I will try not to breathe
I can hold my head still with my hands at my knees
These eyes are the eyes of the old, shiver and fold

I will try not to breathe
This decision is mine
I have lived a full life
And these are the eyes that I want you to remember, oh

I need something to fly over my grave again
I need something to breathe

I will try not to burden you
I can hold these inside
I will hold my breath
Until all these shivers subside
Just look in my eyes

I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me
I shudder to breathe

I want you to remember, oh (you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver? (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to breathe, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me
Don't dare me to breathe
I want you to remember oh (you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver now? (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
(I have seen things you will never see)
I want you to remember


Lyrics submitted by shut

Try Not to Breathe Lyrics as written by Peter Buck Bill Berry

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Try Not To Breathe song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

47 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    I got a sense for what this song was about the first time I listened to it - not something that happens to me often with R.E.M. songs! And it seems a number of people had the same idea I did, at least in general.

    It has always seemed very clear to me that this song is about someone who is terminally ill and has decided he wants to discontinue life-prolonging treatment (the phrase "try not to breathe" makes me think of turning off life support, in particular), or possibly even commit suicide "actively." (It has always struck me as bizarre that it's considered ethical for doctors to, e.g., remove a feeding tube, so that the patient is slowly dehydrated to death, but not okay to give them a super-sized shot of hydromorphone (Dilaudid) or fentanyl or something so that they get to die quickly and happy. This idea that there's some genuine ethical passive assisted suicide is ssomeu0w more ethical than the active sort seems ridiculous to me. If I were terminally ill, I'd want to go happy, not in pain.)

    I don't think the narrator is actively suicidal, rather, that he has made a rational decision to be passively suicidal, and is at peace with it. He is trying to explain his choice, probably to a loved one who doesn't want to accept it. "I have seen things that you will never see," he says, hoping that this person whom he cares for will ever have to experience what he has experienced; as such the loved one won't completely understand what has led him to this decision, but, he hopes, can come to accept and respect it. "These are the eyes that I want you to remember," he says: he wants his family to remember him as he is, with his brain still working, his personality intact, etc., rather than be burdened with memories of him in pain that no amount of fentanyl can control, or so demented he doesn't recognize any of them anymore, or otherwise so changed by his illness that in a sense he is no longer the same person that they have known. [BTW: I'm using "he," "him," etc. in the generic sense - not to imply that it's necessarily a man. I thought I'd probably better make that clear, since some people seem to have opinions as to whether the narrator in this song is a dude or a chick. If you can explain to my satisfaction why it matters I'll give you a great big e-hug.]

    When "these shivers subside" it means he is at peace. I interpreted the shivering to mean either tremors caused by the disease (or possibly the treatment), or else a metaphor for the tension of being undecided or uncomfortable with things as they are - notice he also tells the person.

    One thing I can't quite make sense of is the "I need something to fly over my grave again" line. It does seem, as GrungeRock1991 (greetings, fellow gen-Xer!) suggested, like it is a reference to avoiding death, but to me the narrator sounds like he is ready, like he doesn't want to keep postponing the inevitable while he becomes more and more ill, the pain and inability to do things for hixxmself gets worse, etc.

    And then there's the line, "I can hold my head still with my hands at my knees," which has me completely at a loss. (I once even tried doing this from various positions; it didn't seem especially challenging, nor did it provide any clue as to the meaning of the line.) Any speculation? What am I missing here? The one consistent thing I saw was that it seems to be a gesture of sorrow, like he's crying and doesn't want anyone to know it, especially the psych types, 'cause if they get any reason to believe he's depressed, he's afraid they won't sign on to letting him die. One last thing: the person who transcribed it interpreted the last few words of the 1st verse as "shiver and fold"...I heard this bit as either "shivering cold" or "shiver in [the?] cold." I guess that's too coherent, even though it still doesn't make 1000% sense. (After all, this is R.E.M., the band that believes in coyotes and time as an abstract.)

    "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" (the next song on the album) is a curious contrast to this one, not only musically but also in the sense that it's a very difficult-to-understand song, with a lot of absurd metaphorical (I hope, since it makes zero sense taken literally) references to things like Dr. Seuss and an adorable little desert viper and whatnot.

    picturesofthesunon January 12, 2012   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.