I Will Survive
Vivienne Lyrics


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At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along
And so you're back
From outer space
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key
If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
Do you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die?

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive, hey, hey

It took all the strength I had not to fall apart
Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart
And I spent oh-so many nights just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry
But now I hold my head up high and you see me
Somebody new
I'm not that chained-up little person and still in love with you
And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free
Well, now I'm saving all my lovin' for someone who's loving me
Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye
Do you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die?

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive

Oh
Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye
Do you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die?

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive




I will survive
I will survive

Overall Meaning

The song "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor was written in 1978 by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The song became an anthem for women going through breakups and heartache. The song tells the story of a woman who has just gone through a breakup and at first was completely devastated, but then she realizes that she is strong enough to survive on her own.


The opening lyrics of the song, "At first, I was afraid, I was petrified," is a metaphor for the stage in a breakup where a person feels completely lost and alone. The line "I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face" suggests that the person who left has come back to see the singer, but it is too late. The singer has moved on and understands their own worth. Throughout the song, we see the singer gain confidence and self-love, culminating in the final lyrics "I will survive."


The song’s popularity has made it a cultural phenomenon and has been covered by over 200 artists. The song has been inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, recognizing its cultural, historic, and/or aesthetic significance to American society and the nation’s audio heritage. The song was also awarded the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980, the only year this award was given.


Line by Line Meaning

At first I was afraid, I was petrified
I was extremely scared and worried when I first lost you


Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
I believed that my life was incomplete without you


But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
I realized how badly you treated me and how wrong you were for me


And I grew strong
I became strong and resilient from my experience without you


And I learned how to get along
I learned to live life without you and to move on


And so you're back, from outer space
You returned unexpectedly, like a surprise visit from outer space


I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I came home to find you looking sad and regretful


I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key
I now realize that I should have prevented you from returning by changing the locks and taking your key


If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
If I had known you were going to return and cause me trouble, I would have been more prepared


Go on now, go, walk out the door
Leave and don't come back


Just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore
You're no longer welcome in my life


Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
You were the one who hurt me by leaving me in the first place


Do you think I'd crumble
Did you think I would fall apart and not be able to handle it?


Did you think I'd lay down and die?
Did you think I would give up on life completely?


Oh no, not I, I will survive
No, I will not let you break me, I will carry on


Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
As long as I continue to love and care for myself, I can survive anything


I've got all my life to live
I have plenty of time left in my life to continue living


And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I have so much love to give and I will thrive


I took all the strength I had not to fall apart
I used all my strength to keep from falling apart


Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart
I worked tirelessly to fix my broken heart and move on from you


And I spent oh-so many nights just feeling sorry for myself
I let myself feel sorry for myself for a long time, but eventually stopped


I used to cry
I used to cry over losing you and feeling broken-hearted


But now I hold my head up high and you see me
Now I proudly hold my head high and you can finally see the strong person I've become without you


Somebody new
I am a new person, ready to take on the world


I'm not that chained-up little person and still in love with you
I'm not the same person who was held back by you and in love with you


And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free
You thought you could drop in on my life and I'd be ready to welcome you back


Well, now I'm saving all my lovin' for someone who's loving me
I'm moving on and saving my love for someone who truly loves me in return




Writer(s): Dino Fekaris, Frederick Perren

Contributed by Callie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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