After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teenager. Perry signed with Red Hill Records and released her debut studio album Katy Hudson under her birth name in 2001, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles the following year to venture into secular music after Red Hill ceased operations and she subsequently began working with producers Glen Ballard, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin. After adopting the stage name 'Katy Perry' and being dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group and Columbia Records, she signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in April 2007.
Perry rose to fame in 2008 with her second album, One of the Boys, a pop rock record containing the controversial U.S number one song "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Three subsequent albums have topped the U.S. Billboard 200. The disco-influenced Teenage Dream (2010) spawned five chart-topping U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles–"California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T.", and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" — a record tying her with Michael Jackson's "Bad". Its follow-up record Prism (2013) was inspired by her divorce, and incorporates pop and dance along with themes of self-reflection, everyday life, and relationships. With the music videos for its chart-topping songs "Roar" and "Dark Horse", Perry became the first artist to have multiple videos reach one billion views on Vevo. Her 2017 electropop album, 'Witness' featured a political subtext and a theme of liberation. Her sixth studio album 'Smile' followed in 2020.
Perry has nine U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number one singles and has received various awards, including four Guinness World Records, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award. She has been included in the annual Forbes lists of highest-earning women in music from 2011 to 2019. Her estimated net worth as of 2016 is $125 million. Perry is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 18 million albums and 125 million singles worldwide. In film, she released an autobiographical documentary titled "Katy Perry: Part of Me" in 2012, and voiced Smurfette in the 2011 film The Smurfs and its sequel in 2013. Her Super Bowl halftime show performance is the most watched in history. Perry also began serving as a judge on American Idol in 2018.
I'm Still Breathing
Katy Perry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walk the allies in the dark
Sleep with candles burning
I leave the door unlocked
I'm weaving a rope and
Running all the red lights
Did I get your attention
'Cause I'm sending all the signs and
And I'll be giving my two weeks
Pick your favorite shade of black
You'd best prepare a speech
Say something funny
Say something sweet
But don't say that you loved me
'Cause I'm still breathing
But we've been dead for awhile
This sickness has no cure
We're goin' down for sure
Already lost a grip
Best abandon ship
Maybe I was too pale
Maybe I was too fat
Maybe you wanted better, better luck in the sack
No formal education
I swear way too much
I swear you didn't care
'Cause we were in love
So as I write this letter and shed my last tear
No, it's all for the better
That we end this here
Let's close this chapter
Say one last prayer
But don't say that you loved me
'Cause I'm still breathing
But we've been dead for awhile
This sickness has no cure
We're goin' down for sure
Already lost a grip
Best abandon ship
'Cause I'm still breathing
But we've been dead for awhile
This sickness has no cure
We're goin' down for sure
Already lost a grip
Best abandon ship
I'm still breathing
I'm still breathing
The lyrics of Katy Perry's song "I'm Still Breathing" describe the end of a relationship that was slowly dying. The singer shares her experience of being in a toxic, loveless relationship where her partner didn't care about her. The song is an emotional plea to end the relationship and move on. The first verse mentions some dangerous actions the singer is taking, leaving the gas on, walking in the dark, and leaving the door unlocked. It suggests the singer has lost her grip and is living on the edge. In the second verse, the singer reflects on how she was not enough for her partner, maybe she was too pale, too fat, or swore too much. Despite her flaws, she believed that they were in love. However, the relationship became too toxic to continue, and the singer decided to end it.
Throughout this song, there is an air of finality that suggests that this relationship is over. The lyrics convey a sense of mourning and lost hope for the relationship's future. The chorus "I'm still breathing, but we've been dead for a while" is a powerful metaphor that expresses the relationship's deadness. It conveys that although they are still alive, the relationship has been lifeless for a while. The words "This sickness has no cure, we're going down for sure, already lost a grip, best abandon ship" encapsulate the idea that the relationship was incurable and it was time to abandon it. Ultimately, the song is about recognizing when a relationship is over and accepting its ending.
Line by Line Meaning
I leave the gas on
I show no concern for my own life or safety, nor the lives and safety of those around me.
Walk the alleys in the dark
I put myself in dangerous and unpredictable situations because I don't care about the consequences.
Sleep with candles burning
I have no regard for the risk of starting a fire or causing harm to myself or others.
I leave the door unlocked
I am careless and neglectful of basic safety measures and precautions.
I'm weaving a rope and Running all the red lights
I am acting impulsively and recklessly, with no thought to the potential consequences of my actions.
Did I get your attention 'Cause I'm sending all the signs and The clock is ticking And I'll be giving my two weeks
I am deliberately warning you that my behavior is unsustainable and that I will soon be gone.
Pick your favorite shade of black You'd best prepare a speech Say something funny Say something sweet But don't say that you loved me
If you're going to say anything, make it funny or sweet, but don't pretend that you ever truly loved me.
'Cause I'm still breathing But we've been dead for awhile This sickness has no cure We're goin' down for sure Already lost a grip Best abandon ship
We have been dead inside for some time now and our situation is only getting worse. We need to cut our losses and move on before it's too late.
Maybe I was too pale Maybe I was too fat Maybe you wanted better, better luck in the sack No formal education I swear way too much I swear you didn't care 'Cause we were in love
I have a number of personal flaws and shortcomings that you may not have been able to overlook, but ultimately, our love was not enough to overcome these issues.
So as I write this letter and shed my last tear No, it's all for the better That we end this here Let's close this chapter Say one last prayer But don't say that you loved me
I am accepting that it's time to move on and that ending things now is for the best. We should say our goodbyes and move forward without looking back.
I'm still breathing
Despite everything that has happened and whatever may come, I am still alive and moving forward.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KATY PERRY, DAVE STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sebastian
on Box
I was trapped in my own thoughts and couldn't escape
I was closed off to the outside world and not receiving any communication
When I took a broader perspective on my life
I was unaware of the passing of time or new beginnings
I had a realization that struck me hard
I realized that not everyone would support my choices
I was uncertain about the future
I had to let my inner desires guide me
It was an exhilarating experience
When you gain new perspective and awareness
As if seeing things for the first time
Unexpected but exciting
I started breaking free from my limited thinking and behavior
Pushing past my previous boundaries and limitations
I refused to conform to the expectations of others
I was always aware that I needed to make a change
When I stopped being passive and found inspiration
I had been living differently than before
I was determined to continue my new way of living no matter what challenges came my way
I had been living with my own weaknesses and flaws
My insecurity and lack of confidence often held me back
I reached a breaking point and needed to take action
I had to let go of my past patterns and habits that kept bringing me down
I realized that others were not supportive of my choices
I couldn't keep conforming to please others
I made a choice to live my life the way I wanted to
I was breaking free from the expectations and constraints of others
I was saying goodbye to following the crowd
I valued being clear about my intentions and goals
It only requires a small effort
I needed to identify my true desires and separate them from the influence of others
I was more deliberate with my choices and actions
When I removed the barriers that previously held me back
Embracing a new, unconventional way of living
Challenging the status quo and taking risks
John P Winder
on Dark Horse (feat. Juicy J)
Dark Horse ...