LYRICS: VERSE 1: Eventually all walls meet demolition So Wall Street had to keep the tradition Their financial systems resigned to ignition And out of the ashes, we have arisen An empire is forged in the fire of ambition In business there isn’t the time for attrition Invest to suppress then ingest competition Then each acquisition is new ammunition When governments crumble and fall to the floor That was paved with the graves of a corporate war A fundament funded in blood just to shore A foundation for founding our covenant - born Of a need for control of societal entropy Enterprise at the price of your indemnity Chart out the course and of course you were meant to be Bent to the will of a corporate entity Arasaka Security. You’re in safe hands. CHORUS: We’re the light in your screens, we’re the lead in your veins Then you wake from your dreams so we can sell them again In the light we distract with the shiny and new So you’re blind to the fact that the product is you So let your brain dance and replay the dream But don’t drown in the data stream ‘Cause we see where you are and we see where you go ‘Cause we know what you own and we own what you know VERSE 2: From the top of all our towers, the corridors of power clearly need rewiring Arasaka saw the spark and then embarked upon the path to turn that spark to lightning There’s no autonomous megalopolis so populous or prosperous you could reside in And every citizen that’s living in this city is a digit on the charts we’re climbing Political systems are too inefficient They split like the atom and burned in the fission Now every department and every decision Defer to the herds of our corporate divisions If you don’t remember the ballot you cast It’s printed on every receipt you were passed Each time you selected our products and services We were elected in each of your purchases What’s left to do when you’ve got the monopoly? Turn the consumer into the commodity It isn’t hard where you’ve hardware neurology Honestly, do read the company policy Take information and trade it for wealth You pay it in each augmentation we sell It’s easy to cut out the middleman When he’s cut out most of himself Arasaka Finance. Investing in your future. CHORUS: We’re the light in your screens, we’re the lead in your veins Then you wake from your dreams so we can sell them again In the light we distract with the shiny and new So you’re blind to the fact that the product is you So let your brain dance and replay the dream But don’t drown in the data stream ‘Cause we see where you are and we see where you go ‘Cause we know what you own and we own what you know VERSE 3: All that you say on the net we composite To maps that go straight from your head to your pocket Complain if you want, you’re still making deposits Of data - each day you log on is a profit Society currently lists electronic So isn’t conducting resistance ironic? We’ve plenty of skeletons locked in our closets But yours are assembled from old-stock hydraulics So lucky we know just the pieces you need All plucked from your social media feeds The places you go and the posts that you read All snatched for a new algorithm to feed Now holding our gold isn’t par for the brand Our silver is sat in the palm of your hand Quit whining and sign on the line in the sand The supply does not get to make the demands Arasaka Manufacturing. Building a better tomorrow. BRIDGE: Name, Age, Qualifications Race, Faith, Career aspirations Political leaning, Daily commute Marital status, Favourite fruit Family, Browser, Medical history Hobbies, interests, Brand affinity Fashion, style, your occupation Gender identity, orientation Lifestyle choices, dietary needs The marketing contact you choose to receive Posts, likes, employers, friends Social bias, exploitable trends Tastes, culture, phone of choice Facial structure, the tone of your voice If it’s inside your head we know You can’t escape the ebb and flow CHORUS: We’re the light in your screens, we’re the lead in your veins Then you wake from your dreams so we can sell them again In the light we distract with the shiny and new So you’re blind to the fact that the product is you So let your brain dance and replay the dream But don’t drown in the data stream ‘Cause we see where you are and we see where you go ‘Cause we know what you own and we own what you know VERSE 4: (In the light we distract with the shiny and new) When guiding the hand of the market If it’s holding a cheque or a gun The fingers go deep in your pockets And you can live under the thumb (So you’re blind to the fact that the product is you) You seem so surprised What did you expect? We’re thinking outside of that box that you checked The terms were presented in full to inspect You scrolled to the end just to get to ‘Accept’ (In the light we distract with the shiny and new) Arasaka would like to know your location Arasaka would like to know your location (So you’re blind to the fact that the product is you) Arasaka would like to know your location Arasaka would like to know your location

“Arasaka would like to know your location” a line that enhances your awareness of just how many times you are asked that by software that has no REASONABLE reason to know.

