Hear Avril Lavigne Recount Lyme Disease Battle on New Song ‘Head Above Water’

Avril Lavigne recounts her battle with Lyme disease on “Head Above Water,” her first new song in five years.

The power ballad finds Lavigne belting over a steady-building mix of piano, strings, synths and thunderous drums. In the lyrics, Lavigne searches for hope and faith while her body fights the disease, and she injects a potent urgency into her voice as she sings, “God keep my head above water/ I lose my breath at the bottom/ Come rescue me, I’ll be waiting/ I’m too young to fall asleep.”

In a statement, Lavigne spoke about the night that inspired the song, saying, “I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die. My mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed ‘God, please help to keep my head above the water.’ In that moment, the song writing of this album began. It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on.”

Lavigne revealed her nearly year-long battle with Lyme disease in 2015. To coincide with the release of “Head Above Water,” the Avril Lavigne Foundation has launched a charitable t-shirt campaign that will raise money to benefit individuals affected by Lyme disease who can’t otherwise afford treatment.

Lavigne’s last album, Avril Lavigne, arrived in 2013. The singer is reportedly prepping her sixth studio album, which will be released via BMG.