Ocean Breathes Salty

[lyrics]
Your body may be gone, I’m gonna carry you in.
In my head, in my heart, in my soul.
And maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll both live again.
Well I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Don’t think so.

Well that is that and this is this.
You tell me what you want and I’ll tell you what you get.
You get away from me. You get away from me.
Collected my belongings and I left the jail.
Well thanks for the time, I needed to think a spell.
I had to think awhile. I had to think awhile.

The ocean breathes salty, won’t you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul.
And maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll both grow old.
Well I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I hope so.

Well that is that and this is this.
You tell me what you want and I’ll tell you what you get.
You get away from me. You get away from me.
Collected my belongings and I left the jail.
Well thanks for the time, I needed to think a spell.
I had to think awhile. I had to think awhile.

Well that is that and this is this.
Will you tell me what you saw and I’ll tell you what you missed,
when the ocean met the sky.
You missed when time and life shook hands and said goodbye.
When the earth folded in on itself.
And said “Good luck, for your sake I hope heaven and hell
are really there, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
You wasted life, why wouldn’t you waste death?
You wasted life, why wouldn’t you waste death?

The ocean breathes salty, won’t you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul.
The more we move ahead the more we’re stuck in rewind.
Well I don’t mind. I don’t mind. How the hell could I mind?

Well that is that and this is this.
You tell me what you want and I’ll tell you what you get.
You get away from me. You get away from me.

Well that is that and this is this.
Will you tell me what you saw and I’ll tell you what you missed,
when the ocean met the sky.
You wasted life, why wouldn’t you waste the afterlife? [/lyrics]

“Ocean Breathes Salty” is the second single released from Modest Mouse’s album Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

There were two releases of the single. The first included the album version of “Ocean Breathes Salty”, as well as a live studio recording of “Float On”. The second release was an Enhanced CD, released on January 11, 2005. It included the original recording of the song, an additional live studio session of the song, the live version of “Float On”, and finally the music video for “Ocean Breathes Salty”. This single has been certified gold by the RIAA.

Track listing

CD

“Ocean Breathes Salty” – 3:47
“Float On” (Live Studio) – 3:38

Enhanced CD

“Ocean Breathes Salty” – 3:47
“Float On” (Live Studio) – 3:38
“Ocean Breathes Salty” (Live Studio) – 3:52
“Ocean Breathes Salty” (Video) – 3:47

Music video

The music video for “Ocean Breathes Salty” was directed by Chris Milk. The video shows a young boy finding a bird with a broken wing, which throughout the video becomes lead singer Isaac Brock. The boy patches up the bird and shows it to his mom, who is disgusted. She tries to take the bird away, and then the boy runs away and spends the night in a field with the bird where he dreams that he can play with it when it heals. When he wakes up, he finds that the bird has died, and he buries it. As he walks away, the band, all dressed up as animals, appear and finish the song, then disappear.

Cover

On the front cover of both releases of the single, one of the band’s icons (an upside down hot air balloon with an anchor) can be seen.

Other Recordings

San Francisco folk rock band Sun Kil Moon recorded a cover version of Ocean Breathes Salty on their 2005 album Tiny Cities.

Modest Mouse

Isaac Brock
Jeremiah Green
Eric Judy
Tom Peloso
Joe Plummer

Dann Gallucci
Johnny Marr
Jim Fairchild
Benjamin Weikel
John Wickhart

Studio albums

This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About
The Lonesome Crowded West
The Moon & Antarctica
Good News for People Who Love Bad News
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Extended plays

Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?
Interstate 8
The Fruit That Ate Itself
Night on the Sun
Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks
No One’s First and You’re Next

Other albums

Tube-Fruit, All Smiles and Chocolate
Uncle Bunny Faces
Building Nothing Out of Something
Sad Sappy Sucker
Baron von Bullshit Rides Again

Singles

“Broke”
“A Life of Arctic Sounds”
“Birds vs. Worms”
“Other People’s Lives”
“Never Ending Math Equation”
“Whenever You See Fit”
“Heart Cooks Brain”
“Float On”
“Ocean Breathes Salty”
“The World at Large”
“Dashboard”
“King Rat”
“Missed the Boat”
“We’ve Got Everything”
“Little Motel”
“Satellite Skin”
“Autumn Beds”
“Perpetual Motion Machine”

Labels

Epic Records
Hit or Miss
K Records
Magic Eye Singles
Rebel Beat Factory
Sub Pop
Suicide Squeeze Records
Up Records