Anna Nalick: Breathe (2 AM) Meaning
Breathe (2 AM) Lyrics
"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?,
I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season"
Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to...
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I think (thogh I haven't seen much of the video and don't know much about Anna) that it's about taking time to stop and ust appreciate the things in your life right now, and to, well, just breathe. It's a truly beautiful song. 5 stars.
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Call me crazy, but I always thought they were walking into a bar at 2 am...too many years in the East Village, I guess!
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I think it is about when u are going through a hard time and you dont no how to deal with. When she saids no one could find the reewind button is when you made a mistake and you just want take everything back and your freaking out... so she saids cradle your head in your hands just breathe. Like just breathe it is gonna get better relax. I dont know thats i how i think about it, just cause i can relate to it. But i think people relate to it in differnt ways.
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"These mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around."
When she says TURNING AROUND it can be also interpreted as CHANGE, if one or the other is willing to CHANGE and make things better. -
I have read a lot of the interpretations on here and I am shocked at the number of folks that see abortion in this. I've listened to it many times and haven't got that impression in the slightest. And there really is only one line in the song that supports that its about an abortion, and I think there are other interpretations of that one line that are better. Here goes:
I'm in recovery and I look at this song as a "recovery" song. One that I would like to hear played like in a group therapy session for addicts. My interpretation is probably more specific that was intended by the author.
"2 AM and she calls me....." This to me is just two girlfriends calling each other probably both in recovery. Who knows, it might be a sponsee calling a sponsor. Late night calls between people in recovery happen often in moments of crisis. I really think the crisis is only that this young girl has feelings for this guy in the military but is not sure that she loves him or is scared because he is also an alcoholic. The line about walking through the doors, I think is about walking into a meeting. Could be a 12-step meeting or a general support meeting or maybe a church group. Fact is, even in 12-step meetings where people are not supposed to be judgmental, they often are. They can be especially so to young women, worse yet young women going through "boy" problems even though boy problems for young women addicts often lead to relapse which can lead to death. Which is why it is still a crisis for these women. And, no matter what age, everyone in a room for addicts are all there "for the same reason," to get and stay sober. That's what makes the "old-timers'" accusing eyes so hypocritical. I also think "the doors" have some significance because meetings are often referred to as "the rooms" amongst people in recovery. And sometimes certain meeting places have specific attributes like one place I know has a long hallway that was always referred to as "the hallway." For people first coming into recovery, it is a very very long walk. Anyways, I imagine the two girls walking to a meeting to get these feelings out the next day.
The next stanza is about the "listening" woman's feelings and thoughts about the young boy. I hope he turns 21 while he's on base so he's less likely to get insanely drunk and hurt himself or others. "Just a day" These words are justifications that many alcoholics use. I'll just get drunk today and go back to meetings tomorrow like it never happened. "Ain't been sober since maybe October" His "day" turned into a lot longer than he originally intended. Believe me this happens all the time. Its happened to me. Furthermore, I think the "listening" woman also thinks the boy is attractive. He's probably attractive in that "bad boy" and "wounded-I-need-someone-to-fix-me boy" kind of way. He probably doesn't show it much but when he does smile, look out. She wants to hold him but knows that it would be an utter nightmare so she'll just sing about it. I find that line humorous.
The rest of the song are general thoughts about letting go, trusting the process, trusting God (even though He is not mentioned I hear Him in the surrendering aspect of the song) going through the tunnel and breathing. The just breathe chorus is so very important to me. When I was in treatment, I had to constantly be reminded to breathe when I was doing any type of therapy. For people with trauma, like actual PTSD, one of the first things that happen when confronted with an uncomfortable situation is to quit breathing. This is always a bad choice since breathing is what keeps us "in our bodies" and connected. People who dis-associate or "check-out," like sufferers of childhood abuse or other traumatic events, stop breathing first to help them "go away." Its a learned survival technique that is no longer useful nor needed. The author or the "listening" more experienced recovering person is reminding us to just breathe, stay present, don't check out or try to run (through addiction or trying to fix this sick boy or any other kind of way). Just breathe. Just breathe.
And the following line: "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." These lines to me describe recovery to a tee. I don't know what my life will look like free from addiction (one end of the tunnel) but I know its probably better than my life with the addiction (the end of the tunnel I came from when I came into recovery). And I know what my life will be like if I turn around (head for a relapse). "If nothing changes, nothing changes" is a 12-step slogan. So I have to stay the course even if I don't know the outcome. (Once again, trusting the process, trusting God) And when I'm really struggling it does feel like I'm right in the middle, in the "battle" shouting out loud to God, to my friends, all that. That's why its important to remember to breathe. After all, I can get through this. This too shall pass.
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I think using this as your own meaning is good. Both of the 2 starting verses are about abortion and alcoholism. I wanted to add to this because I really wonder if those two stories aren't her actual experiences and she is telling them because she can't go back in time and feels just as guilty. "And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd,Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud,And I know that you'll use them, however you want to" If those words are her diary wouldn't that mean they are a part of her experiences? If she feels naked about it, I would think it is because she feels exposed revealing all that personal information. I think also, when she says use them however you want to, she means use her experiences however you can apply them to yourself and any regrets you have had. She is giving advice in this song by telling people to just breathe because we can't change things we have done. "If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,Threatening the life it belongs to" This means she wants to get those experiences out into the song so she can feel better about it. So she does not have to bottle up her feelings. I think the 2 a.m. being the time theme of the song is irony in the fact that she is writing her song at 2 a.m. She isn't going to reveal every little detail and is reliving it while writing her paper... at 2 a.m. That is why the stories start or end there. When she refers to the stories... she says them like she was there... "she calls me", "we walk through the doors" "Here in town you can tell" "Wanna hold him". I think they were a part of her life somehow. I think she kept these things secret.. but let them out in her song to feel better.. i think she is telling these people to "breathe" but in return she is also telling herself to "breathe". I also have to say the first one sounds very personal and the second one sounds like someone she just knows or may be someone in her life that has drawn apart from her. She wants to hold him but sings about it instead makes it sound like they aren't close. He may have been an alcoholic in the family or friend... she wants to hold him but she cant... so instead she just tells him in the song. I have to say this is a very deep song.
