Light

Casey’s Lyric Video (Includes the ending/transition segment of The Haves Have Naught)

Light
Son, your father’s not all good
But still, I love you more than I thought I could
And when the menace in my mind
Finds me, I simply look to your eyes

And boy, someday I hope I do
See the man you will grow into
And when your heart’s in disarray
Know that your father, too, has made mistakes

Son, your father’s lost his head
Still, I mean every word that I’ve said
Though, the truth can truly cut
Here in this confessional, with my blood

And boy, someday I hope I do
See the man you will grow into
And when your heart’s in disarray
Know that your father, too, has made mistakes

I’ve been cruel to the ones who have stayed by my side
And foolish enough to believe in my pride
But vanity never could keep me from caring for you
I’ve strayed too far away from the trees and the lake –
The innocent road that I chose not to take –
But still, I can bring you to bathe in the river;
To wash out the world long before your heart’s withered away

And boy, someday I hope I do
See the man you will grow into
And when your heart’s in disarray
Know that your father, too, has made…
He’s made mistakes

🌲🌲🌲

What happens?
Sensing that things in the City are becoming more dangerous, and that the conflict between himself and TP&P will soon come to a head, Hunter sends his wife and son to live safely in the peace of the Lake and the River. Though Hunter’s son is a product of his false Son persona, Hunter finds he truly loves him and bids him off with this important message.

What’s in a name?
‘Light’ — Being a song about Hunter’s son, basically expressing the sentiment of children being a font of hope for the future or happiness or ‘the light of my life’, though more intimate than that. Act VI would also be about Hunter’s son, and he breaks the cycle of corruption, so he is also an ‘agent’ or force of light.

Whose viewpoint?
Hunter.

🌲🌲🌲

>Son, your father’s not all good / But still, I love you more than I thought I could
Man doing this kind of read on this song feels weird, it stands on its own doesn’t it?

First thing to take though, Hunter’s a father. The child is with his wife/the Son’s fiance, not Ms Leading, and though they’ve been married since Act IV and the wife sounded to want kids early on, it’s unclear exactly how old Hunter’s son is. He’s probably not an infant, given that Hunter sees fit to speak to him and tell him all these things before they part, but I can’t imagine he’s older than say the 6-9 range. Total guess though. Young enough to adore his father as superman, old enough to understand concepts like ‘the future’ and being good and so on.

So, Hunter’s talking to his son for what could (and will) be the last time, intending to send him to live at the Lake and the River rather than the City, as the City is becoming precarious. He starts by confessing that he’s not as perfect as he seems, but that he loves his son all the same. Hunter did not think he could be a good father, and given that his son is a product of his empty relationship with the wife, who he has raised under his false Son persona, he was dubious on the idea of whether he’d even be able to love the kid or express any love he did feel appropriately. In the end though, fake persona or not, Hunter can firmly say that he does love and care for his son.

Man. Think about that for a moment — Hunter already had his share of questions about Ms Terri’s identity, but what’s it going to be like for Hunter’s son in the future realising his father was an identity thief for the entire span that he knew him? And then an arsonist and a murderer? Do you think the son even knows Hunter’s actual name, or if he’s always known him under the Son’s name? Hunter’s going to be leaving the kid with a good deal of mysteries himself… less than Ms Terri, though, given this song.

>And when the menace in my mind / Finds me, I simply look to your eyes
Whenever Hunter feels angry, lost, unsure, despairing, those feelings are replaced with hope, love, and happiness, and optimism when he looks to his son. You can hear it in the intonation too; he seriously loves this kid… hence why he’s giving this confession about the type of person he really is, and how he truly feels about him, before they’re separated, as if to answer some of those questions that Hunter knows are going to be in his head later.

>And boy, someday I hope I do / See the man you will grow into
Hunter wants to see his son as a grown man and still be part of his life, though the fact Hunter is saying this suggests he already has a feeling he may not get to see his son grown up. Hunter can tell how things in the City are moving and is prepared for his personal situation to get complicated, that he may get imprisoned, the blackmail may be revealed, he might get killed, etc…

He’s not exactly okay with these possibilities, but does have the growing resolve to face them, knowing his family is safe and he has a son who’ll succeed him.

>And when your heart’s in disarray / Know that your father, too, has made mistakes
Aw, Hunter. Every kid thinks their parents are perfect. It’s important for them to know it’s okay to feel scared or uncertain, and to know their idols have gone through tough times or slipped up too, so such problems or mistakes aren’t undefeatable or necessarily the end of the world.

>Son, your father’s lost his head / Still, I mean every word that I’ve said / Though, the truth can truly cut / Here in this confessional, with my blood
Sounds like Hunter acknowledging that he’s about to commit himself to some risky business, and potentially find himself out of his son’s life, but even though he’s choosing this, he does still care about his son, that every show of love he’s given him was genuine, and isn’t just abandoning him. Also sounds like Hunter acknowledging that his actions and absence are going to hurt his son and leave him with massive questions — something Hunter’s familiar with given his own experience with Ms Terri, so he’s softening the blow by giving these assurances and confirmations for his son to remember when he inevitably does think back on who his dad really was or what his dad really thought.

>I’ve been cruel to the ones who have stayed by my side / And foolish enough to believe in my pride
Hunter zeroing in specifically on some of those ‘mistakes’, in reference to Act II through Act IV

>But vanity never could keep me from caring for you
Hunter’s son is way more important than Hunter’s ego; even though he’s the result of some of Hunter’s worst decisions, Hunter’s naturally inclined to dote on him and care for him without the context of how he came into the world really mattering.

>I’ve strayed too far away from the trees and the lake – / The innocent road that I chose not to take – / But still, I can bring you to bathe in the river; / To wash out the world long before your heart’s withered away
Hunter sends his wife and son to go live at the Lake and the River, where Hunter used to live with Ms Terri. Similar to how Ms Terri wanted to protect Hunter’s innocence, Hunter wants to do the same for his son, and try to give him a happier and more peaceful life with less strife and more opportunity than Hunter’s life wound up having. At the very least, he wants to give his son the option to preserve his innocence and live a life of idyllic peace, rather than his entire life being constrained to the City and the corruption that surrounds it, alongside any personal drama apt to occur revolving around Hunter. Lots of nostalgia for Hunter too, thinking back on this place from his childhood.

Really sweet song, basically Hunter’s goodbye to his child and also his equivalent of Inquiry, where he’s the one in the role Ms Terri formerly had and ultimately makes the same selfless decisions for his child that Ms Terri did. Wouldn’t be surprised if/when Act VI happens, themes from this song wind up getting some follow up/focus, being one of the last instances by which Hunter’s son would know or remember his dad. Wonder if Hunter gives him any physical mementos…?

Hunter’s wife and son exit the City.

The Haves Have Naught | Act V | Gloria