Born and raised in rural Victoria, Cave studied art before fronting The Birthday Party, one of Melbourne's leading post-punk bands, in the late 1970s. They relocated to London in 1980, but, disillusioned by life there, evolved towards a darker, more challenging sound, and acquired a reputation as "the most violent live band in the world". At this time, Cave, with his shock of black hair and pale, emaciated look, became an unwilling gothic rock poster boy. Soon after the band's break-up in 1983, Cave formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Much of the band's early material was set in a mythic American Deep South, drawing on spirituals and Delta blues, while Cave's preoccupation with Old Testament notions of good versus evil culminated in what has been called his signature song, "The Mercy Seat" (1988). The 1990s saw Cave achieve greater commercial success with quieter, piano-driven ballads, notably the Kylie Minogue duet "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1996), and "Into My Arms" (1997). More recent releases, including the band's 17th and latest LP, Ghosteen (2019), feature increasingly abstract lyrics from Cave, as well as elements of ambient and electronic music. Grinderman, Cave's garage rock side project, has released two albums since 2006.
Cave co-wrote, scored and starred in the 1988 Australian prison film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988), directed by John Hillcoat. He also wrote the screenplay for Hillcoat's bushranger film The Proposition (2005), and composed the soundtrack with frequent collaborator Warren Ellis. The pair's film score credits include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), The Road (2009), Lawless (2012), and Hell or High Water (2016). Cave is the subject of several films, including the semi-fictional "day in the life" 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), and the documentary One More Time with Feeling (2016). Cave has also released two novels: And the Ass Saw the Angel (1989) and The Death of Bunny Munro (2009).
Cave's work has become the subject of academic study, and his songs have been covered by a wide range of artists, including Johnny Cash ("The Mercy Seat"), Metallica ("Loverman") and Snoop Dogg ("Red Right Hand"). He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007, and named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017.
Breathless
Nick Cave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little white clouds like gambolling lambs
And I am breathless over you
And the red-breasted robin beats his wings
His throat it trembles when he sings
For he is helpless before you
The happy hooded bluebells bow
And bend their heads all a-down
At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook
The fishes leap up to take a look
For they are breathless over you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your mind
Still your soul
For still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The wind circles among the trees
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
For it is breathless without you
The fox chases the rabbit around
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
For he is defenceless without you
The sky of daytime dies away
And all the earthly things they stop to play
For we are all breathless without you
I listen to my juddering bones
And the blood in my veins, the wind in my lungs
And I am breathless without you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The lyrics to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's song "Breathless" paint a vivid picture of a world that is in awe of the love interest of the singer. The first two verses describe the beauty of nature, with little clouds, robins, bluebells, and fishes all existing in a state of admiration for the lover. The singer is also breathless over the lover, as their beauty is overwhelming. The third verse paints a picture of a world that is in chaos without the lover. The wind bangs around the trees, the fox chases the rabbit, and the daytime sky dies away without the lover. The singer's own body even shakes without the lover. The chorus, "Still your hands and still your heart / For still your face comes shining through / And all the morning glows anew / Still your soul and still your mind / For still, the fire of love is true / And I am breathless without you," underscores the importance of the lover and the need to hold on to that love, as it is everything to the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
It's up in the morning and on the downs
The day starts and I'm surrounded by the beauty of nature.
Little white clouds like gambolling lambs
The fluffy clouds look like playful little lambs.
And I am breathless over you
I am completely in awe of you.
And the red-breasted robin beats his wings
The robin flaps his wings with excitement.
His throat it trembles when he sings
He sings with such passion that his throat trembles.
For he is helpless before you
He is powerless in your presence.
The happy hooded bluebells bow
The bluebells are filled with joy and bow their heads.
And bend their heads all a-down
They humbly lower their heads.
Heavied by the early morning dew
They are weighed down by the dew of the morning.
At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook
The stream and brook create a soothing, peaceful atmosphere.
The fishes leap up to take a look
The fish are also mesmerized by you and jump towards you.
For they are breathless over you
Just like me, they are speechless and in awe of you.
Still your hands
Be calm and steady.
And still your heart
Be still and centered.
For still your face comes shining through
Your face still shines bright and beautiful.
And all the morning glows anew
The morning feels fresh and renewed because of you.
Still your mind
Calm your thoughts and emotions.
Still your soul
Calm your inner being and spirit.
For still, the fire of love is true
The passion and love for you is still burning strong.
And I am breathless without you
I can't catch my breath when you're not around.
The wind circles among the trees
The wind is dancing and twirling among the trees.
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
It makes the newly formed leaves rustle and shake.
For it is breathless without you
Even the wind is amazed by your presence.
The fox chases the rabbit around
The fox and rabbits play around and chase each other.
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
The rabbit tries to hide from the fox.
For he is defenceless without you
Just like the rabbit, I feel helpless and unprotected without you.
The sky of daytime dies away
The day slowly comes to an end.
And all the earthly things they stop to play
Everything settles down as night approach.
For we are all breathless without you
I'm not the only one who feels this way.
I listen to my juddering bones
I feel my bones shaking with anticipation.
And the blood in my veins, the wind in my lungs
I feel the blood pumping through my veins and the wind filling my lungs.
And I am breathless without you
Once again, I am left breathless without you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anastasiabarbi5596
It's up in the morning and on the downs
Little white clouds like gambolling lambs
And I am breathless over you
And the red-breasted robin beats his wings
His throat it trembles when he sings
For he is helpless before you
The happy hooded bluebells bow
And bend their heads all a-down
Heavied by the early morning dew
At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook
The fishes leap up to take a look
For they are breathless over you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your mind
Still your soul
For still, the fare of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The wind circles among the trees
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
For it is breathless without you
The fox chases the rabbit round
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
For he is defenceless without you
The sky of daytime dies away
And all the earthly things they stop to play
For we are all breathless without you
I listen to my juddering bones
The blood in my veins and the wind in my lungs
And I am breathless without you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
@madrugada1007
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you..
I love this song, and I love Nick Cave, he's genius..!!!❤️
@rppavlek
always feel like Nick Cave wrote this as a challenge. someone was like: 'all you can do are dark songs about killers'n'sh*t' and Cave was like 'hold my wine for a moment'
@joeg7843
❤️
@jackthetripper666
Lovely theory
I'm having it ❤
@heatherbrestle2053
Lol
@AugustinePM
Best consideration EVER.
@Pelired66
😂😂😂
@user-th5rk8et8q
My beautiful husband had just died, this was our wedding song and it will be played at his funeral, i am breathless with out you.
@low7542
❤
@user-th5rk8et8q
Exactly my story too.
@waltharris2527
What a beautiful choice. My aches for you.