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I think it's about mental illness. Girl in the first verse has chronic depression, hooks up with someone to get over it, and ends up getting an abortion. Second verse has a guy with chronic depression self-medicating with alcohol. The writer is up, again at 2am writing a song. The girl in teh first verse called her at 2am because she knew she would be awake. The video shows writing all over the walls. I think the writer may be bi-polar.
Great song. -
I think there is a whole story of something that happened to her that nobody could ever guess and that's what the song is about. I think she had a friend who was dating a guy who would obviously hurt her but she didn't see it coming: 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"
Winter was a tough time for this girl. And then the whole hypocrites thing is really unrelated to the girl she was singing about.
In the second verse I think she is singing about the guy who broke the girl in the first verse's heart and is now regreting it. I don't think it's about an abortion but I do think it is a little bit about achohol addiction.
We just need to realize that songs like this usually don't have a real storyline behind it. They are supposed to be confusing. -
I think that its a girl who was getting married when she realized that she doesn't love the guy or maybe that was just the excuse she told her friend. But they get married anyway and as she is walking through the door, in church, she feels the criticism in peoples eyes. That's why she says 'hypocrites you're all here for the very same reason' which is her getting married to the guy her best friend is in love with. Of course peoples criticism is just her imagination and it reflects her guilt. She breaks up with the guy and then feeling very guilty calls her friend and tells her about it and how weddings, referred to as winter, wasn't her thing in the first place, maybe just an excuse. The friend then tries to give advice about how we can't go back in time and change what happened and even if we were then we would probably make the same mistakes again.
The second verse probably refers to the guy who was very affected by the break-up or divorce. The friend who is in love with him feels his pain and can't do anything about it so she takes it all out on her diary. The chorus/advice she gave to her friend is also something she needs to hear herself. In the beginning she said that she called her at 2 a.m. knowing that she would be awake which may refer to her knowing that she is in love with her guy. The break-up or divorce is for sure but the reason behind it isn't. It could be because she realized that she didnt love him as much and left him for her. -
I think this is one of the most beautiful songs and I also think that it's got an important meaning. I've just read your interpretations. I think that Anna Nalick, with this song, wanted to tell us something that REALLY HAPPENED in her life. But she doesn't say what. She let us think about the difficult situation she talks about. And the most important thing is that she let us think about OUR life, because sometimes we find the same problems.
I also noticed that the music of "Breathe (2 AM)" is connected to her meaning. The first verse talks about difficulties and the singer, when she sings it, can't almost breathe. She just can do it when she sings the refrain, where she says "Breathe, just breathe".
Then, the part I love most is when she says that the lyrics she's singing come from her personal diary. I think Anna Nalick really had a diary and really wrote that on it. Because the song is something like a story, a prose.
Finally, in my opinion there isn't a RIGHT or a WRONG advice about the lyrics of this song. I've just tried to tell you what I think, why this song is amazing as far as the deep meaning is concerned. -
I think that this song is there for you to put in your own experience. It may be talking about an abortion or alcoholism, but that is just a top meaning.
The under meaning is that you have one life, you can't go back, "Life's like a hourglass glued to the table." We all make mistakes and we can't go back, and no matter what we did, whoever is judging us made the same mistakes, "Hypocrites your all here for the very same reason."
The song is for you to put in your own experience with whatever thing/things you have done wrong in your life. -
I always thought it was telling a whole story, not two individual stories. The guy and the girl broke up (which is why he's drinking, and why she'd be so upset that she's pregnant.)
BUT. I think it also has a deeper meaning. The guy and the girl are just an example. Because once something's done, it IS done, and over with, and you can't turn back. Maybe you can fix what's been broken, but you can't take back words you've said, can't take back past actions. -
This essentially is about a recent break up involving a young woman and a 21 year old soldier who returned from war (Iraq). Fort Bliss Texas is a common demarkation point for soldiers being deployed.
And yes She is pregnant, probably not his child. He arrived sober in October post deployment and hasn't stopped drinking. Due to a combination of his experiences and his wife's or girlfriend's indiscretion.
"May he turned 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
Just a day" he said down to the flask in his fist,
Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year."
A soldier's girlfriend or wife who is pregnant by another man is very much chastised by the locals as revealed in the next line:
"so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize,
Hypocrites. You're all here for the very same reason.
"
She was probably regrets her actions, wishes she could have him back, and yet in some way accepts the outcome.
"But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it."
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I think this song is about a one night stand and and a abortion becos when she says 'yeah we walk through the doors so accusing their eyes, like they have any right all to critize, hypocrites, they're all hear for the very same reason.'
For some reason I just imagine her walking into a hospital at that moment. -
This song is not about pregnancy or drug abuse. First part is about the all too common selfishness of a girl in a relationship criticizing the guy and saying "winter just wasn't my season" meaning the relationship was a few months old. Her response to her is "you have no right to criticize because you have the same characteristics as he, hence "hypocrites". And that's why you're in this situation like everyone else.
Second part is about a guy who is going through alcohol abuse and is (on the outside) unattractive because of his issues but has a beautiful soul. The part about his smile refers to the inner beauty. How she wants to hold him but sings is the general tendency of a person not acting on their emotions. (we've all been there).
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