What does Breathe mean?

Taylor Swift: Breathe Meaning

Album cover for Breathe album cover

Song Released: 2008


Featuring: Colbie Caillat


Breathe Lyrics

I see your face in my mind as I drive away,
Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way.
People are people,
And sometimes we change our minds.
But it's killing me to see you go after all this time.

Mmm mmm mmm
Mmm mmm mmm mmm...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    songaddict
    click a star to vote
    Nov 16th 2009 !⃝

    I think the meaning of this song is about her letting go of someone that she loves so much... (cause none of us thought it would gonna end that way) she didn't expect that she will lose him.. (And we know it's never simple,Never easy.
    Never a clean break, none here to save me.You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand,And I can't,Breathe,Without you,But I have to,Breathe,Without you,
    But I have to.) She know that she can't live without his presence but still she let it all go...This part is a great proof, she don't want to hurt that person and the best way to do is to let go. (Never wanted this, never wanna see you hurt.Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve.But people are people,And sometimes it doesn't work out,
    Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out) for me the most tragic part of the song is the bridge part (It's two a.m.Feelin' like I just lost a friend.Hope you know it's not easy,Easy for me) well its not easy for her to give up on him.

  2. singerstargirl
    click a star to vote
    Aug 24th 2016 !⃝

    I'm guessing this song is about having someone taken away or having to move on. "I can't breathe without you but I have to". She doesn't want to leave this friend but knows there is nothing else left.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 2nd 2016 !⃝

    The more I listen to this song the more I think it is about suicide. I have heard that this song is about a friend of hers who died. When she says "people are people and sometimes we change our minds" I feel like she's saying that her friend decided not to love anymore. "'Cause none of us thought it was going to end that way" could also point to suicide. This part "Never wanted this, never wanna see you hurt.
    Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve.
    People are people, and sometimes it doesn't work out" could point to depression. When she says "it's 2 am feeling like I just lost a friend" it leads me to believe that this could be a family member. She is great with similes and metaphors so I don't see why she would put "like a friend" if it really were a friend ya know? Also at the end where she repeats "sorry" I feel like she is saying sorry to her friend for not being there or not noticing the signs of something.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 22nd 2016 !⃝

    It's about her ex-best friend Emily, her fiddle player.

  5. Ayeleen
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    Feb 10th 2015 !⃝

    She is breaking up with someone she loves but doesn't feel right without him.

  6. Iulia
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    Dec 22nd 2013 !⃝

    Taylor herself said that this song is about losing a friend, not a boyfriend.
    "Now I don't know what to be without you around" I can personally relate to it. When I lost my best friend I didn't realize that I had made her the center of my life so when I lost her I simply didn't know what to be without her around. When a person who is very close to you walks out of your life, they take a part of your life with them and the more important they were, the more lost you feel when they are gone.
    "People are people and sometimes it doesn't work out and nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out." People change and sometimes they change apart and it's nobody's fault and no words can avoid a break up. It's sad but it's just life and it's not easy and Taylor realizes all of this.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 21st 2013 !⃝

    I think it may mean that you have to move away from your boyfriend

  8. anonymous
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    Dec 24th 2012 !⃝

    I know the meaning of the song, and yes,if you said it's about a breakup or losing a friend, I agree with you, but I just wanna about what the song means to me.

    So two days ago me and my sister got into a really big fight that left her with a scar under her eye and me crying. So this is my interpretation.

    "See your face in my mind as I drive away"
    I had to walk away from the fight crying(I wasn't and can't drive)

    "Cause none of us taught it was gonna end this way"
    Nobody expected the fight to go that far

    "But it's killing me to see you go after all this time"
    We don't talk anymore and it's been two days

    "It's the kind of ending you don't really wanna see"
    You wouldn't really wanna see the aftermath

    "And we know it's never simple, never easy, never a clean break, no one here to save me"
    I know fighting is never good but now that we don't talk I don't know if we'll ever be the same

    "You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand"
    I know her so well, I mean come on she's my sister

    "I can't breathe without you but I have to"
    Life's not the same without her but I just gotta keep going

    "Never wanted this, never wanted to see you hurt, every little bump in the road I tried to swerve"
    I never meant to leave a scar under her eye, my anger just got the better of me. Every time she'd be annoying I'd hold in my anger.

