of what you’re trying to purvey. As I started the first few bars, I felt calmness and peace arrive, with the song working for me as it was supposed to work for others. Hopefully you can find that in the song too.
The original recording is available on Spotify in the comments below. The cover photo is by the talented Becki Moss, circa 2017.
Lyrics can be revisited at our website, also in the comments below.
With peace, breathing and less anxiety.
Fraser
https://open.spotify.com/track/4YsILfenkepZp9xf0oQy8s?si=2NgxunbsRW6TDG7hKejfcw