 The lyrics for " Breathe " are about heartbreak and the loss of a person the narrator spent much time with . In the song 's verses , the narrator acknowledges that people change and grow apart , though she is upset because she knows the person " like the back of her hand . " In the song 's refrains , she realizes the need to remain strong and breathe in order to live without the person . Ken Tucker of Billboard believed " Breathe " was a " love @-@ gone @-@ wrong song . " 
