“A Stranger I Remain” is a boss theme and a character song for Mistral in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
There are two versions of the song. Before the game was released officially, the demo versions of the game contained many prototype or beta songs before being remixed. This included multiple snippets from unfinished versions of the song.[1]
The original composition of this song was named by fans "Unknown Battle Song A - Possibly Mistral's Theme (Here I Come)" after the extraction. This version has entirely different lyrics from the final song and is noticeably less polished. The files also contain snippets from a version much closer resembling the final and official version "A Stranger I Remain (Maniac Agenda Mix)" from the album MGR:R Vocal Tracks with the only major difference from the released track being the song's mix not yet being finalized.
Its lyrics talk about a constant stranger who can only consider the battlefield her home. Owing to Mistral's partial French heritage, some of the lyrics are also sung in French. The translation of the French lines are "The heat bothers me, but it's the creaking of the boat that woke me."
Aside from the fight against Mistral herself, it also plays when fighting against her spare body in R-04.
Lyrics[]
Metal Gear Rising OST A Stranger I Remain (Mistral's Theme)
A Stranger I Remain (Maniac Agenda Mix)[]
I've come here from nowhere
Across the unforgiving sea
Drifting further and further
It's all becoming clear to me
The violent winds are upon us and I can't sleep
Internal temperatures rising
And all the voices won't recede
I've finally found what I was looking for
A place where I can be without remorse
Because I am a stranger who has found
An even stranger war
I've finally found what I was looking for
Here I come
La chaleur me dérange
Mais c'est le grincement du bateau qui m'a réveillé
I sharpen the knife
And look down upon the bay
For all of my life
A stranger I remain
A stranger I remain
A stranger I remain
Official lyrics from Platinum Games
Here I Come (Demo / Original version)[]
I've come here to save you
And I can already taste the kill
Like caressing an angel
Burning up in the atmosphere
And with the blood of a dying star above
My true aesthetic's unwinding
And I'm about to come undone
So don't let me become the one you love
'Cause I'll just take your blood and use you up
I know it's tempting to jump off the edge and fly
But this is not a dream
So don't let me become the one you love
Here I come
Here I come
Additional Credits & Original Composition[]
- Lyrics By: Logan Mader & Jamie Christopherson
- Recorded By: Logan Mader
- Mixed By: Logan Mader
- Remixed By: Agenda
- Guitars & Bass: Logan Mader
- Additional Guitars: Len Rizzo
- Drums: Ralph Mader
- Programming: Logan Mader & Jamie Christopherson
- Maniac Agenda Producers: Antonio "S.A.T." Gonzalez & Dennis "Ramen" Gonzalez