"The supply does not get to make demands" is immediately up there with "But we've spent the centuries in second to the birth rate" as lines that are rawer than a living chicken

True story: It's boring as anything, but I actually do bother to at least speed-read through the contracts on software. And these days, when I'm tempted to just skip it, I now hear the voice of Stupendium saying in my ear, "the terms were presented in full to inspect; you scrolled to the end just to get to 'Accept'"

"The supply does not get to make the demands" is the coldest fucking line

The Data Stream: "Honestly, do read the company policy." The Fine Print: "Oh, Honestly. Did you not read the colony policy, that defines you as company property?" I hope that was intentional.

"Society currently lists electronic, so isn't conducting resistance ironic?" JESUS MAN, CALM DOWN. Genius of this magnitude is borderline criminal.

Brother you were born to play a villianous wealthy stylish man

"If you don’t remember the ballot you cast, it’s printed on every receipt you were passed" That's a raw line if I've ever heard one.

"Honestly, do read the company policy." I have to wonder if this line was delivered in a similar way to The Fine Print's "Oh honestly, did you not read the company policy?" on purpose.

Me: "Oh look, a song about Cyberpunk!" Stupendium: "Haha no, its about the negative effects unchecked capitalism. Haven't you heard my songs before?"

The condescending look they give when they say "Favorite fruit" killed me when I first saw it

"Your ballot is printed on each of your receipts" Man the line is such a good one. Literally "Voting with your wallet"

"Honestly, do read the company* policy" - Is that a little "Fine Print" reference I spy with my eyes? *colony -> company

"The supply does not get to make the demands." - Well, duh! That's obvi- ... ... Oh my god, it's genius!

“In the light we distract with the shiny and new so you’re blind to the fact that the product is you” That hits a little too hard

The worst part about this song is that the chorus would be a true statement coming from the existing tech companies of today. Cyberpunk is not a dystopian future, it is a commentary on today, just with more neon and more elective surgery.

"Society currently lists electronic So isn’t conducting resistance ironic?" That is some damn fine wordplay right there sir!

The biggest sign of how much Stupes has grown is that the ending is exactly the same as “A huge thanks to Bethesda for making a perfect ga-,” but _far_ more classy. Spectacularly done!

As someone who does digital marketing, I realize that I'm both a pawn and a player for large corporations. The realities presented in this song are terrifying, and should be considered by everyone. Thank you, Stupendium, this song was genius.

My favourite part of the 'List of things we know about you' section absolutely has to be "Favourite fruit". It gets across that they're not interested in just these big, flashy pieces of personal information, but that they 100% know EVERYTHING, right down to your specific tastes of a specific kind of food. How horrifyingly accurate. I love it

The one thing I've always loved about Stupendium is that he always go the extra mile to not just make a song about the base story of the game. He always picks a interesting concept within the game and expands on it. I love it every time.

"Born of a need for control of societal entropy, enterprise at the price of your indemnity" For the love of God, his genius is beyond what we deserve.

I think this is still your Magnum Opus. The lyrics are tight as hell, every line rhymes perfectly and whats even more impressive, carries an actual message and meaning. This combined with the extremely addicting instrumentals makes for an absolute banger that is far more than just the sum of its parts. I've probably listened to this song well over a hundred times now and I certainly dont plan to stop there.

"Society currently lists electronic so isn't *conducting resistance* ironic?" this line made me smile when I finally got it Edit: just found another one: "Now holding our gold isn't par for the brand, our silver is sat in the palm of your hand." Silver is used for conductors in electronics, so if you have Arasaka's robot implants in your hands, then their silver quite literally is sat in the palm of your hand...

"We're thinking outside of the box that you've checker" Jesus fuck that line was genius.

Songs criticizing corporate overlords and the status quo: Stupes' specialty, but also probably the reason why he hasn't exploded in popularity on the youtube algorithm harder than he has. Here's a comment to help counteract that, hopefully.

