Keep Yourself Alive

Queen

Take off
I was told a million times
Of all the troubles in my way
Mind you grow a little wiser
Little better every day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I started
Bread and butter for a smile
Well I sold a million mirrors
In a shopping alley way
But I never saw my face
In any window any day
Now they say your folks are telling you
Be a super star
But I tell you just be satisfied
Stay right where you are

Keep yourself alive, yeah
Keep yourself alive
Ooh, it'll take you all your time and money
Honey you'll survive

Ow

Well I've loved a million women
In a belladonic haze
And I ate a million dinners
Brought to me on silver trays
Give me everything I need
To feed my body and my soul
And I'll grow a little bigger
Maybe that can be my goal
I was told a million times
Of all the people in my way
How I had to keep on trying
And get better every day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I started
Same as when I started

Keep yourself alive, come on
Keep yourself alive
Ooh, it'll take you all your time and money honey
You'll survive, shake

Ow
Keep yourself alive, wow
Keep yourself alive
Oh, it'll take you all your time and money
To keep me satisfied

Do you think you're better every day?
No, I just think I'm two steps nearer to my grave

Keep yourself alive, c'mon
Keep yourself alive
Mm, you take your time and take more money
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
C'mon keep yourself alive
All you people keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
C'mon c'mon keep yourself alive
It'll take you all your time and a money
To keep me satisfied
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
All you people keep yourself alive
Take you all your time and money honey
You will survive

Keep you satisfied


Lyrics submitted by f_mercury

Keep Yourself Alive Lyrics as written by Brian Harold May

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Keep Yourself Alive song meanings
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17 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment
    Hey, I like it. I think the idea isn't that you can't change, but that there's no real point. No matter what you do, no matter how much "better" you become, you're still the same person. So what's the point in going through all that work to get ahead in the competition, when you're competing for something that doesn't really matter? The only thing that really does matter is the basic things, or rather, basic thing, which is, in the end, keeping yourself alive. So live simply, because nothing you achieve is going to make you any better. So it's not that you can't change, but that you don't have to. It's a simple song conveying the complicated philosophy of living simply. Or maybe I'm completely wrong, and it's the opposite...
    PursuitofLifeon March 04, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    I asked BM about this in an email and this what he said: "Keep yourself Alive ? well, I don't think we thought success would be easy. When the record struggled to be heard, we just thought ... it'll take a bit more work until people understand what we have to offer. We were not offering normal "Pop" music of the time, so it was not going to be easy to turn the attention of Radio around. We believed!!! Also the whole hit record thing was not perceived by us as the only important thing , or indeed a thing of much importance at all. Our heroes were Led Zeppelin, after all, who NEVER had a hit single!! I think we wondered if having a hit would disqualify us from being taken seriously! By some stroke of good fortune, we were able to have hits later, but still develop ourselves as an Album-Oriented touring band ..... we carved out our own destiny, by great persistence and much work, and some good tunes, I think! But I feel we were very fortunate too." so this is how Queen kept going through the early days. Now we know...
    mercury_girl86on May 19, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    how exactly did you email him? i wanna email him too ^_^ his guitar skillz own
    Mr. Badguy0077on December 03, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    Got to his website - brianmay.com
    mercury_girl86on March 06, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    I am sooooooooooo happy no one (incorrectly) linked this to AIDS... Almost all of the other Queen songs I have seen have a mention somewhere. All this song is saying is, "Do what you want to, and become better at it!"
    billvoltageon March 28, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    I read somewhere that when Brian originally penned "Keep Yourself Alive", he had intended it to be kind of negative and ironic, but when the band actually played the song it took on a whole new atmosphere. Maybe Brian was frustrated with people telling him over and over again about how important it was that he and his band get famous, when what he really wanted to focus on was making good music. I heard that Queen released it as their very first single, but it was a total failiure in that respect and never got any airplay. Brilliant song regardless, especially the surreal, "fantasy-ish" air about it.
    Sandwich-Mastaon November 18, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I love this song with reservations. Maybe I'm misunderstanding it but it seems to be an essentially negative thread running through the lyrics here
    IJGrieveon September 28, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Something erie.... Similar to in "We Will Rock You", when after the first stomp stomp clap we can hear freddy (or someone) moan, in "keep yourself alive", exactly 27 seconds into the song after the rift, you can hear him say something fairly quick which sounds like "single" or "signu" or something. i suggest slowing it down
    scimitar_255on July 05, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I like this song... it just means that no matter what you do, it doesn't really matter anyway, so just do what you want. It's a "what's the point?" kind of song.
    laridaeon October 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    He is saying "Sing it!"
    billvoltageon March 28, 2006   Link

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