Breath
Perl Jam Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh tonight began with anything
Shaft of a light, a warm breath and a scream,ah yeah...
Oh, tamper if you like between the doors, oh yeah...huh...huh...
Oh, can't expect to go out...to go out...
With anything...anything more...

Oh reach the door...a breath and a...
Oh reach the door
And a la la la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth...a breath and a...
Oh reach the door

All these reaching hands out grabbin' things, grabbin' me
Day in, day out, accumulating, ah yeah
Oh, I suggest you step out on your porch
Oh yeah, huh, huh, huh, huh, yeah...
Run away my son, to see it all...oh, see the world

Oh reach the door...a breath and a...
Oh reach the door
And a la la la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth...a breath and a...
Oh reach the door

Come...here it comes...
There it goes...when it comes
Where it goes...where it comes...
Can't see through the faith...whoa
Ooh, come...here it comes...
There it goes, grasp what you can
Don't you know there's something inside your head, yeah...

Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there
There's much more than this, ooh...
Much more than this




Oh, see the world...much more than, oh...
Much more than...Why?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Pearl Jam's song "Breath" seem to be about the fleeting nature of life and the desire to experience everything it has to offer before it's too late. The opening lines "Oh tonight began with anything/ Shaft of a light, a warm breath and a scream" suggest the suddenness and unpredictability of life. The line "Oh, can't expect to go out... to go out with anything... anything more..." indicates that the singer does not want to leave this world with any regrets, and wants to experience all that life has to offer.


The chorus "Oh reach the door... a breath and a... Oh reach the door/ And a la la la la yeah/ Life ain't worth what it's worth... a breath and a... Oh reach the door" can be interpreted in a few different ways. One interpretation is that the "door" represents a new experience or opportunity, and the singer is urging themselves to take it without hesitation, as life is short and unpredictable. Another interpretation is that the "door" represents death, and the singer is acknowledging that life is fleeting and death is inevitable, but they still want to experience all that they can before they reach the end.


The lines "Run away my son, to see it all... oh, see the world" suggest a desire for travel and exploration, and a sense of urgency to do so before it's too late. The final verse "Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there/ There's much more than this, ooh... much more than this/ Oh, see the world... much more than, oh... much more than..." reinforces the themes of exploration and experiencing everything life has to offer, and acknowledges that there is more to life than what we see in our everyday routines.


Overall, "Breath" seems to be a meditation on the fleetingness of life and the importance of living in the moment and experiencing everything the world has to offer.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh tonight began with anything
The night started without a specific plan


Shaft of a light, a warm breath and a scream,ah yeah...
The night started with a sudden burst of energy and excitement


Oh, tamper if you like between the doors, oh yeah...huh...huh...
Feel free to experiment or play around with different options


Oh, can't expect to go out...to go out...
Don't have high expectations for the night


With anything...anything more...
Don't expect anything beyond what is currently happening


Oh reach the door...a breath and a...
The singer is urging someone to take a deep breath and go towards the door


Oh reach the door
Take action and move forward


And a la la la la yeah
Expression of excitement or anticipation


Life ain't what it's worth...a breath and a...
Life is fleeting and should not be taken for granted


All these reaching hands out grabbin' things, grabbin' me
The world can be overwhelming and can pull you in different directions


Day in, day out, accumulating, ah yeah
Every day adds new experiences, good or bad


Oh, I suggest you step out on your porch
The artist is suggesting taking a step back or taking a break to gain perspective


Run away my son, to see it all...oh, see the world
The singer is encouraging someone to explore and discover new things


Come...here it comes...
Something exciting is happening


There it goes...when it comes
The exciting thing is fleeting


Where it goes...where it comes...
The exciting thing is unpredictable


Can't see through the faith...whoa
Uncertainty and faith are intertwined


Ooh, come...here it comes...
More excitement is happening


There it goes, grasp what you can
Don't miss out on opportunities


Don't you know there's something inside your head, yeah...
You have the power to control your thoughts and actions


Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there
The artist wants to help someone find a better place or situation


There's much more than this, ooh...
There are greater possibilities and opportunities


Much more than this
There is more to life than what is currently happening


Oh, see the world...much more than, oh...
Take a broader perspective and seize opportunities


Much more than...Why?
The singer is questioning why people settle for less than they deserve




Contributed by Charlie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

PauLa U.

