Shawn James - The Guardian (Ellie's Song) - Official Music Video

Listen + Download "The Guardian" by Shawn James:

When does it get quiet?
Time was supposed to extinguish the desire...
But the embers won't snuff out
Haunted by your smiles
The mask keeps getting heavier
One step forward, two steps back
There's a noose round my neck and the further I get
It's harder & harder to breathe
Can I find a way to cut the rope?
I've been waiting for dawn
But the light is all gone.
Don't know if I'm already blind...
Can I leave it all behind?
What's it really for if it's not yours and it's not mine?
This victory is not what I hoped for...
How was I to know that everything would end up like this?
Survival of the fittest... of sorts
So I've become the bringer of death
A lover of life
The one who guards from the dark of the night
I'll be the hammer of war
Justice & mercy don't live side by side
So in retribution I abide
I'll tip the scales to justice's end but can it make amends?
Kill or be killed... what a way to live & die
I just can't see this cycle ever ending
How can I correct the damage done when I can't feel the consequences of my recourse
So I've become the bringer of death
A lover of life
The one who guards from the dark of the night
I'll be the hammer of war
I've been waiting for dawn
But the light is all gone.
Don't know if I'm already blind...
Can I leave it all behind?

Filmed by Michelle Mavrides & edited by Luke White

Written by Shawn James
String arrangement by Luis Guerra
Produced by Jimmy Messer
Records at Parts + Labor Studios, Los Angeles, CA

© 2020 Parts + Labor Records

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Twitter: @ShawnJamesMusic

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Apple Music:

Merchandise:

[ShawnJamesSoul]

Thanks for checking out the new video everyone. I appreciate all the love!



Lastly, I can't wait to get back on the road hopefully sooner than later and I look forward to meeting you all out there!

[Thee_Tomas]

Ellie singing his "through the valley" in the teaser a few years back is the reason i started listening to him. Love his music, been listening ever since

[ajaynorris]

You can find the lyrics for this song in Ellie's notebook at the farm house.

[BomNegocio-ey]

After the pandemic, come and take a tour in Brazil. You will be very well received!

[devranyalcin]

This man doesn't have a bad song!

[spetzer]

Because Ellie is listening to Shawn singing "Through the Valley" at the beginning of the second game, it means that Shawn James canonically exists within the The Last of Us. I like to think in the midst of everything happening in the games, Shawn is out there somewhere killing clickers by day and making music by night.

[alexg.]

Petition to get Ashley Johnson to cover this song as Ellie

[andreanicole]

I hope this song blows up like Through the Valley. I hope Shawn gets all the attention he can. He deserves to be a top recognized artist. Thank you Naughty Dog and The Last of Us 2 for exposing him to so many more people around the world!

[belicfilmes]

This song should be in the ending credits of the game. Such a masterpiece!

[SkipaDaFlipa]

This song is the embodiment of Ellie. Being the bringer of death and the lover of life at the same time. Survival of the fittest... of sorts. This song embodies her character and personally, I think it embodies all of humanity. Absolutely brilliant peace of poetry.

[Lixaoi]

!!!!LYRICS!!!!

When does it get quiet?
Time was supposed to extinguish the desire
But the embers won't snuff out

Haunted by your smiles
The mask keeps getting heavier
One step forward, two steps back

There's a noose round my neck and the further I get
It's harder & harder to breathe
Can I find a way to cut the rope?

I've been waiting for dawn
But the light is all gone
Don't know if I'm already blind
Can I leave it all behind?

What's it really for if it's not yours and it's not mine?
This victory is not what I hoped for
How was I to know that everything would end up like this?
Survival of the fittest... of sorts

So I've become the bringer of death
A lover of life
The one who guards from the dark of the night
I'll be the hammer of war
Justice & mercy don't live side by side
So in retribution I abide
I'll tip the scales to justice's end but can it make amends?

Kill or be killed... what a way to live and die
I just can't see this cycle ever ending
How can I correct the damage done when I can't feel the consequences of my recourse

So I've become the bringer of death
A lover of life
The one who guards from the dark of the night
I'll be the hammer of war
I've been waiting for dawn
But the light is all gone
Don't know if I'm already blind
Can I leave it all behind?

[as.tronauts]

Justice and mercy cant live side by side ⚖️

[Uncle_Tijikun]

There's haunting music, and then there's Shawn James.

This guy is on a completely different level. Incredible.

[khangdo]

He even sit in front of a tree just like Ellie. How amazing is that?☺️☺️

[Rafael-qdxw]

I really hope Shawn James gets more recognition than he is recieving rn and also COME TO BRAZIL

[soumyajyotimukherjee]

We need a DLC with Ellie singing this.

[thesoulessdweller]

I’m in love with he’s music anyone else😍♥️

[katief.]

Not only were the lyrics in Ellie's journal, but did anyone else notice how the lyrics align with the soundtracks from The Last of Us I and II?

"Time was supposed to extinguish the desire
But the embers won't snuff out"
Inextinguishable Flames by Gustavo Santaolalla

"The mask keeps getting heavier"
Masks On by Mac Quayle

"It's harder & harder to breathe"
Breathless by Gustavo Santaolalla

"But the light is all gone"
All Gone by Gustavo Santaolalla

"Can I leave it all behind?"
Left Behind by Gustavo Santaolalla

"Vengeance & mercy don't live side by side"
No Mercy by Gustavo Santaolalla

"I just can't see this cycle ever ending"
The Cycle of Violence by Mac Quayle
The Cycle Continues by Mac Quayle

[nana-ix]

Such a legendary cast of musicians in TLoU. The music in that game is unlike any other!

[sorenzapadron]

When I listen to this song I feel like Ellie. Shattered. It's so, so beautiful.