"...it made me feel like a person had cut one of my breaths in two and I only got half, and the short half, too." That's my favorite line from Huckelberry Finn---I wrote a song inspired by this called One Breath Left. I pretended I was Huck's kinder step father/ protector. It's also directed at my own son and other people I care about.
It's a real simple song but I might put it up on myspace someday. Anyway, here are the words...

If I had just one breath left I might break it into two
And I'd take the smaller one and give the bigger one to you
Save it for when you need it if you fall into the sea
If you've already gone down three times
You can use the breath from me

If I had just one breath left I'd break it into two
I would give the bigger one to you

If you see the reaper man in his long black cape
You can come and see me and I'll help you to escape
I'll tell him that you're far away in China or in Spain
And if he wants the real deal he'd have to crawl inside my brain

If I had just one breath left...

If you think your life is done but you don't think it's your time
Come into my ambulance and I'll shock you back to life
Watch the trees go by so fast as we speed on down the lane
Let me try and bring you back let me try and kill your pain

If I had just one breath left...