Anna Nalik - Breathe (2 AM) Song Meanings
Send "Breathe Am" ringtone to your cell
Lyrics:
2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,
"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?,
I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season"
See the rest of these lyrics
Breathe 2 Am Lyrics on KOvideo
 Top Rated Interpretation
silvertaurus
February 7th, 2006 02:41PM
< Click a star to vote!
This song was one of those that simple made an impact on me and I couldn't stop thinking about it and trying to find information! Here's what I have found and/or thought so far:
First stanza: This one is probably the most open to interpretation. I've read about abortion after a break-up, and also the role of alcohol. I think you could take this in a lot of directions. A friend could have been out at a bar and gotten drunk, broke up with a boyfriend or somebody she went out with for a possible one-night stand once she realized she didn't want to go through with it. If she came to bail her friend out and took her drunk/sobbing from a bar everyone might look at them like the girl was a slut or something but they were all their to pick up dates also. Winter could be the age of somebody, the season, or (heck) the color scheme of the clothing she was wearing. Even Anna Nalik says that when she reads through this song the meaning changes for her as well. I can definitely see the interpretation of the abortion clinic, but this really doesn't mesh well with 2am, unless the action took place later. If this is the case, then this could make a very good deal of sense in relation to abortion.
In the Fort Bliss stanza, this seems pretty simply about a guy who is an alcoholic. I think it touches the listener because she pulls away the mask of the alcoholic and unveils the vulnerable little boy underneath it all. According to Anna during an interview , this is based on an actual man from the base of Fort Bliss, who is now married and has a child. He's 24 as of 2006. In the stanza he is clearly lonely and life has lost much meaning. His 21st birthday is "just a day" and his companion he speaks to is his flask of alcohol.
Now, the "end of this tunnel" stanza is one I think some people have trouble wrapping their minds around. You shout to yourself and the world that there is a light at each end of this tunnel because you know you can not turn back and if you did you'd just make the same mistakes all over again. You have to convince yourself that there is a purpose and a light that you're working toward, because to think otherwise is too scary and lonely and filled with meaninglessness. However, you note, Anna is not the one saying that the light is there--the lost person is saying it, is shouting it because he/she needs to believe it.
This is the verse that I think ties in the most to the chorus--(hourglass glued, cars on a cable). It is pretty clear that this is a fatalistic song. However, fatalism isn't so bad. It is saying that life isn't pretty and that if we look at ourselves and the world around us, it seems that everyone is trapped on a path that they simply middle through the best they can. She wants to empathize with them and share the common human experience of not really knowing if there is any meaning to anything. However, we deal with it, breathe, and support each other without judging. And, maybe Anna had to put these fears on paper herself--of whether or not life had any true meaning, so they would stop devouring her.
The nice thing is Anna says in all her interviews that she wants people to make what they'd like from her songs, and that their meaning changes even for her. Sooooo, here's my personal take based on my own psyche:
To me this song has deep Buddhist meaning. The concept that the only way to be liberated is to give up desire and wanting, and to accept that you have no control. That within this is a deeply liberating simplicity ("breathe"). It is also fundamental to not judge, and to support others in this path. Even the concept of the tunnel and moving forward....that we must move forward because to go back is to make the same mistakes and our goal is to live past them sot hat our soul is purged and grows and becomes more liberated. Some of us have trouble accepting that our lives are like an hourglass gled down or a train that is forever stuck to its track. Buddhism teaches to accept it and to let go, which is the only way to rise above it. Of course, this is my personal reading, and I can not prove in any way that this is what she intended. If you know something of Buddhism, maybe this is useful to you. If not, just ignore this part and look to the rest of the interpretation.
anonymous
June 30th, 2005 10:02AM
< Click a star to vote!
This song is about how things happen for a reason, and you can't turn back time to change it. You just have to deal with it step by step and "Breathe, Just Breathe". She gives an example of a time that you wish you could just redo, but it isn't possible, and you just have to handle it anyway that you can. There is no easy way out of life, so don't try to find it.
anonymous
July 8th, 2005 12:54PM
< Click a star to vote!
I agree with the previous interpretations somewhat, except for the first verse. For some reason I thought that she and her friend were walking through the doors of a women's health or abortion clinic. The "mistake" could be an unwanted pregnancy or just that this girl had sex with someone she now regrets and is now getting checked out. "You're all here for the very same reason" - these people are caught in their own hypocrisy and self-hatred.
gunner10
July 8th, 2005 05:00PM
< Click a star to vote!
I think it means you can't turn back time and everything happens for a perfectly good reason and you have to let it happen
anonymous
August 1st, 2005 10:39AM
< Click a star to vote!
At first, all of the interpretations seemed to fit well, and they still do, but there was something in the song that still made me think.
"Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to"
I think that she layed out the guidelines, about how time isn't something we can turn back, etc, but wanted each person to get what they could out of the song to fit their life.
Maybe someone who has had an abortion would look at it like 'Wow, that is what it is about!' Another person, say, in a support group for drug addiction would look at it and say 'that's me' as well. I dunno, I just think there isn't a specific meaning, just that each person is supposed to see the song as a way to view events in their life.
anonymous
August 14th, 2005 01:11PM
< Click a star to vote!
I don't think this woman in the beginning is getting married or anything like what the other people are saying. I think that this woman got pregnant and then realized that she wasn't in love with the man who got her pregnant which is why the eyes are accusing even though they're all there for the very same reason.
freeform
September 9th, 2005 01:18PM
< Click a star to vote!
I read something, I think it was an interview, but she said that it incorporates 3 things that were happening at a point in her life, but ultimately it is about not being able to change things that have happened, good or bad. You just have accept it and let it run its coarse. (ie. cars on a cable, hour glass glued to the cable)
xxkissthefloorxx
October 10th, 2005 01:46PM
< Click a star to vote!
I think that most of the other interpretations were good, but I don't think it's specifically about abortion, or drug addiction (although the "bars close at 2 am" thing was good! made me think.)
I think Anna just wants you to kind of put her lyrics into YOUR own meaning, by thinking about your own experiences. Hence the part, "'cause these words are my diary screaming out loud (meaning she's telling you about HER) and I know that you'll use them however you want to.." (meaning, YOU put the words into your own experiences.
Notice how in the first paragraph, she never exactly says anything about abortion or drugs or alcohol, she's kind of just "help me unravel my latest mistake" by saying "insert your experience here". It's kind of confusing, but that's how I see it.
anonymous
January 22nd, 2006 02:31AM
< Click a star to vote!
Well,
A friend sent this song to me and I was enthralled by it. And the accent was hard to get around... but I was committed to understanding the song.
The first part, to me, if definitely about abortion. And I think it was more than a one night stand, and it states that "I don't love him, winter just wasn't my season." This says to me that winter, which is a whole season, was filled with an illusion of love. Perhaps the women did not realize what the father of the would be child was about.
However, this middle of the song has two lines in it:
"But my God it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him, maybe I'll just sing about it."
This makes me think that she did not go through with the abortion, and she has gone through he life as the single mother. Her child who has not known a father has turned to alcohol... but he is so worth all the time and hardships when he smiles.
Truly this song is about toughing it out, and letting what will happen happen.
anonymous
June 8th, 2006 06:52PM
< Click a star to vote!
I wonder if her refference to "winter" is in any way related to seasonal depressive disorder (depression very common in the dark days of winter)? Also, tying the issues of alcohol and abortion together, maybe she had an abortion because the father of the would-be-baby was the alcoholic in the song. I don't know, its just something that crossed my mind.
jgti2005
August 4th, 2006 02:46PM
< Click a star to vote!
I definitely think that this song has to do with alcolism. The first one could be a female friend of the narrator that made a huge nistake by sleeping with someone because she was so drunk and that night she realized she couldn't live like that anymore and asks her friend for help. The other part " walking in the room....Blah...You're all here for the very same reason.." could be her walking into the rooms of rehab or aa which people do tend to look down on you sometimes and everyone is there for the very same reason... The second part about the guy who turn 21 on the army base ( the life of many soldiers) and hasn't been sober for a long time is also about alcohol. The chorus" you can't jump the track...." well like everyone else is saying...You can't turn back and change what you did... " this song is awesome even if I didn't get the interpretation right...I think it can apply to anyone going through some rough times no matter what it is...:)
anonymous
August 11th, 2006 10:12PM
< Click a star to vote!
First of all, I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and most of them were pretty good. Personally, I think that at the beginning of the song, she was walking into a pscyciatric ward and she was saying about "...Accusing their eyes like they have any right at all to criticize, hypocrites your all here for the very same reason." after that she says cause, meaning they are al there for the very same reason, and it's cause they can't jump the tracks they're like cars on a cable. I think that that means that they can't try to kill themselves and end their lives too soon because they are on a track, and time is up when it's up. You can't restart it, or make it go any faster, which has to do with the whole hourglass thing. To me, this makes the most sense. Rate me thought to let me know if you think I'm right.
ClandestineTigersEye
February 11th, 2007 03:11PM
< Click a star to vote!
I can see how someone could get all of these interpretations. I really like the one about seasonal Affective disorder. With the whole "Winter just wasn't my season." People with this disorder suffer from severe depression during the winter, and that could make you do lots of stupid things, including sleeping with someone your regret.
I can also see the abortion aspect and definetly the alcholoism to.
anonymous
February 14th, 2007 03:36AM
< Click a star to vote!