I like to imagine that stupedium is the person who will be making the music that controls people minds in the future

After a few dozen listens, I finally realized the subtle sinister implication in the "Arasaka" quotes. Arasaka Security: "You're in safe hands." Safe from everything except what Arasaka does to you themselves. Arasaka Finance: "Investing in your future." A future where your every action is controlled by Arasaka. Arasaka Manufacturing: "Building a better tomorrow." A better tomorrow for Arasaka where they've reached full omniscience and omnipotence.

Much like you did with Vault Number 76, you've given Cyberpunk a valid reason to exist despite the everything :P I'm obsessed with this and I am so excited to dig into the lyrics and scream for a week straight.

The wordplay in this song is astounding. And the direct commentary on what’s happening today is REDACTED.

Since I discovered The Stupendium (by way of Google's algorithms suggesting "The Fine Print"), I've listened to nothing but this channel for two weeks. So much brilliance in one place. I teach creative writing at a local college, and I really want to do a themed unit around all of your songs that shine a satirical light on capitalism ("The Fine Print," "Rest Employed," "The Data Stream," etc.). It's like a collective treatise with repeating themes and lyrical genius. I wouldn't do such a thing without your blessing, of course, but I hope the idea alone serves as the highest compliment I can offer your work. Thank you for sharing it with us.

basically my teacher made us listen to this song for a homework, and now I can't stop listening to this.

“Honestly do read the company policy” love the reference

Thanks so much for having me on once again! You always kill it with production, it’s so cool to see. This was super fun!! 🤖❤️‼️

I love how you reuse lines. Like "do read the company policy" from this and The Fine Print. And "Satisfaction Guarenteed; No retractions, no recipts" in "Room for Improvement" and "Rogue's Gallery." It really adds to the song because it deepens the meanings that both songs share (the former being a Corpocracy and the latter being a shady scamming businessman)

I love the fact that the Stipendium changed their voice to that of cami-cat and you can see the little blue LEDs on the throat. Such a cool detail! I love this song, it’s insane how smart the word associations and rhymes are. You can really see the work behind it just. Wow.

Welcome back to another thrilling episode of “Stupedium plays a shady corporate type”

"name, age, qualifications..." this entire segment gave me chills. That's not about Cyberpunk anymore...

That "So let your ~*BRAIN DANCE*~ and replay the dream" lives rent-free in my head.

Dude is a master at his craft, not just singing, but costumes, song writing, and editing too Edit: even the "please hit subscribe" shtick, he has made it a part of the theme

Did we need Dystopic Robot Capitalism the Dance Remix? Yes. Yes, we did.

When I talk to people about why I don't listen to radio music, they usually talk about how music about video games isn't really music, and that it's just internet people trying to make quick money with bad music. Now I'm a pretty easy going man, but let me tell you, if anyone's making trashy music for money, it's the peole who write music about their own brand with only one or two words repeated over and over, with no thought to it. Now this, however, this is art. Pure in form, comedy, visuals, lyrics, references, and social commentary. Just as digital art should be regaled as art, Internet music is as real and incredible (if not better) as regular/radio music. Stupes, on the off chance that you read this, I want you to know that you're an incredible, amazing creator, I love your music, and to keep moving forward, because this is pure art.

I adore the fact that this comment section is just 100% positivity and support. I scrolled for a long time just to see if any single soul dared to post hate on this masterpiece, and none were found. It's like this on all the other videos too! The Stupendium has such a lovely and supportive community, and deserves nothing less for the consistent bangers they produce. I look forward to watching this channel grow ever more.

Coming back after Cyberpunk Edgerunners dropped to confirm it's still a banger

One aspect of this that I particularly enjoyed was the slogans of the Arasaka firms. The "Arasaka Security: You're in safe hands." just reeks of corporate speak. As someone who has worked in multiple factories and firms with similar sentences plastered over them, that it just comes off as so disingenuous is amazing to me. Really hit the nail on the head there

THE VISUALS, I can never get over them, they are always so outstanding

"There’s no autonomous megalopolis so populous or prosperous you could reside in" is such a powerful line when said aloud! love it!

