I find it unlikely that he'd really recognize or know that Megaman has fought this battle two times before, or that it'd be destined to happen again, as he's only just joined the fray, while canon states Roll was built when Rock was, thus she's been here for all the fights.

A whistle.
An omen.

Also… know that you are not and were not ever just fans to me.

My thoughts on continue.

If I may offer my corrections to Chicken Soup's lyrics (which were mostly fantastic, btw), it'd help sort this out.

Continue (revised)

You turn and see them in the sand
Your steps behind you and your hands
Of war
They're tired and they're worn

Footprints as far as you can see
This is who you are, you'll always be the one
The one to fair the storm

Chorus:
If it was up to you and you
You knew that you would lose
If it was up to you I know
You'd always chose to continue

You know this happened all before
You've seen what comes and what's in store
And you know it will all happen again

The fear was only momentary
But your role was never temporary
You know
This was never meant to end

Chorus

(To continue)
If it was up to you

Dialog/Story probably goes here during the instrumental

Chorus

To continue
If it was up to you

Chorus

---------------------------------------------------------

Now, having those, I think it makes it pretty clear at least who the 'You' is. It's the same person throughout. This person shoulders the burden, they fair the storm (This rules out Wily). This person's role was really, never temporary (meant to be). And they have hands of war that are tired and worn (Can't be Dr. Light, he's too far removed from the fighting).

Gotta be Mega Man. He was tired of (and depressed by) all this at the end of 2 and beginning of 3. By now, he's probably exhausted. And he DOES have hands of war, he's killed a bunch. Symbolically, he's also the one that would 'continue' at a game over. Also, it's just plain cool to start an album with megaman saying "if it was up to me" and then end it by someone else saying (About Megaman) "If it was up to you" Symmetry and all.

This 'you' is all one person, in light of the chorus. If it was up to Megaman, EVEN IF HE KNEW HE WOULD LOSE, he would continue onwards. That's the kind of person he is, continueing on in the face of (temporary) fear and even death.

So, it's about megaman, and whoever sings this is sympathetic to his cause. That leaves Protoman, Roll, Dr. Light, and an unspecified Narrator. Dr. Light JUST sang a song, and he's expressed the same sentiment before (The Message), so it'd be really redundant if it was him. Also, I don't think Dr. Light would admit that Megaman's role as a war machine was "Never temporary" Even if Dr. Light thought that was true (which I don't think he would: he never made mega man to be a war machine) he'd never admit it, even to himself.

It could be a narrator, and nothing could possibly rule that out.

Between Protoman and Roll is a little harder, but I like how both of these leave the situation. They're basically telling Mega Man what he's already known. He was (effectively) built for war, to fight for justice. This transitions nicely to Mega Man's response in Flying on a Dog, saying: No I am NOT a tool!

I think Roll is more likely, because Protoman just did a bunch of stuff to help steal Gamma, I think. Or at least, Dr. Light saw him fighting for Wily. But it could be Protoman observing Mega Man from a distance. More likely is Roll, given the tone. It's sad, knowing exactly what Mega Man might be feeling because she's been there for him since the beginning. It's also encouraging, telling Mega Man to get up and continue. She believes in him. I don't know if Protoman would feel that way.

My guess is Roll or Narrator.

Huh, funny, this post turned me almost completely against it being Roll.

Pretty much the very reasons you have for it not being Light, I'd apply to Roll now that I think about it.

Would she really call her brother these things? Unless the Megas take her into a drastically different character direction, Roll's always been sweet, kind hearted and entirely loving of her brother. The Megas even show her kind hearted nature earlier on in the album with Magnetman.

So would she really have such a cynical outlook on Megaman's life and his purpose? I have a really hard time believing her telling him he was always meant for this, he is just a war machine, and so. Especially because if she did feel this, as some have said, a bond between siblings can be close, she likely knows how Rock feels about such things. Can't imagine how badly it would further demoralize him to have his sister basically say "Yeah, you're just another machine of death, now go and kill Wily".

Why I am leaning more towards Protoman being the singer. While Protoman's not actively in the games, in game canon, he's been alive & kicking around. He's been made aware of what his little brother's been doing. In Megas canon, Blues has made a brief cameo, as someone else pointed out. He's readily aware of what his little brother's become, least in his eyes, and why I could believe it.

Course, as someone else said, it could just be a narrator.

In Megas canon, Blues has made a brief cameo, as someone else pointed out

That thought crossed my mind too. But Dr. Light sings "You sent my first born back to me,
And put a gun in his dead hand" in (I Want to be the One) To Watch You Die. So, unless Light has repaired him since the last song, I don't think it'd be Proto / Blues.

However, the lyrics make sense from his point of view. Proto was very much an anti-hero in MM3, so the song could be him arriving on the battlefield singing to / about Megaman who has just been thrashed by Wily (hence the title / theme of "continue"). And, even though he is 'dead', I doubt we've seen the last of Protoman, so my money is either on him or Wily being the singer.

I wonder if Josh is keeping tabs on this thread and giggling madly at all this discussion.

My main problem with the idea of Protoman being the singer mostly has to do with the overall feel of the song. I'm not as good as some of you with these interpretations, but from what I've heard of I'm Not the Breakman, Protoman sounds very bitter over how Light has treated him, and how Rock got preferential treatment. However, in Continue, the person singing seems to be encouraging the undefined "you" of the song, and spurring them on. If Blues were that bitter toward his father and his usurper, I don't imagine he'd feel very differently at the end of Blue.

I wonder if Josh is keeping tabs on this thread and giggling madly at all this discussion.

Can you guys not hear? It's clearly Josh singing Continue....dunno if you guys are familiar worth the band.

Why do you say that? I've been listening for years but I just started visiting the forums so I'm not familiar with the band members themselves.