Tuesday Tunes: Michelle Branch’s “Breathe”

Editor’s Note: Song lyrics denoted in bold italics.

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for singer/songwriter Michelle Branch. I practically wore out her albums memorizing all the lyrics — we’d listen to them on family car trips into the suburbs to go shopping and out to lunch on Sunday afternoons. And, I thought I was hot stuff rocking out at her concert one year.

Good times, indeed. She just has a way of layering words and music together to tell the perfect story, stringing words into sentences that cut straight to the heart and soul of all sorts of emotions.

Michelle Branch’s “Breathe“
From Hotel Paper

She didn’t care who was listening. She was going to tell them exactly how she felt. But at the same time, she was also going to make sure to take care of herself.

Well it’s all so overrated
In not saying how you feel
So you end up watching chances fade
And wondering what’s real

You all know that I’ve never been one to hide any of my feelings. At. All. Trying to hide your feelings has never really been my style — except when it came to a certain Crush Boy, and we all know just how that turned out. So I don’t believe in hiding your emotions because, really, it’s almost as if you’re hiding a part of yourself. And I’m pretty sure that nothing good can ever come from that. Ever.

If I just breathe
Let it fill the space between
I’ll know everything is alright
Breathe
Every little piece of me
You’ll see
Everything is alright
If I just breathe

I’m guilty of this, most definitely. I sometimes forget to breathe. I get myself so wrapped up in things sometimes, so worked up over things. My blood pressure rises and my pulse speeds up, which isn’t very healthy, obviously.

So you know what? I’m trying to learn to calm down — even if only for a minute — and step back. You can’t really see what’s right in front of your face if you’ve got it right against the window. If you want to see the whole, big picture, you need to step back and give yourself a little breathing space. I suppose it’s that whole “forest for the trees” analogy.


Does that make sense, friends? When have you felt this way? On those days when you just need to ‘breathe,’ what helps you the most? Care to share your secrets? xoxo