Stupendium is responsible for making content so good that I've bought 4 games because the song got me interested in the game enough to purchase it

"The supply does not get to make the demand", bloody hell that line hits.

i am officially convinced that stupendium has access to a magic wardrobe of infinite clothes and they look good in all of them

Bro I have watched this like 7 times or more and ONLY NOW just realized: "Eventually, all walls meet demolition. So Wall Street had to keep the tradition." was a pun. It just flowed so smoothly I didn't even bat an eye. Bravo! You have fooled me yet again, Stupes! (Probs cuz im just dumb 😅)

"complain if you want, you're still making deposits of data" is a really powerful line. yet another great entertainment piece to distract ourselves with also i just noticed the line "we're the lead in your veins" which is really good. lead is a literal poison, thus the corporation is the poision in your veins also i just fucking noticed the "vocal synthesis" before the first of cami-cat's sections which is an amazing detail

This totally feels like what you were going for, everyone make way for Amazon's anthem in 2035

Everybody’s talking about the music and visuals (which they should be, they’re both fantastic!) but man, give this man the acting credit he deserves! He’s got accents, body language, choreography, style, eye contact-everything. I didn’t even KNOW that he’s British until several months ago because the way he switches from different styles of speech is so fluid. The Stupendium has acting, performing, production, and music as a whole down to an ART FORM, and I DEMAND that he is given full credit for being a shape shifter!

You know how most videos have peaks and troughs and valleys? This song is a plateau from end to end. Every verse a hit, every delivery on point, every beat a banger, every suit a treat.

I have never seen anyone else put so much thought into his content the way Stupendium does. The meta, the visuals lyrics and sounds, the easter eggs, and the persitent allusions to our dystopic reality. No one else comes close.

nothing hits harder than a Stupedium song about dystopian capitalism

"It's easy to cut out the middle man when he's cut out most of himself" such a good line, and also very true to the roots of cyberpunk as a genre. cyberpunk, maybe more than any other genre, is openly skeptical to capitalism and it's ability to be the great dissolver of all non-transactional social structure in service to the pursuit of capital as an atomized individual consumer. this was a cover that was truly meant to be given how the critique of capital functions throughout your work, and the effects are somehow even more stunning than usual

Please please PLEASE tell me someone else realized this before me! "We're the lead in your veins" is also a pun on LED; Arasaka is both the cool shit we put in our bodies (and everywhere else), as well as the poison that flows through society (and also our veins).

1:14 There is so much to unpack in this video in general, but i love the ''Vocal synthesis: loading preset Cami-Cat'' graphic. This entire video is so well put together, literally every frame has something new to discover~!

I don't know why, but the line "We're thinking outside of the box that you checked" Is another one of those Stupendium lines that I'll never forget

"The supply does not get to make the demands" what a raw fucking line

How true these lyrics are today is scary!!! Also your wardrobe is ON POINT!! Looking excellent!!

I love how this song perfectly captures the two sides of Cyberpunk 2077; Corrupt Dystopia, and SWEET Rave Party

"The supply does not get to make the demands." That line was fantasticly beautiful.

Every V is gangsta until one of Arasaka's Departments Head starts rapping. As always, hard job, for a Corpo)

I just love the dynamic of a corporate spokesperson and a party goer sending you the same message. It's this duality of cold corporativism and debauchery representing the two biggest sides of a dystopian capitalist future.

Data Stream for me has the most creative and cool looking effects (including the vocal cord switch up), but the style of No One’s Home and Ad Infinitum are too unique and awesome to ignore. It blows my mind how talented and creative you and your team are in each and every music video! Keep up the amazing work!

"Honestly, do read the company policy" Uh-oh, not again. What an out-of-this-world line, one might say. ;)

Stupes: No one can top neither my visuals nor my lyrical skills The Internet: ... Stupes: Fine, I'll do it myself

I love how the more intrusive, invasive and manipulative the list of data gathered gets, the more glitchy the caption becomes. It's such an awesome and subtle effect to reflect the never-ending hunger of the algorithm.

