Breathe

The lyrics move between encouragement and warning. At first, the speaker urges someone to breathe, care, and choose their own path, while also asking them not to disappear. The mood then becomes more uneasy: a life of activity and success may still feel like endless work, with little time to rest. The closing lines suggest that moving fast and chasing achievement can carry a cost.

Several images make these ideas vivid. “Choose your own ground” suggests deciding how to live, rather than simply following others. The rabbit digging a hole evokes someone rushing through tasks or hiding from the wider world; “forget the sun” hints at losing sight of pleasure, nature, or a larger perspective. Riding a tide or balancing on a wave can mean adapting to forces that are difficult to control, but the wave also becomes dangerous when the person races toward an “early grave.”

The song’s advice is not entirely straightforward. It values independence and ambition, yet warns that constant motion may turn into a cycle of work and risk. “Leave, but don’t leave me” also holds two wishes together: freedom for the listener and closeness for the speaker. The lyrics may be read as a reflection on life’s choices, but they do not spell out exactly what kind of work, relationship, or danger they mean.