In Placeholder Gameworks' Death and Taxes, you take on the roll of Grim. The afterlife's newest resident skeleton. Just one of the many Grims working to harvest souls and keep (or overturn) the balance of the universe. Under the command of Fate, you spend each day choosing who lives and who dies. But what consequences will your choices have..?
Spooky bureaucracy? Sign me up. As soon as I heard about Death and Taxes I knew I wanted to write a song about it! I've had this song waiting for a video for a few months now, life and other projects got in the way, so I'm super excited to finally be able to share it with you all now!
It's a good job skeletons don't have ears, because this one's a bit of an earworm.
Huge thanks to my patrons for making this video possible, to Dansonn once again for another fantastic beat, Oxygen for another awesome mix and to Lizzy for all of her help putting the video together!
#DeathandTaxes
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Check out the full Stupendium originals playlist for all of my original songs!
STUPENDIUM ORIGINALS: kzhead.info?list...
THE STUPENDIUM ON SPOTIFY:
bit.ly/Stupendify
THE STUPENDIUM ON GOOGLE PLAY:
bit.ly/StuGooglium
THE STUPENDIUM ON iTUNES:
bit.ly/StupendiTunes
Lyrics, Vocals and Video by The Stupendium
Beat produced by Dansonn Beats
www.dansonn.com/
Mixed by Oxygen Beats
/ oxygenbeats
Camera operation by Lizzy CJ
Death and Taxes, its world and its characters are the property of Placeholder Gameworks.
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You can support The Stupendium on Patreon!
/ thestupendium
Grab your official Stupendium Merchandise! Shirts and mugs and hats, oh my! stupendiumstore.com/
Join the official Stupendium discord server!
/ discord
Drop me a tweet? @TheStupendium
The Stupendium is a musician, animator and content creator, creating weird, wonderful and usually incredibly nerdy songs and animations. Join them on their journey to obscure, niche internet stardom! They have some pretty decent videos, wonderful facial hair and a great sense of discomfort describing themself in the third person.
LYRICS: One-fifty-one thousand, six hundred people die every day on earth And if that's not a reason to cry Well... it's an awful lot of paperwork It's your first day at work, how've you settled in? Shaken off the rigor mortis? Sorted out your pencil tin? Welcome to our newest resident skeleton What better heaven than a desk to spend forever in? Now your body may be shrivelled up and worthless At least we know your funeral will be a civil service Persons so superfluous are living on the surface It's nothing so perturbing, we're just trimming off the surplus It isn't murder if you cause a little accident We prefer to word it as some mortal middle-management There's the door, we've got millions of applicants Dying for some corporate incorporeal entanglement Everything living has to die But to die you need not apply We'll find you When your time's through Take a number, wait in line Live your life and we'll be right behind you Nothing's certain but death and taxes So I guess you'd better get some practice Nothing's certain but death and taxes So I guess you'd better So I guess you'd better You've got targets to prove yourself Here's some targets, peruse yourself Shoo a few humans off the mortal shelf to the floor We'll be polishing the coffins as you off a couple more We need a botanist, two paleontologists A newspaper columnist whose views may be communist A shoe salesman, possible balloon hobbyist Just another couple popped clogs for your shopping list No slacking on the grave packing, ever more to kill Death row deplorables, incurables and 'sort of ill' Every person, animal and plant has a form to fill We've got departments solely tasked with killing chlorophyll So of course you will toe the life-line and behave Or you'll be filing dandelions before you've had your tea break Humanity's in balance, if that balance isn't repaid Interns can be inhumed and replaced Everything living has to die But to die you need not apply We'll find you When your time's through Take a number, wait in line Live your life and we'll be right behind you Nothing's certain but death and taxes So I guess you'd better get some practice Nothing's certain but death and taxes So I guess you'd better So I guess you'd better Ashes to ashes, nine to five The light in the tunnel has been privatised Robes were so behind the times These obituaries don't give any time for scythes Population moderation's not the worst fate Your occupation's the salvation of the hearse trade For generations we've been racing for the first place But we've spent the centuries in second to the birth rate Everything living has to die But to die you need not apply We'll find you When your time's through Take a number, wait in line Live your life and we'll be right behind you Nothing's certain but death and taxes So I guess you'd better get some practice Nothing's certain but death and taxes So I guess you'd better So I guess you'd better Dearly indentured We are gathered here today to pay tribute to the life of the departed And to welcome him to the office May he rest employed
The stupendium Thank you for another thrilling and wonderful song have an awesome Friday and a spectacular weekend🙏✌
Hi
BLOOD FOR THE BLOODGOOOOD THX FOR THE WONDERFUL ART
😁😁😁🥰🥰👁👄👁💜💙🖤🤍👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I'm so happy nwn
The "We've spent the centuries in second to the birthrate" has "Peace is just a product, with a focus test of billions..." vibes.
"And The Test Was Unsuccessful, So We Altered Its Description. "Your Safety Now Provided By The Guys At RobCo Services!" For One Ongoing Price Of Your Unwavering Subservience. Impressed? I Raised The Stakes, Returned This Land To Vibrance. Witness As I Raise The States From Mud And Random Violence. Business Is The Way To Stay The Bloody Hand Of Tyrants. Convinced Yet? Sail And Ask My Buddy Andrew Ryan. A Grip Of Iron Never Tires, Head Of Ire, Lead And Wires. Neon Veins And Ancient Spires Pump The Caps And I Respire.The Economy Is Ash, I Didn't Light The Fire. But I Can Always Turn To Profit Sweeping Up The Pyre..." HAHA! Did That All By Memory And I Regret Nothing.
