Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: garage
Song Meaning of “Breathing Underwater” by The Barbaras
The song “Breathing Underwater” by The Barbaras is a song about the feeling of being trapped and unheard. The chorus speaks of “breathing underwater”, a metaphor for being buried in the depths of one’s emotions, unable to show them to the world. The verses describe a person who feels overwhelmed and neglected, a feeling of being in emotional limbo and in a state of smothering silence.
The narrator of the song desperately tries to break out of this stagnancy and to be seen and heard, to make their voice and feelings known. They are in a place that drowns out their hopes and dreams, unable to make a splash and get noticed. They desire to be acknowledged for who they truly are and want, not for who others want them to be.
The song is an anthem of wanting to be liberated from the oppressive constraints of darkness and lack of freedom, and to come out from hiding and into the sunshine. It speaks to the courage of those who are trying to make a change in their own lives and to create a better reality for themselves.