Friday, August 23, 2019

“Breathe Till I'm Full” by The Collection – A Song Feature

     From the start, “Breathe Till I'm Full” is interesting; but not for the usual reasons. No, the song doesn’t lead with a guitar hook that quickly draws a listener’s attention. It’s the unconventionality of a trombone-driven intro. The song is from The Collection, a North Carolina band that embraces unconventionality.

      Does the body of “Breathe Till I'm Full” hold the initial interest? The question is an easy one – yes it does. The verses are carefully crafted, personal thoughts presented with a rapid-fire delivery. The tempo slows during the chorus, giving the listener a chance to digest the thoughts. But the digestion is slowed by attention to the attractiveness of the chorus, which reintroduces the trombone during the first instance of the chorus and then introduces group vocals during the second instance. The lyrics are included in this post, along with the upcoming tour schedule of The Collection.

     The song is an appreciation of life. It was written by David Wimbish following a serios accident. As he explains:
  "In the summer of '18, I was in a major bike accident, breaking my neck, ribs, hand, several teeth, puncturing my lungs, ripping my ear, and gaining a major concussion. When I woke up from being knocked out, my awareness of death felt heightened, and, along with it, a new appreciation for life and all it offers us, in its grandeur, and frustrations, had rested on my mind.
  ‘Breathe Till I'm Full’ came out of that experience, a sort of celebration of the little things that make life worth it, almost a "thankfulness list" if you will, an answer to the question, "what makes you grateful to be living?" And not life in some heightened, far-off state that mutes the things that feel difficult, nor in a self-created blacked-out basement that blocks out the light. It's a view of plain old living, slapping the mosquito and drinking the tea on the porch as the rain rolls in.
  I hope you hear your own gratefulness in this song."

     The seven members of The Collection are David Wimbish (vocals, guitar, keys, strings), Graham Dickey (horns, bells), Hayden Cooke (bass), Joshua Ling (harmonium, guitar, vocals), Sarah McCoy (keys/synth, vocals), Joshua Linhart (drums), and Darren Miles (guitar). For the group vocals of “Breathe Till I'm Full,” the band is joined by Lewis Cole, Morgan Siem Jenna Bowman, Tess Margaret, Emily Wimbish, and Michelle Sophia.

     “Breathe Till I'm Full” by The Collection




Lyrics of “Breathe Till I'm Full” by The Collection
I only have thoughts when everbody's talking
For every memory I pick up, there's one I lost
It's putting in the pieces, rolling in new sheets
It's tightening the bolts in all the places that it leaks
In every love story is a part that bores,
But the further that you eat the closer you get to the core

I laugh in every movie, cry in every book
When you walk in in that dress, I'm trying hard to steal a look
I once was a boy, and now I'm just an older one
Playing with my toys and looking for some fun
It’s cracking all my ribs, and breathing through a tube
Wondering later if my excitement came off rude

And I don't want to die, don't want to get high
Just want to breathe, breathe till I'm full

It's living in a van and stressing about money
Realizing that I'm kind though I wish that I was funny
It's bigger in the middle but still fit as a fiddle
and looking for a god as if she was a giant riddle
It's kissing just because you're sitting next to me
And changing my whole life because a line a poetry

And I don't want to die, don't want to get high
Just want to breathe, breathe till I'm full
So full of this life, so full of this life
Breathe till I'm full, then I'll say goodbye

Then, I'll say goodbye

It's curling up and sleeping on an inch of common ground
And trading mystery for all the things that I have found
It's looking in the mirror and setting judgements free
Wanting to see clearer no matter what there may be
It's trying to let go, trying to let go,
It's always trying so damn hard to let go!

It's singing hallelujah though I don't know who it's for
And people knowing my name at my local country store
It's cooking till I'm tired, eating till I sleep
Making autumn fires and swimming out too deep
It's naked bodies dancing with moonlight in their eyes
Keeping my mouth shut so I don't ruin the surprise
And I…

And I don't want to die, don't want to get high
just want to breathe, breathe till I'm full
So full of this life, so full of this life
Breathe till I'm full, then I'll say goodbye
So full of this life, so full of this life
Breathe till I'm full, then I'll say goodbye

******************************************
Tour Schedule of The Collection:
The next opportunity to see The Collection is September 21 at Four Saints Brewing, Asheboro, NC. The website of Four Saints Brewing is https://www.foursaintsbrewing.com/.

Subsequent tour stops:
SEP 25

Wed 6 PM CDT 
Nashville, TN

SEP 27

Fri 8 PM CDT 
Austin, TX

 SEP 28
Sat 7 PM CDT ·
Waco, TX

SEP 29

Sun 7 PM CDT 
Dallas, TX

OCT 4
Fri 8:30 PM MDT 
Greeley, CO

OCT 5

Sat 9 PM MDT ·
Denver, CO

OCT 9

Wed 8 PM CDT 

Chicago, IL
OCT10

OCT11


Fri 8 PM CDT

Madison, WI


Minneapolis, MN





OCT13

Sun 7:30 PM EDT 
Fort Wayne, IN
OCT16

Wed 7 PM EDT
Vienna, VA



OCT17

Thu 7 PM EDT 
Cambridge, MA


OCT18

Fri 6:30 PM EDT 

New York, NY




OCT 20
Sun 6 PM EDT 
Richmond, VA


NOV 2

Sat 8 PM EDT 
Saxapahaw, NC




1 comment:

  1. I'm sure this sounds like an old 80 or 90s song, but can't remember

    ReplyDelete