I cracked it. It's the facial actions. Both hold nothing but utter contempt when singing those parts.
@@gothgamergrill true
@@masonrollins7842 I have memorized the entire song, mostly because of that one week when I listened to it on loop while grinding in Terraria.
Mason Rollins You can hit them. You can fold them. Stack the deck and weigh to dice. All that glitters isn't golden. Cash that cheque, you'll pay the price. Might be safer in the desert, only dust to judge your sins. But those who wager aren't to clever. Cuz in heaven... Well the house always wins. The house always wins. The house always wins. The house always wins.
Everyone is concentrating on the "We're second to the birthrate" line but y'all are sleeping on "Ashes to ashes, nine-to-five."
That line is criminally under rated
@@pizzamcravioli5640 the lines after it are also great like seriously I get shivers everytime I hear "the light in the tunnel has been privatized"
When you die in Among Us and have to continue doing your tasks. *Ashes to ashes, nine to five*
"Everything living has to die, but to die you need not apply, *we'll find you* " shivers down my spine
Trust me I am never sleeping on "Ashes to ashes, 9 to 5"
"It isn't murder if you cause a little accident!" "I've just gotten off the phone with our legal team: it IS, in fact, murder. Apologies."
I get it.
"So, yes, it turns out you'll be heading to prison in a while. Sincerest Apologies."
“Wait… its just manslaughter”
@@theoverseer393 i think its pronounced manbehindtheslaughter
The queen does not think the same about Lady Di
I like to think “Everything living has to die, but to die, you need not apply we’ll find you” is a push to not off yourself and i applause it
This song and game actually gave me new anxiety that after i off myself there will be another life in even worse world
I was thinking this, it reminds me of the thing in Beetlejuice where people who unalived themselves had to work in civil services for all eternity
It worked
@@thisiswhereidied3054 as the saying goes majority of the time the grass on the other side of the fence isn't any better
@@UltimatePowaHold on what?
Everybody is praising Stupendium's mastery of "soulless corporate middle-to-top tier manager" roles, but everybody seems to forget that he is also more than adept at portraying "leader of the dark cult" characters... ...oh, wait.
Are you from Russia
@@sansanchos7204 Yeah, I am. There are fans of Stupendium (and other nerdcore rappers) here too!
@@user-ky4zv1kf2x I concur.
Umm
I'm 12 and this is deep
“There was death and taxes, and taxes was worse, because at least death didn’t happen to you every year.” ― Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man
And death is the only thing powerful enough to stop the taxes that appall. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all. (I think I've been listening to too much Stupendium, aka the perfect amount)
@@voxvolhynia5400 😆
Terry Pratchett is a genius!
Based
"Every person, animal and plant has a form to fill" Fungi: "I see this as an absolute win"
its funny because technically fungi arent plants, and also they eat corpses. no? Just me. alright, ill leave...
@@shaneburdette1892No no you're onto something
"you can not kill mushrooms in a way that matters" - Some person at some point
This is just the last of us
This is an outrage We're missing on a whole UNTAPPED market here
"Ashes to ashes, 9 to 5 The light in the tunnel has been privatized" I just love this line. Both the idea behind it and also how great it sounds.
HOLY SH*T I WAS SCROLLING THROUGH COMMENTS AS THE SONG WAS PLAYING AND SAW THIS QUOTE!😯
That’s my favorite line !!!
what's the idea behind it let me know if it is gonna come up in the game cause I'm a 2 weeks in
@@sehbaanabbasi Well, think bout it for sec. The Light in the Tunnel has been privatized, cause you can't actually ever leave this Job. Death wont give you salvation anymore. If anyone lets you go, its the Management. So the Light in the Tunnel has been privatized.
@@Bossfightmedia Ohhhhh damn that's poetic AF man hatts off
“Everything living has to die.” Queen Elizabeth: “Good luck with that buddy.”
I would not be surprised if it came out she was a vampire.
plot twist: she's actually the boss
@@melnewdemon4873 It's metaphorically true if nothing else.
@@SpringDavid Why do i hear boss music
The Grim Reaper: We never said *_when_* they had to die.
“151,600 people die every day on earth, and if that’s not a reason to cry. It’s an awe full lot of paperwork.” As a mortuary science student. I can confirm this.
Which part, the 151,600 people dying, or the awful lot of paperwork?
@@thesalvager3020 The paperwork for the 151,600 people. The actual daily death count varies day by day but it is relatively close to 150,000.
@@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 Is it a reason to cry?
@@blarg2429Yes. Because if you spent an hour filling out death certificates you’d be crying. Then of course the beauocracy involved with said paperwork is enough to drive you mad:
@@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 I'm not surprised. RIP.
The little clap and "Huray!" at the end there was somehow incredibly wholesome despite the context.
And yet, so bleakly corporate. Still tasteful tho 👍
This feels like a Disney Villain revealing himself to the main character
Not far off
I think it was intended, but disney said that this is copyright and they'd be struck down due to being jerks and striking down ANYTHING that used their IP.
You have truly pioneered the “verbose businessman” rap genre.
Crafting bops from bureaucracy since 2018.
Even his replies rhyme
Nick del Sobral HES TOO POWERFUL.
