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- Best Relationship Advice "Hands to Heaven" Breathe, 1987
Best Relationship Advice "Hands to Heaven" Breathe, 1987
by LaDena Kailing Garr, Your Romance Fulfillment Leader, Certified Life Coach since 2011
LaDena Kailing Garr
March 18, 2026
Fun fact, find the answer at the bottom of this email.
In August 1988 this song made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. What song prevented it from achieving the #1 spot?
Feel-Good Relationship Advice from the Greatest Love Songs!
Tonight you calm my restlessness, you relieve my sadness
For those who know loss and separation
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Read time: 5 minutes
Lyrics
As I watch you move, across the moonlit room
There's so much tenderness in your loving
Tomorrow I must leave, the dawn knows no reprieve
God give me strength when I am leaving...
So raise your hands to heaven and pray
That we'll be back together someday
According to Musixmatch, the key themes and lyrical meanings include:
Separation and Longing: The song centers on the difficult, unavoidable parting of two people in love, highlighting the pain of leaving.
A Plea for Hope: "So raise your hands to Heaven and pray / That we'll be back together someday" symbolizes hoping for a future together, even while navigating heartbreak.
Intimacy and Solace: The chorus "Hold me in the darkness" suggests finding temporary comfort, security, and emotional release through physical intimacy amidst the fear of separation.
Resignation to Loss: The lyrics "Tomorrow, I must leave / The dawn knows no reprieve" acknowledge the inevitability of the parting.
This song reminds me New Year's Eve 12/31/1999. I broke up with my high school boyfriend. I went to his home to tell him I loved him, hoping he'd be home. This song came on the radio as I was driving there. Thankfully when I got there he was home alone. We got married 09/09/2001.
Lyrics
Tonight, I need your sweet caress
Hold me in the darkness
Tonight, you calm my restlessness
You relieve my sadness
separation anxiety; a state of distress felt at the prospect of being separated from a familiar or beloved person
How to cope with loss:
Regardless of the type of loss, the pain of separation and change is heavy. Grief can cause shifts in support systems, daily routines, and even our view of the world. Feelings of guilt or regret often surface along with thoughts of second-guessing. These questions can linger, even when we know that we did everything we could. Acknowledging these feelings without judgment is a gentle but essential part of healing.
Lyrics
As we move to embrace, tears run down your face
I whisper words of love, so softly
I can't believe this pain, it's driving me insane
Without your touch, life will be lonely
I struggle with any song that plays out the idea of how hard it is to be apart from their loved one. This song is so steady, dream-like and somber. Feeling the lyrics “I can’t believe this pain, it’s driving me insane, without your touch life will be lonely”, is a little too real for me.
I’ve had the advantage of understanding the full range of human experiences, from hellish depths to heavenly heights, but the extremeness of experiences was unbalancing and I was guided to develop a theory of balancing opposites, that saved my mind.
Think about this…
Have you had to say goodbye to a great love?
It’s not always easy to know what to say to generate deeper conversations and intimacy with your sweetheart. That’s why I’ve created 4 conversation starters to strengthen your romance. You can get your free guide, as well as the details to the Remarkable Romance Program available now: remarkable-romance-program.teachable.com/p/remarkable-romance-program
Key Take Aways
Separation and longing are exquisite emotions
Intimacy and solace bring comfort even when an impending goodbye will cause pain and suffering
Fun Fact Trivia:
In August 1988 this song made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. What song prevented it from achieving the #1 spot?
Answer: Steve Winwood “Roll with it”
Remarkable Romance Program by LaDena Kailing Garr, CLC in partnership with the late Mark Kailing, PsyD
Love is the greatest adventure!
~LaDena, CLC, Your Romance Fulfillment Leader
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