Still Alive

The song "Still alive" by Lisa Miskovsky is the main theme for the game "Mirror's edge" released in November of 2008.

Mirror's Edge takes place in a modern, utopian city, where a totalitarian regime has taken over following the events of the "November riots", which took place eighteen years earlier. In Faith's (the main character) own words, the city was once "dirty and dangerous, but alive and wonderful." The government implemented a policy of invasive surveillance, tracking all forms of electronic communication in order to reduce crime to nearly non-existent levels, and quell any challenge to its power.

Faith is a "Runner", a courier who carries physical communiques around the city, her services retained by revolutionary groups who avoid communicating via highly-monitored telephone and e-mail channels. The runner's work on the rooftops of the city being the only communication in the city that is not under surveillance.

The song is singed from the perspective of Faith and she refers to the city as a person.

The first line in the song:

"I have changed
I have changed
Just like you
Just like you"

This verse is about how Faith has watched the city her parents fought to protect, turn from a 'dirty but alive' city, to a sterile lifeless utopia, and in this change she was forced to change in turn, with the city to be able to survive.

"For how long
For how long
Must I wait
I know there's something wrong"

this verse says that she knows that there is something wrong and she is just waiting for it to change because it's not right.

"Your concrete heart isn't beating
and I've tried to
make it come alive"

This verse is saying that the city isn't alive and she is doing everything to give the city life again.

"No shadows,
just red lights.
Now I'm here to rescue you"

This is somewhat a double meaning also, no shadows refers to the bleached lifeless city, in mostly white concrete, broken by striking colours here and there, however throughout the game the primary colour used to signify freedom is red, with all objects you may interact with being coloured red, the last line is Faith declaring that she will rescue the city.

"Oh I'm still alive,
I'm still alive.
I can't apologise, no."

Faith says that she is still working against the city and is still alive and this is an apology to those that have accepted the changes to the city or been too afraid to defy the changes.

"So silent,
no violence.
But inside my head
so loud and clear."

The city is so lifeless, soulless and there is a sheen over the city, no violence because the population is so subdued, but inside her head the city is alive because the she want it to be that way so bad.

"You're screaming...
You're screaming...
Covered up with a smile I've learned to fear."

Faith knows that the people wants the city to change back inside but the people have learn to cover up does thoughts because the are to scared to say something.

"Just sunshine
And blue sky
Is this all we get
For living here"

points to the fact that other than the sun and the sky, there's nothing with soul or life in the city, and living in the environment round the city is all you have.

"Come fire
Come fire
Let it burn and love come racing through"

I believe this is a reference to fires burning away the mask of the city, once burned away it'll be given it's life back and people will stand for their opinions.

"I've learned to lose
I've learned to win
I've turned my face against the wind"

Faith have learn trough her living that there is those people that is trying to stop her and sometime it doesn't goes so well but in the end she know that she can stand victorious on the roofs and just feel the wind blowing in her face and that's a feeling of life.

"I will move fast
I will move slow
Take me where I have to go"

Running and jumping trough out the city, flowing over obstacles at speed, or to shimmy across ledges slowly, both of which lead Faith to her goal, so she is using the city as it is, to rescue it.

I love this song so much, it's a song about fighting for your freedom and something you love because you have the all the right to live with it and in the end you will make a change and break through it...<3

Lyrics