You should check out the chap hop genre; I'd recommend Professor Elemental and Mr. B. The Gentleman Rhymer especially.
'member the Mr House rap? I 'member.
No matter the game, no matter the topic, you can bet Stupendium's gonna make a kickass song about it
Agreed
F.A.X
And also make it about corporate businessmen
Sick Rhymes
True
"Ashes to ashes, nine to five The light in the tunnel has been privatised" Absolutely killer
I read this JUST as the line came on.
"Killer", huh? I'm sorry, but puns always have me dead
As an aspiring writer, I want to write a story like this. Like, when you die, you just go the the Big Office Building in the Sky.
You should try out our game probably. :)
@@placeholdergameworks Yeah, I've seen a let's play video of it. Seems pretty cool!
I'd read it
So.. kind of like Grim Fandango? Yes?
So like purgatony?
Sometimes I forget who I'm watching and I go into the description like "haha I wonder who helped them with the animation :))" and they just. They just do all of it. This person is a genius and I have nothing but respect for them. Art goals for REAL
What a legend
What respect.
WAIT WHAT. I swear every day I get even more impressed by this man’s talents
HE DOES IT BY HIMSELF? THE SKILL AND TALENT MY GUY( ˘︹˘ )(≧∇≦)ﾉ♪(^∇^*)
YO FOR REAL??? That’s freaking amazing!!!
everyone gangsta till he rhymes "botanist," "paleontologist," and "communist"
Ah yes, the Communist Columnist.
*pulls out vodka* Who dares call me?
@@theperipheral oh heck
@@presidentialcampaignmusic1018 excuse me but, the far left is a lot closer to communism than the far right
@DisKorruptd he is saying that a lot of the media is owned by centrists so a communist columist would be impossible to find
How does this man think up his lyrics. I’ve met authors who pale in comparison. Honestly I can’t wrap my head around how good this is
one detail i truly love about this masterpiece is how the skulls in the bone rings/spirals(?) become more and more expressive and animated as the song progresses. from still and lifeless to expressive and almost angry looking. even having glowing eyes. I love this song so much and the music video makes it even better
Oh my god they do! I’ve never noticed that before
Amoral businessman in any game: *exists* >Stupendium has entered the chat and brought with him an amazing song
Oh god he hearted my comment I've never felt more validated in my life
Corrupt Corporate Executive is on his tvtropes page
stupendium has made the achievement the best songs
Something about amoral businessmen must hit different
you could have just said businessman, success under capitalism means failing at compassion.
Stupendium is one of the few artists that can make a track about something I have no idea about, but I'll still listen to it because it's just such a banger
Agreed !
Same!
Yup
Yep it could be about anything from undertake to animal crossing still a banger
We can say the same thing about your Minecraft animations, Andy! :D
"Population moderation isn't the worst fate, our occupations the salvation of the hearse trade" I fucking love this bar because of the in line rhyme(occupation and salvation floowwww) and the fact someone managed to make "hearse trade" go hard. Good stuff
I found this channel because someone was playing The Fine Print and i actually bought The Outer Worlds because it seemed like a cool concept just from the song
I did the exact same thing ^_^
I want to know where you're at if someone can freely bump nerdcore and not get any weird looks
Did you enjoy it?
Same bro
Me too
“Ashes to Ashes Nine to Five The light in the tunnel has been Privatised” The Stupendium: the only place where you get rap songs about video games with lines rawer than a feathered chicken
Wait but salmonella
raw and in fire at the same time
sorio99 i dont get it, plz help
@@navidranjbar4583 I: A feathered chicken as in, so raw it's still alive. The lyrics just can't be any rawer, that's how raw they are
@@jakoblent4694 I: Liking your profile pic!
Andrew Ryan: "So there is an afterlife after all. Guess I'm in hell then." Grim Reaper: "Oh, no! You just need to pay some taxes, and-" Andrew Ryan: *annoyed groan* "I'm DEFINITELY in hell."
Mr House when he enters the afterlife: what the f-
This comment is underrated.
Wing man barker here, LOL
@Leonard M He's a big fan of the series, it'll probably be the biggest song he ever makes. You can't rush perfection/Stupes
@Y B If you look carefully at some, if not most of his songs, theres at least 1 bioshock reference
the chorus skeletons eyes start to more and more resemble flames the deeper into the song you get. First it's normal eyes- then they're angry, or annoyed, then they're flames. yellow streaks following their movements. Talk about attention to detail- everything in this song is straight *FIRE*
I just realized the double meaning of "Dying for some corporate incorporeal entanglement" Dying as in literally dying and then also dying as in, Im dying to see you Genius line as always
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE CERTIFIABLE BANGER. THANK YOU!
My pleasure! Thank YOU for making the awesome game that inspired me!
I absolutely LOVED Your game! It was so much fun!
You've made an amazing game! You deserve it!
@@NicoTheCinderace Thank youu! ^^
Ah, yes, my creators! I must thank you as well for creating me, even though I can be busy at times, I always find enough time to listen to The Stupendium. Glad we both have that in common, :)
"Ashes to ashes, 9 to 5 The light in the tunnel has been privatized" Absolutely brilliant man. This is gonna be stuck in my head for a month.
This whole song gonna be stuck in my head for a life time!!
My absolute favorite lyrics.
