Drowning
Chris Flew Lyrics

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I want to be someone else
A heart upon a shelf
I need to control my breath
For fear of breathing water

Everything's unknown
Everything's unknown

The heart upon your chest
Says that you're with someone else
I try to look ahead
But everything's distorted

And nothing looks the same
Nothing looks the same

Sooner or later, you're going to remember
That beautiful surrender

I want to be someone else
An escape route from myself
I need to control my breath
But I'm still breathing water

I'm drowning in my sleep
I'm drowning in my sleep

Sooner or later, you're going to remember
That beautiful surrender

Sooner or later, you're going to remember
That beautiful surrender to love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chris Flew's song "Drowning" is an expression of the artist's inner turmoil and his desire to escape from his own self. He longs to be someone else, someone who is free from the constraints and the burden of his own identity, just like a heart kept on a shelf, untouched and unscathed. He is afraid of breathing water, a metaphor for the suffocating feeling that he experiences when his own thoughts and emotions overwhelm him, to the point of drowning him.

The artist's uncertainty about the future, his fear of the unknown, and his feelings of confusion add to his feeling of being lost, this everything is unknown. He sees the heart on the chest of his beloved, but it is a reminder that she is already taken, and he has lost his chance with her. Despite his efforts to look ahead, things appear distorted to him, and nothing looks the same.

The artist speaks about the beautiful surrender, something that he knows he will eventually remember. In this sense, the beautiful surrender is an experience in the past that the artist knew, something that he has lost, and perhaps, is now searching for again.

Line by Line Meaning

I want to be someone else
I wish to change who I am to be someone else

A heart upon a shelf
Leaving behind one's emotions and desires

I need to control my breath
Feeling the need to regulate oneself to avoid overwhelming emotions

For fear of breathing water
Being afraid of drowning in one's own feelings

Everything's unknown
Feeling uncertain about everything in one's life

The heart upon your chest
Your emotions toward someone you are with

Says that you're with someone else
Signaling that one's partner is emotionally distant

I try to look ahead
Attempting to remain optimistic

But everything's distorted
The world seems like it's not how it should be

And nothing looks the same
Nothing seems familiar or comforting

Sooner or later, you're going to remember
At some point you will recall