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.
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 mother, who is disgusted.