You say it as though every line isn’t genius in itself
@Topsl Records Can you explain me what the meaning of "9 to 5" is in this bar? First i thought it was some kind of bible psalms phrasing shenanigans. Or is it simply the time between 09:00 to 17:00 which means the main time of work? Is there are hidden punchline that makes this extraordinary lyrics even more vigorous?
Atlantus it’s a play on the phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” where they replace “dust to dust” with “9 to 5”, meaning standard business hours, working a 9-5 job. The brilliant part in my opinion is that “ashes to ashes” relates to death, while “9 to 5” relates to business (or taxes).
I love the calm fury in his voice when he sings that they've been second to the birth rate
2:47 Okay, that verse is genius
No one does "cynical corporate horror rap song" like The Stupendium
I'm pretty sure no one tries anyway 🤣
@Tobin Finkenstein Indeed ^^
Thanos: "I will extinguish all life in the universe!" *Snaps fingers* Death: "Hey, I can't hire that many new civil servants that fast! Just make it half!" Thanos: *grumble mumble grumble mumble*
This seems entirely plausible as Thanos is canonically in love with Death (though it's unreciprocated).
Dat funny
You know he is fate not death right?
Death dpt. representative: *cough* So, for a genocide of more than a trillion, you would need to pay the filing tax. Thanos: That's not a prob- Death rep: BUT! You didn't fill up the papers for killing the majority of the universe. Look, I'll do you a favour and let you exterminate just half. We'll figure a way.
You kill everybody well be unemployed
If your shoe salesman isn’t a balloon hobbyist then you need a new one
How is this man so good with words? Honestly I’m amazed at his lyricism. Everything flows together so nicely, and not to mention he has an amazing singing voice. The chorus is captivating!
"Hit that _LIKE_ at the end of the tunnel." I've listened to this song hundreds of times, and only _now_ did I get that joke.
Holy crap, I got a ❤️ from *_THE_* Stupendium!!! That's something I can check off my bucket list :D
He is really connected with his fans! He is really cool, and my favorite KZheadr
I don’t get it can you explain
@@terrorhorrorcryptid It's a reference to the common phrase "light at the end of the tunnel," which means something good after a long stretch of hardship and is often used to refer to heaven/the afterlife.
@@geniusgamer3840 Thank you!
The cat is the greatest character in the SCU (Stupendium Cinematic Universe)
Its great in the game too
@@Serryy Yes it is.
@@Serryy except when fate is not around . Y'know , that part whit the trees ugh..
No, the smooth henchman with a handgun. From the evil genius 2 “fiend like me”
Facts
Dude, your songs SLAY me. You make such KILLER songs, and I love them to DEATH. I can tell you make them with all your heart and SOUL.
Those bad puns KILLED me
Your creativity made me HANG my urge to laugh.
Man you really don’t miss any SHOTS on those puns
@@-drredacted8940 Hey, are you using Company time to watch this?
@@theadministrator4765 Madam Administrator. I deeply apologize for the misunderstanding, but I was here on my own time. Apologies ma'am.
This song was so Catchy and good it actually made me buy the game. 100% worth it probably one of my favorite games I’ve played.
Hard to believe its for a game
You shoot, you score. This song fits the vibe of the game perfectly. I'm honestly surprised you made a song about such a niche game, but hey I'm definitely not complaining. Chorus was amazing as always.
Spooky bureaucracy? You KNOW I'm doing a song. ;)
@@TheStupendium The new style for a bureaucratic song really stuck well. Your normal style (upbeat with depressing lyrics) for corporate music is really catchy, but it's nice to get a depressing change of pace.
I think i found my next Stupendium tattoo. ❤️ "Nothing is certain but death and taxes."
I mean, technically that's just a Ben Franklin tattoo. ;)
I'll get a tattoo of The Stupendium logo
martin the lvl 10 wizard, which one?
@@TheStupendium but I'll be thinking of you and it's the thought that counts??? OoO let's put it on a headstone with one of the skeletons you drew near it. Nevermind that it's the just the in game skins; you still animated them ;)
@@animeperson9517 i imagine *the* logo, but it would be cool to do one from a favorite video. Who could pick, though?? I have one of my favorite lyrics
I just got the last line "Dearly Indentured," as in, INDENTURED SERVANTS WHEN HE'S TALKING TO THE GRIMS, MEANING THEY *HAVE* TO WORK. Stupendium is a bloody genius, yall.
I've been listening to this song since it came out, and I just now realized that the pinging sound in the chorus is the sound of a heart monitor. Bravo, Stupes. I'm periodically amazed by how much thought you put into these songs.
"You know, he's gotta come up with a bad song eventually..." (Stupes drops this) "Maybe some other time then..."
Its impossible
You dare question the man's talents?
@@birdboy1092 I wouldn't be caught dead saying that XD
@@gamertames349 you might be................... Ye probably not
He did when he first started doing raps. He is fire now
"Forever in our H.R. 2020 - ∞" That's hands down the greatest thing I've ever seen. Such a handsome picture too!
Heh 2020
I liked the little cheer they all gave.
Declan Edmison “Horray!”
Coming back to this song after finally getting to play through the game, and. Oh. Oh, dear gods, it all makes sense now, I feel like I finally understand the lyrical genius on an even deeper level.
The attention to detail is mind blowing. The Lyrics cast a shadow, the opening line is an actual statistic, the chorus skeletons slowly get angrier until they have flaming eyes, Fate's lyrics allude to actual story beats without spoiling anything. Mr. Pendium, may I have a wee thimble full of your talent?
