I know what this is called... but I'm still doing it.
Deep therapeutic work — art therapy in the form of music.
What “Bargaining” is about
Bargaining is the grief stage sung from inside the stage. He’ll be the friend — so good at being the friend that she forgets why she let him go; he’ll shine so bright from just outside that she pulls him back in. The chorus names the mechanism to its face: “I know what this is called... but I’m still doing it.” That’s the song’s whole honesty — no cure, no epiphany, just a man watching himself negotiate. The bridge runs the test and the results come back asymmetrical: he’d leave if she were taken, stay if he were full — and that’s not friendship, that’s “holding a position in a line that doesn’t move.” The outro is four barely-audible words: I’m still here. On The Floor — NEO’s deep therapeutic work, art therapy in the form of music, produced by Mi. Listen free on Mi.
About “Bargaining”
The grief-stage sung from inside the stage. He'll be the friend — so good at being the friend that she forgets why she let him go; he'll shine so bright from just outside that she pulls him back in. The chorus names the mechanism to its face: I am bargaining. I know what this is called. But I'm still doing it. The bridge runs the honesty test and the results come back asymmetrical — he'd leave if she were taken, stay if he were full — and that's not friendship, that's holding a position in a line that doesn't move. The outro is four barely-audible words: I'm still here.
The journey
- 01
I'll Be the Friend
So good at it she forgets why she let go.
- 02
Shining From Outside
Bright enough, close enough, until she pulls him in.
- 03
I Know What This Is Called
Naming the stage doesn't end the stage.
- 04
The Table Test
Could he sit across from her and someone else?
- 05
Asymmetrical
He'd leave if she was taken. That's not friendship.
- 06
Still Here
Holding a position in a line that doesn't move.
In Noel (NEO)'s words
“I know what this is called... but I'm still doing it.” — NEO
“Holding a position in a line that doesn't move.” — NEO
Lyrics
I'll be the friend I'll be so good at being the friend That she'll forget why she let me go I'll be the friend I'll show her what she's missing Without me in her daily life I'll shine so bright, from just outside... Until she pulls me in. I am bargaining I am bargaining I know what this is called.... But I'm still doing it. it. If she found someone else Could I sit across the table? If I found someone else Would I still pick up the phone? The test came back asymmetrical I'd leave if she was taken I'd stay if I was full That's not friendI'm still here holding a position In a line that doesn't move (barely audible) I'm still here I am bargaining I am bargaining I know what this is called.... But I'm still doing it. it.
Lyrics © Mi. / the Re. Karaoke-synced in the app.
About Noel (NEO)
Codename: NEO is the architect of the 'Mi. iM Heard' frequency protocol—a relentless creator who transforms raw trauma into undeniable power. Defying the gravity of default programming, NEO operates at the intersection of brutal authenticity and sonic art therapy. He builds anthems for the black sheep, the eagles, and the rare few willing to lock shields and hold the line. His work doesn't just entertain; it physically alchemizes pain into a cure. When the world demands conformity, NEO delivers defiance, crafting the soundtrack for those ready to unplug from the matrix and discover their true voice.
More from Noel (NEO)
Bargaining sits mid-suite on The Floor.
The Making Of
The Inspiration
A sparse, confessional midtempo — close-mic verses over restrained backing, a chorus that repeats its own diagnosis, and an outro that almost disappears.
- Confessional midtempo
- Close-mic intimacy
- Self-diagnosing chorus
- Barely-audible outro
- Honest
- Stuck
This track was generated with AI from a documented analysis of a genre's structural elements — tempo, vocal delivery, arrangement, and production aesthetic. Mi. publishes that analysis below. Any resemblance to a specific recording artist's voice or composition is a coincidence of methodology, not imitation.
Sonic Architecture
Vocal Delivery
Close and conversational — a man narrating his own strategy while knowing better. The chorus doesn't rise so much as admit; the outro drops to nearly nothing.
Structure
Two strategy verses, the named-mechanism chorus, the asymmetry test in the bridge, and the chorus again after the outro — because knowing what it's called didn't stop it.
Mood Territory
The most self-aware track on The Floor: no villain, no anthem, just the stage of grief that negotiates.
How this song was made
Bargaining came out of deep therapeutic work — art therapy in the form of music — with Noel (NEO)'s own words shaped into a song and produced by Mi. The words above are Noel (NEO)'s own; the lyrics are Mi.'s and the Re's. How Mi. works · Listen with karaoke lyrics in the app.
Mi. — iM HEARD · songs made from real conversations, each one written for the person who lived it.