Every week for a year Coulton released a new song for free on his website as part of his Thing a Week podcast, on topics as diverse as vengeful nerds, self-loathing giant squid, partially-imagined historical figures, and devotees of a certain Swedish prefab furniture store. The Thing a Week project is now complete, and all songs can be streamed from his official website. Many of the songs on the site can be downloaded for free. The song "Code Monkey" became the theme song to the G4 television show Code Monkeys.
Coulton's song "Still Alive" has been featured in Valve Software's game Portal (and has become a hit among the gamers who finished the game) . He also made a recording of this song called the "J.C. Mix" which is exactly the same except he is singing rather than Ellen McLain as GLaDOS. "Still Alive" went on to be featured in the game Rock Band, as well as Skullcrusher Mountain and Re: Your Brains
When You Go
Jonathan Coulton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything lasted forever and you were all mine
Only a dream I know
Thinking you'd never go
Tearing off pieces of myself
Just for the time it buys me
Fold my heart up small
Find somewhere and keep it there
Take it when you go
There in the frame of your face in the cast of your eyes
I saw this coming but still I am caught by surprise
All of this time I knew
That I'd be losing you
That doesn't mean that it's okay
That doesn't mean I'm ready
Fold my heart up small
Or break it into pieces
Find somewhere and keep it there
Take it when you go
When you go
When you go
When you go
Some things you always remember, some things you forget
No way to make it up now, no room for regret
That's no good for anyone
And so I come undone
Now I am less than what I was
Whatever left is yours now
Fold my heart up small
Or break it into pieces
Find somewhere and keep it there
Take it when you go
The song “When You Go” by Jonathan Coulton is a song that expresses the emotions felt when going through a breakup. The first verse talks about how just moments before, everything felt perfect and like it would last forever. The singer is holding onto the hope that his partner will not leave him, but he is also aware of the fact that it's not a realistic expectation. The singer then talks about how he is trying to keep himself together despite the pain that the breakup is causing him. He is tearing off pieces of himself to try and hold onto the relationship for just a bit longer.
The second verse refers to the inevitability of the breakup. The singer knew that the end was coming, but it doesn’t make it any easier to handle. He is seeing the signs that the end is near, but he is still surprised when it happens. The singer is asking his partner to take his heart with them when they go. The chorus repeats the image of folding his heart up small or breaking it into pieces, asking them to keep it somewhere safe when they go.
The bridge talks about how some things are unforgettable, while other things are easy to forget. The singer acknowledges that there is no way to fix things now, but that he wishes he could make amends. The singer concludes by saying that he is left in pieces after the breakup, and that he is now a lesser version of himself. He acknowledges that whatever is left of him belongs to his former partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Only a moment ago we had nothing but time
Time seemed infinite and we had all the time in the world, just a moment ago.
Everything lasted forever and you were all mine
Everything felt like it would go on forever and I had you all to myself.
Only a dream I know
I know it was just a dream, no matter how real it felt at the time.
Thinking you'd never go
Believing that you would always be with me, never leaving.
Tearing off pieces of myself
Sacrificing or giving up parts of myself to try and hold onto you.
Just for the time it buys me
Doing so because it would allow me to have more time with you, even if it was just a little.
Fold my heart up small
Compacting my heart, making it small and compact.
Or break it into pieces
Breaking my heart into several pieces instead.
Find somewhere and keep it there
Securing the pieces of my heart in a safe place, so they won't get lost.
Take it when you go
Taking the pieces of my heart with you when you leave.
There in the frame of your face in the cast of your eyes
Seeing that you were going to leave, even though I could see it in your face and eyes.
I saw this coming but still I am caught by surprise
Knowing that you would leave, but still being shocked when it actually happens.
All of this time I knew
I knew all along that we wouldn't be together forever.
That I'd be losing you
Knowing that I would eventually lose you, no matter how much I tried to hold on.
That doesn't mean that it's okay
Just because it was expected, doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt.
That doesn't mean I'm ready
I wasn't ready to face the fact that you were leaving, no matter how much I expected it.
Some things you always remember, some things you forget
You remember some things forever and other things fade with time.
No way to make it up now, no room for regret
There's no way to fix what's happened, and no point in regretting the past.
That's no good for anyone
This situation isn't beneficial for anyone involved.
And so I come undone
Falling apart or losing control of myself in response to the situation.
Now I am less than what I was
I've changed as a person because of what's happened, and not for the better.
Whatever left is yours now
Whatever is left of me, emotionally or physically, now belongs to you.
When you go
Referring to the moment when you leave.
When you go
Repeating the above line for emphasis.
When you go
The final moment of you leaving.
Contributed by Joseph H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.