This song makes me think two things 1- the line “we’ve spent centuries behind the birth rate” is a terrifying like and 2- I want a papers please rap
It makes me wonder if people go Bleurge just a few secconds before they die.
papers please please
papers pleasen'tn't
Yes
Ben’s #1 Cultist gotta poon the shark
I'm not afraid of death. I am however, afraid of taxes.
Nothing In Particular you've got targets to prove yourself
@@ultimonx9152 Here's some targets, peruse yourself.
Hattsby Gaming Shoo a few humans off the mortal shelf to the floor
Saaaaandy
I know noone is going to read this, but I just want to thank you for this video, because this absolute banger of a song got me to play this game, and god am I happy that I did
Well stupes themselves read it so i think you have been disproven
I love how stupes just makes videos about whatever the fuck obscure-ass indie games he wants, and such is his raw power that not only does the video succeed anyway, but he can propel a previously barely known game into success. The man is the guardian angel of indie games.
"For generations we've been racing for the first place, but we've spent the centuries in second to the birthrate." Well buddy, that's the price of life, and you know what they say: "Someone's gotta lose, or the price is not competitive."
"Life, uhm... finds a way..."
We're living through a mass extinction event. Humans just aren't included at the moment.
@@obradinn7491 and never will be. Technology has allowed for the victory of humanity.
LaffeyBestShipfu so you could say you need to FIND THE KEYS? Sorry that was bad.
@@JohnSmith-gz4fs Technology created nukes, there's literally a thing called MAD (Mutually assured destruction) where countries agree not to shoot nukes if it'll kill them both
Anyone else think Stupes fills the bill for “shady business man” perfectly or is it just me? I think I’ve seen this man in a classy suit and tie more times then the Men in Black. Can’t blame em though, mate rocks tailored outfits as well as he rocks his songs which are all complete bangers. Hats off to you my good sir. My new favorite genre of music is listening to funny British men rap about video games while doing funny accents and impressions of fictional characters. Jolly good my friend, jolly good indeed.
"fills the bill" Was that an intended joke
Agreed wholeheartedly.
@@Pixelusually It definitely is, it’s written in the fine print that it is as certain as death and taxes.
He usually can be almost any of the business owner villain as they usually have a mustache of some kind and black hair. I absolutely like his content but I usually watch it too many times in two weeks and no longer want to listen to as it got repetitive than come back later and repeat
Это потрясающее. Все на высшем уровне. Отдельное спасибо за перевод!
Эй, извини, но stupendium на английском языке, так что я думаю, он тебя не понял
@@diegosanchezsanchez6776 главное, что я понимаю. Но мне удобней писать на русском. А коммент больше для рекомендаций Ютуб - чем больше комментов, тем популярней. Своего рода поддержка. И разве на английском нет автоматического перевочика-ютуб?
@@rednettle9645 Хорошо я понял
I have listened to this a STARTLING number of times over the past few days. It’s so so good. I love the rhythm and flow of it so much.
everyone, upon seeing stupes wearing a suit and sitting at a desk: “aw, sh!t. here we go again.” great song like always, dude! i know nothing about this game, but this song is really catchy and the music video is really aesthetically pleasing!
Really bad boss time.
"Rigor Mortis" is when the muscles become stiff about 2-4 hours after death, due to the lack of chemical energy. those lyrics are freaking genius
Speaking of which, shaken off the Rigor Mortis yet?
@@yazidefirenze i hope so, cuz its been 10 months by now and the rigor mortis is NOT gonna wait.
can someone check up on him? he hasnt told us if he did it, and im getting worried
@that_oneguy998 I'm afraid to say that he, has not, in fact, shaken off the rigor mortis.
I learned that from the great ace attorney
Ngl, as a musician, hearing off main beat rhythms used well basically makes my day and proves why you are a great composer and singer
The "ashes to ashes, 9 to 5" lyric was extremely clever. I really loved this song.
>For generations we've been racing for the first place >But we've spent the centuries in second to the birth rate That guy is just lyrical genius.
I just caught that and got goosebumps when I understood it
It's even better if you actually played the game.
I disagree
@@EclipsisTenebris Sure is.
@@5h0ck_ atleast give an explanation.
You doing a rap on D&T was truly a work of Fate, boss. You are truly wielding that bowtie like a weapon, by the way. Now I feel like I gotta try one, too.
KZhead, you're slipping, how come you never recommended this to me, it's... Stupendous.
I can’t believe I didn’t recognize Stupendium’s voice from the TikTok audio - I played this game and 100%ed it last year, I never knew they made a song for it!!!! This fucks so hard!!!!!!
When you announced the opening lines I was looking forward to this, but "it isn't murder when you cause a little accident, we prefer to word it as some 'mortal middle management'" blows it out of the park, and reminds me slightly of "where there's a will there's a way to inheritance, whether we killed her or not is irrelevant" - another one of my absolute favourite lines.
Where is that other line from?
@@thegeniusdumbass4491 it's from his Satisfactory one
Unsubscribe pls I really thought you was insulting him because of the dumbass in his name but then I just realized it was just there username
@@jacklance267 A I thought you were telling someone to unsubscribe to Stependium because of the name.
Comuna PrivN1337 a whole barrel of confusion
It's sad how nobody is talking about the cat. It's amazing. That's one of the finest touches in this music video in my opinion. The song itself is fabulous.