Oh, tonight began with anything
Shaft of a light, a warm breath and a scream
Ah, yeah
Oh, tamper if you like between the doors
Oh yeah huh huh
Oh, can't expect to go out, to go out with anything, anything more

Oh reach the door a breath and a
Oh reach the door and a na na la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth
A breath and a, oh reach the door

All these reaching hands out grabbing things, grabbing me
Day in, day out accumulating, ah yeah
Whoa, I suggest you step out on your porch
Oh yeah, huh, huh, huh, huh yeah
Run away my son, see it all, oh see the world

Oh reach the door, a breath and a
Oh reach the door, oh ah and a na na la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth
A breath and a, oh reach the door

Come, here it comes, there it goes, when it comes
Where it goes, where it comes
Can't see through the faith, whoa
Ooh, come, here it comes, there it goes
Grasp what you can
Don't you know there's something inside your head, yeah

Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there
But there's much more than this
Ooh, whoa, much more than this, whoa see the world, much more than
Much more than
Why?
💘



SlowBurnTM

Oh, tonight began with anything.
Shaft of a light. A warm breath and a scream.
Ah, yeah.
Oh, tamper if you like between the doors.
Oh yeah. Huh. Huh.
Oh, can't expect to go out, to go out with anything, anything more.

Oh reach the door. A breath and a...
Oh reach the door. And a la la la la yeah.
Life ain't what it's worth.
A breath and a... Oh reach the door.

All these reaching hands out grabbing things. Grabbing me.
Day in day out accumulating. Ah yeah.
Whoa. I suggest you step out on your porch.
Oh yeah. Huh. huh. Huh huh, yeah.
Run away my son. See it all. Oh see the world.

Oh reach the door. A breath and a...
Oh reach the door. Oha and a la la la la yeah.
Life ain't what it's worth.
A breath and a... Oh reach the door.

Come. Here it comes. There it goes. When it comes.
Where it goes. Where it comes.
Can't see through the faith. Woah.
Ooh. Come. Here it comes. There it goes.
Grasp what you can.
Don't you know there's something inside your head, yeah.

Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there but there's much more
than this.
Ooh. Whoa, much more than this. Woh see the world. Much more than...
Oh, much more than. Why?



ChandraShekher Mishra

Oh, tonight began with anything.
Shaft of a light. A warm breath and a scream.
Ah, yeah.
Oh, tamper if you like between the doors.
Oh yeah. Huh. Huh.
Oh, can't expect to go out, to go out with anything, anything more.

Oh reach the door. A breath and a...
Oh reach the door. And a la la la la yeah.
Life ain't what it's worth.
A breath and a... Oh reach the door.

All these reaching hands out grabbing things. Grabbing me.
Day in day out accumulating. Ah yeah.
Whoa. I suggest you step out on your porch.
Oh yeah. Huh. huh. Huh huh, yeah.
Run away my son. See it all. Oh see the world.

Oh reach the door. A breath and a...
Oh reach the door. Oha and a la la la la yeah.
Life ain't what it's worth.
A breath and a... Oh reach the door.

Come. Here it comes. There it goes. When it comes.
Where it goes. Where it comes.
Can't see through the faith. Woah.
Ooh. Come. Here it comes. There it goes.
Grasp what you can.
Don't you know there's something inside your head, yeah.

Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there but there's much more
than this.
Ooh. Whoa, much more than this. Woh see the world. Much more than...
Oh, much more than. Why?



All comments from YouTube:

simonorton

Took me 15 years of following the band before I got to see them play Breath - my favourite song - live! Thanks for posting this :)

David Jame Abbruzzese

@Nicole Megyeri Thanks for  supporting my band  so am giving to opportunity to my supporting fans to message me via my  Hangout:therealdavidabbruzzese.connect@gmail.com

David Jame Abbruzzese

Thanks for  supporting my band  so am giving to opportunity to my supporting fans to message me via my  Hangout:therealdavidabbruzzese.connect@gmail.com

powerslave0606

I'm 13hrs away from the only city where all big gigs are held in my country. Very shitty.

simonorton

@kila11 Ace! And I don't think they've played that much for a while too

simonorton

@Missy Be Kind I feel spoiled and bad now! I won't tell you that I've now heard it live twice. ✌️

8 More Replies...

Anjo Mendoza

my all time favorite Pearl Jam song. Ironic that it wasn't in any PJ album.

Juliana Fernandes

Alivia o coração 🇧🇷❤️

Jessica

Thank you PJ for this stroll down memory lane for me😌 I’ve watched Singles more than I’d like to admit takes me back to a more simpler time. Cant wait to feel the awesome energy of a live show again. ✌🏼❤️😁

Gabriel

Amazing, Eddie Vedder can handle this so well even after these years

More Comments

More Versions