The Story Behind The Unbroken Light
This song came from spending a lot of time listening to Iranian voices and diaspora voices, especially people who have been documenting what ordinary Iranians have endured and how they continue to respond to it. The more I followed, the more I was struck by the combination of grief and restraint. People can be living through fear, loss, surveillance, isolation, and uncertainty, yet still find ways to resist being psychologically owned by the people oppressing them. That stayed with me.
I was also thinking about the outside world. With every statement from a government, every negotiation, every shift in the news, people inside Iran have to wonder what it might mean for their lives. At the same time, I kept seeing people elsewhere treat the question of Iranian freedom as another extension of their own political identities. I wanted the song to push against that instinct. I do not think opposition to oppression should depend on which side gets credit, which country is involved, or which political camp someone belongs to.
As I learned more about classical Iranian history and Zoroastrian thought, I found ideas that fit the song naturally. The emphasis on truth over deceit, individual moral responsibility, and the eventual renewal of a world damaged by evil gave me a way to end somewhere beyond anger. I wanted the song to hold onto the possibility that repression is not permanent, truth can outlast it, and a free future can become something lived rather than imagined.
Creative Notes
One of the most important decisions I made was changing the song from a first-person collective voice to third person. I am not Iranian, and I did not want to write as though their experience was mine. The change made the song feel more like witness and solidarity, which is where I wanted it to sit. I used ChatGPT to help me pressure-test wording and perspective section by section, but I kept revising toward language that felt restrained, respectful, and specific rather than theatrical.
The cover went through the same kind of simplification. I initially explored a more literal combination of the historic Iranian Lion and Sun imagery, a flag, and additional symbolism. I eventually removed the flag and the extra symbol, kept the lion and sword, and moved the sun directly behind the lion as a quieter visual reference to the classic composition. I also pulled the landscape away from an apocalyptic look. I wanted strength, history, and hope, not an image that reduces Iran to ruins.
Lyrics
Listen & Follow
Play the song while you follow the lyrics.
Streets went silent but the fear stayed loud Names in the air, never said out loud Mothers in shadows, tears hit the ground Learning to grieve without making a sound
Cameras watching every move they make Lines get crossed with every step they take Still they gather, still they stand Empty hands against a hardened land
They tried to turn the sky to black But brave people won’t turn back
They are the unbroken light Burning through the longest night You can’t silence every sound They rise, they struggle, not bow down
Even now, they’re still alive In the dark, they still defy You can’t kill what won’t give in They are the fire beneath the skin
Dancing where the tears should fall Stoic face through the funeral call If they see you break, they win So they cage the storm within
Signals cut but hearts still speak Every silence feels like weeks Every whisper, every sign Searching truth between the lines
They read the world like coded signs Hoping the oppression unwinds
They are the unbroken light Burning through the longest night You can’t silence every sound They rise, they struggle, not bow down
Even now, they’re still alive In the dark, they still defy You can’t kill what won’t give in They are the fire beneath the skin
What kind of world just turns away When truth is begging to be named If wrong is wrong, then say it clear Don’t hide behind your side or fear
No more silence dressed as peace No more choosing what to see Truth is not a flag you wear It lives or dies in what you dare
Truth over silence Light over fear
They are the unbroken light You couldn’t bury what won’t die Through the ash, through the flame They remember every name
Even now, they still remain Through the loss, through the pain What is true will rise again And they’ll raise their children unafraid
Credits
- Songwriter
- Joe Hackman
💬 Comments & Discussion
Comments are powered by GitHub Discussions. You'll need a GitHub account to participate.