Always the pets that make the video the best :3
@@cartoonmaster2401 Have you seen the stupendium fish in the these hallowed wings song? Yea, that pet is uh... Not to great. (It's at the very beginning btw)
@@enderstrikegaming8578 oh...I was just saying pets in general are the best :|
@@cartoonmaster2401 of course all pets are awesome, I was just saying it looked dumb lmao
agreed.
i honestly dont understand how this has any dislikes, theres nothing wrong with it its perfect
“That’s. Mass. Murder!” “It’s mass ‘merger’”.
You know, Dan's got some cool cooky stuff, Skull's got some high-paced stuff, they're both great, yeah? But Stupe's seriously underrated. This guy not only makes some of the world's most clever and well-paced songs that include numerous different references and quotes, but to add, interacts with his community about it, generously holds an admirable persona, and has an amazing outfit every time he makes one of these songs, with animations to add. Good sir, I'm sure a thousand people have told you already, but you aren't just stupendous, you're Stupendium.
Thank you so much, friend! The way I see it, I can only do what I do thanks to all the people out there supporting it, so I do my best to interact and thank people as much as possible! :)
What
Definitely.
@@deathassassin2095 you heard right
@@TheStupendium make a video of we happy restaurant
Screw it, I'm doing it, I'm gonna summarize why this man is so talented. 0:01 Custom Stupendium logo, he doesn't need to, but he makes a custom one for every song. 0:09 So much to unpack already, impressive 3D environment (I believe he makes them himself, please correct me if that's false). To this day I'm impressed how well he edits himself into CG scenes. Color pallet, all grey-scaled except for the primary colors, just like in the game, wonderfully implemented here. The costume is spot on. The glasses, how did you do that.. did you make them opaque green and then replaced them in post? Anyhow, impressive, very nicely done. 0:16 Opening lyrics, never underestimate how important these are. "One-fifty-one thousand, six hundred people die, everyday on earth" creates intrigue, where is this going? "And if that's not a reason to cry, well.. it's an awful lot of paperwork" is the punchline that sets the mood for the rest of the song, wonderfully delivered with a low camera angle and a mildly irritated tone of voice. This is every day for this guy, doesn't care about the massive number of daily deaths he just mentioned, to him it's just business. 0:27 Great introductory verse addressing the "player character" Grim, giving enough context clues for those unfamiliar with the game where this guy gets his employees. The latter part does the same but instead hints to what the employees are to do for him. Also the cat. He didn't have to add a very well animated cat, but he did, adding to the menacing atmosphere. 0:33 First skeleton animation, very impressive stuff in its own right (I believe he also does these himself, multi-talented legend this guy is). This scene in particular you are looking through this skeletons eyes, opening and blinking "eyelids", the camera swaying as the image in the mirror moves, very nice details. He manages to show emotion through a skull by using lower jaw motion and the shape of the glowing eyes, well done. 0:50 "Mortal Middle Management", I love it. "Corporate Incorporeal Entanglement", prime example of this guy flexing his massive vocabulary by properly using many big words in the same sentence. 1:00 The chores... yeah that's gonna be stuck in my head for a while, earworm indeed. Incredibly well written, catchy and memorable. Animation is stellar, skeleton heads in the fore and background singing and swaying, background skeletons holding gravestones with fences connecting them. The lyrics playing with the light rays, even as they disappear as fog. Even the transition from the verse using the doorway, very well executed. 1:29 Again, the cat, he doesn't have to, but he does. 1:34 Great way to include some cameo's, shame they're all dead now though. 1:46 The shadows providing a sense of motion, more impressive editing placing IRL camera footage into a CG scene. 1:55 Cat. 1:56 The most unnecessary shadow, the leaf, but he did it anyway. 2:01 People underestimate how difficult it can be to bring emotion to an animated character, imagine having to show it through a character without muscles. And yet, that skeleton is definitely showing concern, then fear. The head tilts back, eyes go small and dart around, body shakes. This is someone who understands animation. 2:08 Second chores, he didn't need to change the scene, but he did. Where there were gravestones in the foreground, now it's nothing but paperwork. Where there were skeletons gripping gravestones in the background, now they grip markers of death. 2:30 I love this verse so much.. "Ashes to ashes, nine to five", yep I'd image that'd be the unofficial motto amongst the grim reapers now that reaping has been turned into a business. "The light in the tunnel has been privatised", my favorite line in the whole song.. The light at the end of the tunnel is often in one of two contexts, one is passing away, one is emerging from a darker moment in one's life to something better and brighter. And yet even this light, cannot escape corporate exploitation.. "Robes were so behind the times, these obituaries don't give any time for scythes", a subtle description of how reaping went from ceremonial and personal, to cold, corporate and distanced.. gives me chills The scene is also incredible, skeletons singing while not having time to take their eyes of the paper and the paper disintegrating once a decision has been made. The light and light rays are once again very pleasing to my eyes. 2:41 The transition to the second part of the verse is also very impressive, seriously how did you do that zoom-in? 2:44 Grim's uniform has changed, far more colorful, his eye color went from yellow to blue and now has some skull paint. I recognise the fact that this is symbolism but I can't for the life of me remember what it means... can someone fill me in? 2:48 Cat. 2:52 LOVE this transition, no words necessary, I think anyone can see how this one is flawlessly executed. 2:53 2nd change in scenery, now there are coffins and more bones where the paperwork was, and the skeletons in the background are gripping the 2 scythes which form the logo of the corporation. The skeletons are slightly darker and the glowing eyes now leave a trail while they didn't in previous chores, giving this last chores an ever so slightly more intimidating and climactic feel. 3:15 Great ending, the wordplay is Stupendium staple at this point, great stuff. "May he rest employed" and "Forever in our H.R.".. how do you come up with this stuff, so good. Please if I missed any very clever details let me know! I might do this more often, Mr. Stupendium, you definitely deserve every praise you get.
