Are people on songmeanings.net actually complaining about drug-related interpretations? Every other comment on this site is "omg i love this song its about a [person] who loves this [other person] but can't tell him omg its just like my life".
People write songs about things other than love and relationships, you know. But the I/you voice is the easiest to write in for most songwriters, and anthropomorphism is extremely accommodating to any and all subject matter and is also very universal and expected, hence, most songs sound like they are about other people, relationships and love.
My take on 'Breathe In'--
The song is about drugs--or rather, one particular drug: nicotine. Anyone who's been a serious smoker, especially those predisposed to romanticizing inanimate objects, feelings and the like, can take that away from this song.
This song is not about any hard drugs, the tone is too welcoming and forgiving. Meth and Heroin addicts don't look back at their addictions like old friends. Hard drugs like that ravage you, physically and mentally, in a relatively short amount of time. Even people who loved doing them absolutely loathe what those drugs have done to their minds and bodies.
Cigarettes are different. They're dangerous, for sure, but are much more slow and insidious. They're like a good friend who's constantly asking to borrow money, a dollar here, a ten spot there. Not enough to bankrupt you, usually not enough to think about. But over time, years and years, they've taken so much and never repaid and you realize that it will only get worse, the amounts only to increase. And yet you still can't quit them, because they are a friend, a loyal friend.
Any how, this song reminds me of the inner monologue a smoker has when thinking about cigarettes, thinking about quitting, weighing the pros and cons, as they were.
"And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling"
I'll only quote this couplet 'cause the whole line-by-line thing gets old, but this is the perfect way to explain the time between cigarettes.
Are people on songmeanings.net actually complaining about drug-related interpretations? Every other comment on this site is "omg i love this song its about a [person] who loves this [other person] but can't tell him omg its just like my life".
People write songs about things other than love and relationships, you know. But the I/you voice is the easiest to write in for most songwriters, and anthropomorphism is extremely accommodating to any and all subject matter and is also very universal and expected, hence, most songs sound like they are about other people, relationships and love.
My take on 'Breathe In'--
The song is about drugs--or rather, one particular drug: nicotine. Anyone who's been a serious smoker, especially those predisposed to romanticizing inanimate objects, feelings and the like, can take that away from this song.
This song is not about any hard drugs, the tone is too welcoming and forgiving. Meth and Heroin addicts don't look back at their addictions like old friends. Hard drugs like that ravage you, physically and mentally, in a relatively short amount of time. Even people who loved doing them absolutely loathe what those drugs have done to their minds and bodies.
Cigarettes are different. They're dangerous, for sure, but are much more slow and insidious. They're like a good friend who's constantly asking to borrow money, a dollar here, a ten spot there. Not enough to bankrupt you, usually not enough to think about. But over time, years and years, they've taken so much and never repaid and you realize that it will only get worse, the amounts only to increase. And yet you still can't quit them, because they are a friend, a loyal friend.
Any how, this song reminds me of the inner monologue a smoker has when thinking about cigarettes, thinking about quitting, weighing the pros and cons, as they were.
"And I'm high enough from all the waiting To ride a wave on your inhaling"
I'll only quote this couplet 'cause the whole line-by-line thing gets old, but this is the perfect way to explain the time between cigarettes.