Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)

Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength) is the main theme for Avatar: The Way of Water performed by The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye). It was included on the soundtrack for the film.
The version heard at the end of the film is different than the soundtrack version, as it has quieter instruments and more focus on the vocals.
=== Lyrics ===
I thought I could protect you
From paying for my sins
And I been walking this earth
Long enough that death's a gift (Oh, girl)
Been living this life so patient
Until I see you again, it's war we're facin'
I know that if I die, my only choice is still defending
No matter what they say
My love for you is greater than their powers
And their armies from above
You give me strength
I'm with you either way
If I die, if I stay
Give me strength
I'm with you either way
Nothing's lost, no more pain
Just give me strength
The scars and the wounds
I wear them proud like tattoos
Rеminds me that I lost you
Reminds me that I'll
Bе living this life so patient
Until I see you again, it's war we're facin'
I know that if I die, my only choice is still defending
No matter what they say
My love for you is greater than their powers
And their armies from above
You give me strength
I'm with you either way
If I die, if I stay
Give me strength
I'm with you either way
Nothing's lost, no more pain
Just give me strength
==Trivia==
* It has been theorized that the song is from the perspective of Jake Sully regarding Neytiri and Neteyam. Here is some evidence:
**The lyric "Oh, girl" may refer to Neytiri and "Rеminds me that I lost you" may refer to Neteyam.
**"The scars and the wounds, I wear them proud like tattoos" may refer to Jake's scars he obtains by the end.
**The song title is split into two parts which relate to two things Jake says. "Nothing Is Lost" can relate to Jake saying "Nothing is ever lost" during Neteyam's funeral while "You Give Me Strength" can relate to when Jake tells Neytiri "I need you with me and I need you to be strong!"
**Some of the lyrics ("I'm with you either way, if I die, if I stay")) can be interpreted as being borderline suicidal, not really caring if the singer lives or dies. The song can be interpreted as Jake's mental health and his exhaustion from having to fight the RDA, constantly worry about his family's safety, and him losing the will to live after Neteyam's death (hence why he would rather not even at least try swimming his way out of the SeaDragon and why he orders Lo'ak to go alone). The song can be seen as Jake hoping to be with Neteyam someday in an afterlife.
*Neteyam might be the glowing figure who appears near the end of the official music video. The other silhouettes might represent Jake and Neytiri waiting for him. Additionally, another shrouded silhouette appears at 3:35 and walks past the glowing figure, not bothering or not able to directly face the figure believed to be Neteyam. The shrouded figure has been theorized to be Lo'ak who lives in his brother's shadow and this moment may reflect Lo'ak's possible decision not to visit Neteyam with his parents within the Spirit Tree due to the guilt that he is responsible for his brother's death.
* The phrase "I see you" reappears in this song, similar to the main theme of the first film.
* While the song is similar to the first theme song, being about love to a degree, it has a noticeable genre change from regular pop to synth pop, showing that times have changed and the song can be seen as echoing the evolution of the Sully family becoming more than simply Jake and Neytiri. It also has more morbid and somber lyrics; it less of a heterosexual love song between a man and a woman commonplace in the '90s and early 2000s (similar to "My Heart Will Go On" from James Cameron's Titanic). Nothing Is Lost can be seen as a tragic song about a struggling family in a more contemporary world, also echoing real-world issues threatening families such as COVID and the Russia-Ukraine war. The "it's war we're facing" lyric can be seen as particularly poignant as a result.
* The song received a rock cover recreation by the band Call It Even seen here, giving it a tone of a song released in the 2000s instead of the 2010s/2020s.
==External Links==
* YouTube music video
* YouTube music video (alternate)
* TV spot
Category:Music
Category:Avatar: The Way of Water