Massive Attack - Teardrop (Official Video)
Why Music Fans Stack Exchange recommends it
Music Fans Stack Exchange users link it when debating whether the lyric is 'feathers' or 'fearless on my breath', since the video's visuals and the audio itself are used as evidence.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2015 to 2019.
What it is
The official music video for Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' from the album Mezzanine, directed by Walter Stern and published on the band's VEVO channel. It features Elizabeth Fraser's vocals over the trip-hop track, with imagery of a fetus in the womb.
Cited in 1 Wikipedia article, including Teardrop (song).
What people said
Recommends T Kanzaki · 2019-10 · Music Fans Stack Exchange · on “Are the lyrics in "Teardrop" by Massive Attack "feathers" or "fearless"”
Please check the official music video. [this video] See between 1:19 and 1:21. It is undoubtedly clear to me that it is dipicting "feathers", floating aroud, on the unborn child's breath in the womb. [LINK]
Cites sanpaco · 2015-12 · Music Fans Stack Exchange · on “Are the lyrics in "Teardrop" by Massive Attack "feathers" or "fearless"”
OK, I'm changing this question a little bit since I've discovered a problem with the root of the question assuming the lyrics in the song are "feathers on my breath". Apparently this is a big debate and a lot of people think the lyrics are "fearless on my breath". So which is it, feathers or fearless? Here are links to the song [this video] and the lyrics [LINK] . I should note that I've listened to all the covers of this song listed on Wikipedia [LINK] and three of them use "fearless" and two use "feathers", also one of the ones that uses "fearless" messes up the line "love is a doing word" as "love is a dying word". As a note, I'm of the opinion that the lyrics are "feathers on my breath" and t
Cites rovyko · 2018-03 · Music Fans Stack Exchange · on “Are the lyrics in "Teardrop" by Massive Attack "feathers" or "fearless"”
EDIT: After giving it another listen with higher quality headphones, I'm more inclined so say it's "feathers" and defer to the evidence in sanpaco's answer [LINK] I wouldn't try to decipher the poetic meaning or structure behind the line as you can easily form a case for either fearless or feathers. It's also very likely that there is no meaning to the words at all, or the pronunciation is intentionally vague. In this interview [LINK] , Liz Fraser describes her writing process as one where the words don't have any real meaning beyond adding vocals to the music. The pronunciation may also be attributed to the singer's accent. Fraser is from Grangemouth, Scotland which is is just 60km East of