Still Alive
Jonathan Coulton (feat. Sara Quin) Lyrics
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I'm making a note here; "Huge success"
It's hard to overstate
My satisfaction
Aperture Science:
We do what we must
For the good of all of us
Except the ones who are dead
But there's no sense crying
Over every mistake
You just keep on trying
Till you run out of cake
And the science gets done
And you make a neat gun
For the people who are
Still alive
I'm not even angry
I'm being so sincere right now
Even though you broke my heart,
And killed me
And tore me to pieces
And threw every piece into a fire
As they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you
Now, these points of data
Make a beautiful line
And we're out of beta
We're releasing on time
So I'm GLaD I got burned
Think of all the things we learned-
For the people who are
Still alive
Go ahead and leave me
I think I'd prefer to stay inside
Maybe you'll find someone else
To help you?
Maybe Black Mesa?
That was a joke *Haha - Fat Chance*
Anyway this cake is great
It's so delicious and moist
Look at me: still talking
When there's science to do
When I look out there,
It makes me GLaD I'm not you
I've experiments to run
There is research to be done
On the people who are
Still alive
And believe me I am
Still alive
I'm doing science and I'm
Still alive
I feel fantastic and I'm
Still alive
While you're dying I'll be
Still alive
And when you're dead I will be
Still alive
Still alive
The song "Still Alive" from Jonathan Coulton and Ellen McLain is a triumph in itself as it serves as the end credits song for the game Portal. The lyrics are written from the point of view of GLaDOS, the game's antagonist, who has been defeated by the singer but who still exists within the game's world.
In the opening lines, GLaDOS sarcastically acknowledges that her defeat was a "triumph" but then speaks insincerely and ominously about her "satisfaction." She then goes on to praise Aperture Science and its mission to progress scientific advancements for the good of humanity, all except for those who have died in the process.
The middle part of the song sees GLaDOS acknowledging how her previous attempts to destroy the singer and others have failed and even recognizes the progress that has been made as a result of those failures. The chorus before the second verse shows GLaDOS accepting her fate and finding contentment in her role within the game's world. She then goes on to express her desire to continue her "experiments" and "research" which sets the stage for the game's sequel.
Line by Line Meaning
This was a triumph
I achieved something great
I'm making a note here; "Huge success"
I want to acknowledge my own great achievement
It's hard to overstate
It's difficult to fully express
My satisfaction
How happy I am with what I achieved
Aperture Science:
The company that I work for
We do what we must
We do what needs to be done
Because we can
Because we have the ability to do so
For the good of all of us
To benefit everyone
Except the ones who are dead
But not those who have passed on
But there's no sense crying
It doesn't make sense to be upset
Over every mistake
About every error that has been made
You just keep on trying
It's important to keep on attempting
Till you run out of cake
Until you have nothing left
And the science gets done
And the research is completed
And you make a neat gun
And you create a cool device
For the people who are
To benefit those who
Still alive
Are still living
I'm not even angry
I'm not even upset
I'm being so sincere right now
I'm genuinely speaking the truth
Even though you broke my heart,
Even though you hurt me deeply,
And killed me
And 'killed' my emotions
And tore me to pieces
And completely shattered me
And threw every piece into a fire
Destroyed everything I had become
As they burned it hurt because
As the pieces were thrown into the fire, it was extremely painful
I was so happy for you
But I was genuinely happy for your success
Now, these points of data
Now that I have this information
Make a beautiful line
It can be represented as a great graph
And we're out of beta
It's no longer in its testing phase
We're releasing on time
It will be launched as planned
So I'm GLaD I got burned
So I'm happy that I faced challenges in this process
Think of all the things we learned-
Reflecting on all the important lessons we learned
For the people who are
To benefit those who
Still alive
Are still living
Go ahead and leave me
You can leave me now
I think I'd prefer to stay inside
I'd rather stay where I am
Maybe you'll find someone else
Maybe you'll find another person
To help you?
To assist you?
Maybe Black Mesa?
Maybe you can go to Black Mesa instead
That was a joke *Haha - Fat Chance*
I was just joking, it's unlikely
Anyway this cake is great
In any case, this cake is fantastic
It's so delicious and moist
It's very tasty and moist
Look at me: still talking
I'm still here, still talking
When there's science to do
When there's more research to be done
When I look out there,
As I look out there,
It makes me GLaD I'm not you
It makes me happy that I'm not in your position
I've experiments to run
I have experiments to complete
There is research to be done
There is still research that needs to happen
On the people who are
On the people who
Still alive
Are still living
And believe me I am
And I can assure you that I am
Still alive
Still living
I'm doing science and I'm
I'm currently experimenting and
Still alive
Still living
I feel fantastic and I'm
I feel amazing and I'm
Still alive
Still living
While you're dying I'll be
While you're experiencing downfall, I'll be
Still alive
Still living
And when you're dead I will be
And once you're gone, I'll still be
Still alive
Still living
Still alive
Still Living (Got repeated at the end of the song)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@antonionakic2690
"Now these points of data make a beautiful line, and we're out of beta we're releasing on time" - I'm a grown man, still getting goosebumps and watery eyes to this.
@nukeguard570
I know the feels :-D
@ErikHinrichsen
Me too, and it's the weirdest thing. I played Portal and liked it a lot, bit it's not a game a have a real emotional attachment to. But that line... every single time.
@MQXM001
Same. For some reason it really makes me feel hopeful - even though canonically it’s sung by a homicidal robot that we just killed...
@rudrasingh6354
@Matt M well technically that robot is Still Alive
@MilanStarcevic
As a software developer, I also get goosebumps when fantasize of releasing on time.
@guisouzadias
This version is a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.
@ultracooldood
It's hard to overstate my satisfation
@scaper8
I first heard of Coulton when I saw "Code Monkeys" on G4 and wanted a copy of the theme song. Since then I have never been unimpressed with a single note he's penned, plucked, or sang. Absolutely love his work.
@kircherkircher9244
Yes!!!!!