I think this song is about how everything happens for a reason and everyone makes mistakes, but as much as you want to go back and change it you can't, which is what's meant by "You can't jump the tracks we're like cars on a cable and lifes like an hourglass glued to the table", the cars on the cable bit is saying that you can only go forward and there's no going back and the hourglass glued to the table means that it will only go through once and you can't just turn it over and start again. The first two verses are about two scenarios of people who have made mistakes but can't go back. The first is a girl who's rings a friend to go with her for support to get an abortion. She says "I don't love him, winter just wasnt my season", so she doesn't love the guy who she got pregnant to and isn't prepared to raise a child with him. The second verse is about someone who has got a problem with alcohol and is obviously not happy, and it kinda suggests that he may have made a mistake or something has gone wrong at some point and he is showing regret or remorse and instead of trying to move on he is dwelling on it, but he's the only person that can make himself let go, which is meant by "Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it." the boy is only 21 and has his whole life ahead of him and he's throwing it away for something that is in the past and out of his control... when she says "so bury your head and hands and breathe, just breathe", she is saying that you can regret your mistakes and take time to think about it and think them over, but there's nothing you can do to change it so just let go and move on. When she says "you're just as far in as you'll ever be out And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again, If you only try turning around" she's saying that even if you could go back and fix your mistakes you would just make them again because everything happens for a reason.
anonymous
March 10th, 2007 05:22PM
< Click a star to vote!
It means you should take things as they come, you can't reverse situations, and you can't make others' problems your own.
anonymous
May 5th, 2007 08:24PM
< Click a star to vote!
I think it's one friend consoling another, I think the broken friend just broke up with her boyfriend ad the consoling friend is like "You can't turn back time and you can't run away from your problems"
Karebear
November 29th, 2007 03:05PM
< Click a star to vote!
This song is saying how peoples lives are going to go the way they go for a reason and nobody can change that once it's been done. All they can do is make the situations that follow more alive for them. She's basically saying that nobody can judge anybody else because no matter where you are or who you are, you're always going to have a problem or something that goes wrong in your life. And the choices that are available are choices you HAVE to make no matter what. And you can't change them. You should just try to help other people achieve happiness.
anonymous
December 4th, 2007 12:50PM
< Click a star to vote!
I feel this song can have various meanings anyone could relate some aspect of their life to the deep meaning. In my personal life the ideal when I hurt I do not sleep. My teenage boyfriend entered the military and became a bad alcoholic. Life has brought me many challenges-as teen mother to single parent,to now being a parent of 5 children , suffering drug addiction for a long 8 months
Rehab and losing respect and being judged by people(hypocrites) Who have their own prisons. When I hear this song It brings me peace. It reminds me to stop ,breathe and see the beautiful person I really am in a hectic world.
And you always the choice to around to change, for the better. Its your choice
anonymous
December 27th, 2007 06:00PM
< Click a star to vote!
Everything happens for a reason, we have no control. Breathe and take life as it comes. Just let things go and move on, and your life can go two way and either way it's already planned out. We have no control don't worry live life with no regrets
everything will be ok in the end don't try to go and change.
anonymous
January 22nd, 2008 10:58AM
< Click a star to vote!
I agree with many of the other interpretations about not being able to turn back time and having to slowly work your own way out of your problems.
But I think that this song reflects many peoples lives rather than just one woman.
It looks at many peoples problems such as an abortion which is reflected in the first paragraph of the song."Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?,
I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season"
It then talks about a man who does not know how to sort out the problems in his life and therefor turns to drink as it is to painful for him to come to terms with what mistakes he has made. "In May he turn 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
"Just a day", he sat down to the flask in his fist,
"Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year."
"There's a light at each end of this tunnel,
You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around."
This sums up the whole song to me as it sends the message that throughout life everybody makes mistakes and you have to find your own way out in due time, because if you just leave the problems you will never get on with your life and will just add to the mistakes that you have already made.
anonymous
January 25th, 2008 06:01PM
< Click a star to vote!
When I first heard this song and realized what it was about, it floored me. When I was 17, I walked through the doors of a womens clinic with my then girlfriend to have our baby aborted. I will never forget the looks on the faces of the people in the waiting room... That's a feeling that has haunted me from that day forward, and I remember thinking to myself that the people who were making us feel that way were no better than us... we had all screwed up royally.
After I listened to the whole song, I'm pretty confident that she is talking about a failed relationship that may have failed because of the abortion. In my case, after I took her to get the abortion, I went into a deep depression and almost drank myself to death before my 21st birthday. That could be the alcoholic reference. And my girlfriend ended up committing suicide about a year and a half later.
All in all, if you've been through the horror of having an abortion, this song speaks to you.
1 2
Next Page >
Submit your interpretation
More Anna Nalik Song Meanings
Email me when this band is updated
Discuss this group in the Anna Nalik forum
Home
| 