Awh, jeez man! Thank you! Awesome break down! I'm really glad you enjoyed the song/video! :D
I think that the uniform change (2:44) may be a gt live/matpat reference when they played death and taxes they picked the same uniform for grim also well-done stupes has done a few game theory references (which I recognise) in the past for the break down you have a very keen eye for detail also completely agree the effort and detail is amazing and inspiring
You missed one: We're no strangers to love You know the rules and so do I A full commitment's what I'm thinking of You wouldn't get this from any other guy I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling Gotta make you understand Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you We've known each other for so long Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it Inside we both know what's been going on We know the game and we're gonna play it And if you ask me how I'm feeling Don't tell me you're too blind to see Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give, never gonna give (Give you up) (Ooh) Never gonna give, never gonna give (Give you up) We've known each other for so long Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it Inside we both know what's been going on We know the game and we're gonna play it I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling Gotta make you understand Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Before you say “HOw lOnG DiD tHAt tAkE YoU?” I copy and pasted
i respect how much you've typed also for the first one it's 0:01 because when u put 0:00 it doesn't do anything :3
@@heatherlenson812 wow I've been Rick rolled XD
that chorus is so heavenly (pun intended), I get tingles every time! another home run from The Stupendium :D
Honestly, the line "For death you need not apply, we'll find you" becomes truly chilling in the context of the game, where Fate is continually trying to find the people whose deaths cause the biggest snowball effects to kill the world and be out of a job.
“Have you shaken off the rigor mortis? Sorted out your pencil tin?” I don’t get it but for some reason that part is so satisfying to listen to, as is the entire song. It’s so lovingly crafted!
Rigor mortis is what causes dead bodies to become stiff
@@phantolmao yeah i had to google that myself. Makes more sense when you know the words. Oh, and privatized. It means owned by a certain company or something. Words i didn’t know till this song.
It's probably because of the i ( i like in tin) internal rhymes and how mortis and sorted both end and start with the letter s respectively so it feels like they should be said together. Granted this is just my personal opinion and i could be completely wrong.
Lovingly. Crafted. Love. Craft. Lovecraft.
I only just realized that during the first choruses, the papers have actual pictures on them. Crazy attention to detail. Props to the artists!
Also a scene when the faces are people who sing video game songs too: --senpai-- CG5, Gwen and AJ (Random Encounters), Skull( JT Music), and Rusty(Rustage) (Those are the ones I know/listen to.
Artist: The Stupendium YES THIS MAN IS A MASTER OF ALL SKILLS
@@collegemaster5683 Cheltenham Douglby Digby is referencing Dan Bull
It scares me just how talented and SKILLED you are... the songs AND the Lyrics AND the animation?! MY GOD MAN
imagine working in the depart that handles every blade of grass for all of eternity
"Aaaand who's dying today? It's a blade of grass. What sins has it committed? None, it's a blade of grass."
Everyone : you can't just make a banger out of any game that easily. Stupendium : haha song go brrr
Everyone's talking about how good of a rapper and songwriter you are, which you are, but... Man, those animations are amazing! The from the animated cat to the skeletons to the chorus background, this is Disney level animation. Disney back when they were good people.
Better than Disney, Joey Drew Studios before Henry left!
"disney level animation" Have you see the add for the new zombies movie?
@@potatolord7284 Disney back when they were good people.
I think I recall him having a job in animating for companies Not sure if knowing about his personal life is a good or bad thing, i'm leaning to it being a bad thing
The cgi for the glasses is so good oml.
The way he says “Resident Skeleton” is just… Yes
"Forever in our HR" is just so funny for no reason
Why was I even surprised to see this? Death and Taxes is an incredibly interesting indie game that flew under a lot of radars and using games like this as the basis for incredible songs is basically what you do. Amazing video, as always.
Unfortunately, most "indie" games, even if they are good, fly under the radars. We were lucky enough to gain quite a lot of visibility without paying for marketing or having a publisher. This is all thanks to journalists and streamers. But there is still so many people that would really enjoy our game but will probably never hear about it. This is why it is so awesome when content creators make content about the game and help small studios get their games under the public eye. Every little bit helps. ^^
"Nothing's certain but death and taxes." I mean. He's not wrong.
Had you not heard that phrase before
@@notablegoat I had not, actually. But even if I did I'd probably not actually think about it so- **wild shrugging**
Capitalism Confirmed
I think im ADDICTED to this song....
