the flame is gone, the fire remains

I’m still on my The Dear Hunter shit so have a Ms. Leading for your viewing pleasure.

these genius lyrics annotations are really funny to me

Hurl your insults and call me a fake fan. Whatever. Don't get me wrong, I've listened to the Acts hundreds of times and of course would *love* an Act VI. But musically and thematically it's not needed. An epilouge would be nice but it shouldn't be necessary to the Acts.

I'd be more than happy to expand on this if anyone cares and I have more time. Seriously this is a very short explanation but I need to write this out.

But my main point is the Acts are about a cycle. Repetition. First, A Beginning leads PERFECTLY into Battesimo Del Fuoco. It creates a perfect loop within the Acts. "A Beginning" is literally the end (how on the nose can you get?) and it really calls back to so many musical themes in Act I. It's supposed to be played in a loop.

Next, Ouroboros, the last song on Act IV has the title named after a snake eating it's own tail.... almost like a cycle. Seriously, this reinforces these Acts are a cycle.

Finally, look at the Boy's story. Look at his son. Look at Miss Terri (and Miss Leading). Its a loop where a parental figure tries to escape a cycle they are stuck in (addiction, lies, bad job, etc) by burning their past and leaving their offspring to fend for themselves by the River only for them to get caught in a similar loop and the past to haunt them. It might not play out the same and the Boy partially escapes the cycle, but in the end his son is where he began. A Beginning of his son's life.

Now you could argue that Act VI could show his son breaking free. That'd be nice. But this isn't a nice story. It's full of pain. It's to show a cycle of trauma in a family, generation by generation. And even when the Boy tried to escape he instead entered the cycle (by getting on the train). Escaping isn't possible and by playing the story over and over again reinforces that this was always going to happen.

Battesimo del Fuoco / Baptism by Fire

Believe you me, the price is clear

A child born the mother near To death and life as hand in hand A failed life exposed the man Who led her off into the flame To cast her back to hell again

But hear you me the break of dawn Will wash away the sins thereof Unto the lake beyond the tree The child waits alone is he

"I will follow you, even when I've lost all my senses"