    "But people are people and sometimes it doesn't work out"
    But like humans, I just couldn't hold it in any longer, I started the fight.

    "Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fallout"
    Even though my mom made us apologize, we were still mad at each other deep, down, inside, and the next day we had another fight.

    (Pre-chorus and chorus are the same again)

    "It's 2am feeling like I just lost a friend, hope it's not easy, easy for me"
    At night, all I could thing about was the fight and anger and screaming. I just wanted her to know that it's hurt on me too.

    (Pre-chorus and chorus are the same again)

    "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry..."
    I know I'm at fault and I'm sorry.

    -So Leah, if you ever read this just know that I'm sorry.

    -D

  9. anonymous
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    Jul 3rd 2012 !⃝

    He's gone. But he'll always be the greatest guy i ever had. :'(

  10. anonymous
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    Feb 28th 2012 !⃝

    I think that it is important to recognize that these songs were written within the context of Taylor's actual life, and the many changes that came so quickly for her. Maybe there are (were) people in her life that simply couldn't fit in the ship as she rocketed to the top. Nobody wanted it to happen this way, but it did, and it is just sad.

    I suppose it may be about one person who she cared for greatly, but neglected to remind herself that there was no room in her life to properly love and care for him. She's sorry for not recognizing that, and for the hurt it caused. But it may have a wider meaning:

    Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way.
    People are people,
    And sometimes we change our minds.

    Notice the plural "us" and "we". There may be more than one individual that this song draws inspiration from, and Taylor is probably the only one who could really tell you.

    Either way, Breathe is a good-bye song, and I think that Taylor feels that she is the one that caused the pain this time.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 8th 2011 !⃝

    I think this song is about saying goodbye to someone, who, while they were a part of your life, they only hurt you, or caused you heartbreak, but despite that, without them in your life, you feel you can't breathe without them. She feels that she has to let go and move on, but she admits that its not easy (Hope you know it's not easy, Easy for me.). Its about moving on in life from a relationship, or a love like that. At least thats the way I perceive it.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 12th 2011 !⃝

    I think it's about having to let go of someone who meant the world to you, such as a boyfriend, bestfriend, or the death of someone you love. It's saying that no one thought that their relationship would end that way, it's never easy to let go of someone you love (never a clean break,), and having to try and live your life without them in it (I can't breathe without you, but I have to)

    ~lucky24~

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 16th 2011 !⃝

    I think Breathe is not about break-up...I think it's about losing a friend who was very important for you and still is. You have to let them go because of a misunderstanding or a fight or something, but you know you can't live without them because they're really your best friends amd you love them, but now you can't do anything about it...

  14. anonymous
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    Feb 21st 2011 !⃝

    It's about moving on after you lose someone close to you (BFF breakup, BF breakup, death). You'd rather have them by your side, but you realize that you can't go back in time and change what has happened, so you learn to cope with it & move on.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 16th 2010 !⃝

    I think its about letting go of someone even though they are everything to you and trying to deal with the pain of it all and its really hard because you need them in your life and you're lost without them.

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 11th 2009 !⃝

    (None of us thought it was gonna end that way.) They thought it would work out.
    (It's never simple never easy. Never a clean break no one here to save me.) She's sad and has no on to help her out.
    (You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand) She got too comfortable and it just wasn't enough anymore.
    (And I can't breathe without you but I have to) Even though she doesn't want him anymore she misses him because she was so comfortable.
    (Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve) She tried to make it work.
    (Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fallout) Nothing is going to help them fix this now.
    (It's 2 a.m., feelin like I just lost a friend. Hop you know this ain't easy, easy for me.) Even though she broke up with him breakups still aren't easy.
    (I'm sorry, I'm sorry) She didn't want to hurt him.


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