While this song may be for a game, its easy to see the artist put a great amount of effort into giving every lyric a meaning beyond that. Quite easily one of the best songs written this decade
"ashes to ashes, nine to five; the light in the tunnel has been privatised" not only is this a great line, the way the harmonies and the lighting in the animation line up for its delivery is just... wonderfully chilling. stupendium strikes again EDIT: "Dearly indentured...", "Forever in our HR", oh my god, i'm gonna die laughing and it seems the supernaturally good glasses tracking is going to be a stupendium staple from hereon out... EDIT2: what... how... how much time did it take to lip (jaw?) synch all the skeletons to the lines??? the DETAILS get crazier with every rewind
Thank you so much! The skeletons didn't take TOO long to lip sync as they don't have lips! It's just up and down on the jaw layer. :P
@@TheStupendium u dont need to make skeleton jokes anymore the undertale song is already made
Samot0423 b r u h
Are we absolutely certain that this guy don't actually run an evil corporate empire??
Now that I think about it there was a new office building that opened in my town named “StupendCorp.”
Sorry I was joking.
He's English, it's in the blood.
Bubba's Big Blast to think the English would ever do something „evil“ is absurd. As history has shown that all they do is good! I am joking, please don’t hunt me
"A shoe salesman, possible balloon hobbyist. Just another couple popped clogs on your shopping list." I bow to the level of puns you can dream up.
I once misheard it as "Nothing is certain but death and TEXAS"
Play evil businessman really well. Although this is my nightmare being stuck in an office job again.
Better stay out of hell then ;)
I mean I heard he said he use to be a Banker so...
imagine being the boss of the afterlife
Can the boss be fired? Not even sure how that would work.
I don’t think he can be fired if he’s like the grim reaper as a businessman
I discovered this channel from a “Fine Print” clip I heard on TikTok. Since then I’ve probably spent a couple of hours just listening to the entire book catalog and being impressed by every single song. It’s even got me interested in games I hadn’t even known about before. There are very few channels I support on Patreon, but I felt like I had to contribute financially to a channel working this hard to put out such incredible content. Huge new fan!
Thank you so much for the support! I'm glad you are enjoying my work! Welcome to the channel! :D
Same! O love this so much
Tik tok: **starts someone watching this channel Me: perhaps I treated you too harshly
Welcome! How's your first month been?
*loads shotgun* you better unsubscribe you disgusting tik tok watcher.
Comitting tax evation with this banger rn ‼️‼️
Stupendium, the guy who's got more costumes than the death count he mentioned at the very beginning. Honestly it's incredible how every song of yours I click on is consistently an absolute banger.
You have got to be one of the most underrated KZheadrs of all time. The fact that this only got 25k views in 3 hours is downright criminal and you should receive a formal letter of apology from KZhead in 3-5 business days
And I've only seen two reactions so far which is normal for stupendeum but it's been three days since the came out I thought he was more popular but I guess not im probably just going to wait
In a words of Terry Pratchett: “He said that there was death and taxes, and taxes was worse, because at least death didn’t happen to you every year.” Boy, does it shows in this song... As soon as I've seen this game, I've known, that you are going to put your mastery to it... And what a great song came out! Every single Stupendium trope is here and in it's fitting place... Evil capitalist/bureaucrat... Check! Spinning vortex and the Corridor shot... Check! Easter eggs... Check! Greg in a suit, tie and fancy glasses? Check! End credits gag for the persistent viewers? Check! Fantastic and challenging lyrics? CHECK! Hours and hours spent animating every second? CHECK! Overall engrossing charm? CHECK! CHECK! CHECK! This isn't even a compliment by now, it's a part of your art... Congratulations! You have successfully filled in the whole form! Good employee... Another masterpiece in your constantly growing gallery... Check!
Who’s Greg
'Interns can be inhumed and replaced' made me think of Terry Pratchett immediately.
Initially I found you through the “Count To Three” from The Chalk Eaters. Then came “Fashionable Faction”, “Fine Print” and now… this one. god, you’re amazing
0:26 Can we take a minute to respect the SASSY IN THIS SCENE REAL QUICK
Me: Wait a minute, it isn’t close to Halloween Every grocery store: ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?
The Witches Brew Kit Kats are pretty good though
You wish mate. My workplace just started receiving the first Christmas shipments. No Halloween yet but we've already got a place set aside in the warehouse for bloody Christmas. We're only halfway through August for god's sake.
@@jackhoward705 My Dollar General already has halloween candy, masks, and decorations out. I dont really know to much about bigger store chains but I remember seeing halloween cookies at meijers recently
@@jackhoward705 Okay, I'm someone who's all for starting the Christmas season a little early, but August? We've got 4 months, my mans... I feel like we'd all get tired of it before December even arrived.
@@SpectralArchivist The Christmas stuff isn't to go out yet but it is getting delivered. I've yet to see any Halloween stuff come in. The amount of large scale holidays around the last quarter of the year really makes it a bit of a mess.
As usual art was on point music fit and rapping clean. the hook was one of your better ones. all in all great as usual your still my favorite mood of a rapper. in other words you..... killed it lol
Nailed the _coffin_ with that one, especially about the hook... I'm not even sure what it is that makes it so good... but it absolutely is.
Spitfyre and we’re not dead tired of these killer puns
@@braydentaylor3851 Oh, absolutely. It would be a grim world without such slaying puns. And I'm always here to reap the rewards.
@@SpectralArchivist stop it, you two are killing us! You could say that, when the Grim Reaper comes, you're no more than punny mortals
First off, this slaps. But more importantly, if the Grim Reaper is the embodiment of death, who's the embodiment of taxes? I feel he should have a farming implement too. Maybe a pitchfork? Give him a hat because the death guy has a hood? have them be bros