In my head, it always ends with "Arasaka already knows your location"

"If you don't remember the ballot you cast, it's printed on every receipt you were past." God, this song. And it doesn't glitch- Oh, no, there's someone t-posing in the middle of the road.

This song about “Cyberpunk” (the game) perfectly captures the spirit of cyberpunk (the genre)! Not only does it sound cyberpunky, it *feels* cyberpunky. The rap feels like the exact kind of thing a massive corporation would describe itself as if it were forced to be honest, and the chorus sounds like something you’d hear in the kind of pop song where people don’t pay attention to the extremely dark lyrics because the music part of the song sounds so happy and upbeat. Also, it sounds super cool!

The dystopian future has never sounded more catchy!

Stupendium you glorious bastard, you're like 90% of the reason I got this game.

"Honestly do read the company policy" I think people would after being defined as company property

Forget about all those horror-themed songs... THIS is still the scariest thing the Stupendium has ever produced.

Came back to jam now that Edgerunners is out and still a banger. Maybe one day we'll get Nomad and Street Kid versions.

This makes me want to delete every social media account I have & throw my phone in the river. Incredibly well-done, from concept to lyricism to production. Simply amazing.

I just noticed the 'loading vocal preset: cami-cat' popup when Stupes' 'dancer' character first starts lip-syncing. Always so good with those little details.

By clicking the like button, you agree to compulsively replay this song on a variety of platforms until data bleeds out your ears. Do you accept?

That "Tone of your voice" line hits way harder 2023.

"invest to suppress then ingest competition" The most succinct description of predatory pricing schemes to create monopoly via forced takeover horizontal integration ever. Beautiful.

Honestly, I really appreciate how you put so much emphasis on how Arasaka doesn't even need to pull the rug out from under you, how being profitable to the company is still a horrifying existence. The simple grief and pain of checking the box for "Arasaka would like to know your location".

Excellent stuff man. Fantastic rhyming & clever lyrics 👍👍

This song did a better job of exploring the themes of the game than the gaddamn game did

Cyberpunk is now the number 1 played single player game on steam. Huge resurgence. If you have anything to make this "remastered" or release it again. It would he a good time. Much love Stu.

why is no one bringing up the "It's easy to cut out the middle man, when he's cut out most of himself" line. It's honestly one of the most slick lines I've ever heard.

I love the stifled chuckle on the line, "the supply does not get to make the demands"; it's as if that the idea that they could is so ridiculous and naive that it can only be laughed at. Little touches like this really communicate the character of the characters portrayed and are only achievable with the performance of a skilled actor.

It's like my gazillionth time watching this utterly outstanding video and I just noticed... during the interlude bit with "gender identity, orientation" the pan pride flag is front and centre. I'm probably reading too much in to it, but is that perchance significant...?

I've often said that while Cyberpunk diverged from real history in 1990, you can't say we're not headed somewhere similar.

I like that the "terms and conditions" at 5:20 are the lyrics for The Fine Print

Also I know I’ve commented on here already about the SCMU (Stupendium Cinematic Musical Universe) but can I just say? Those match cuts between pink flashy dude and corporate bastard in the bridge? Goddamn if it isn’t the most Satoshi Kon way to tell us that they’re one and the same with different skins and visual film language like that is WHAT I’M HERE FOR

I didn't realize this until I got some high-quality headphones, but for all the parts where stupe is speaking as a person to the listener, there's a subtle bottom layer where there's a robotic voice saying the same thing in a robotic monotone. The attention to detail is amazing as always.

"I wanted to wait until I had time to finish it properly" wow, you put more thought into this song then the CDPR did when making the game

Lyrics: Clever vibe: amazing Visuals: Stunning Cars glitching through the ground: zero Quite stunning

"Political systems are too inefficient, they split like the Atom and burned like fission" ...That line, together with "Peace is just a product, with a focus test of billions" and "Rhyming on the multiplane, my lyrics work on several layers" is my favourite from such a wondrous artist that is The Stupendium. Seriously, why is this guy still not in every music store as a famous international artist ?

Probably my 70th time watching and I just noticed the section before Cami-Cat firsts comes in loads her in as a voice synthesizer. Cool detail!