Rivers in the Desert

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"Rivers in the Desert" is a boss theme in Persona 5. It is composed by Shoji Meguro with lyrics by Benjamin Franklin and vocals by Lyn Inaizumi.
A shortened instrumental version is played during the first round against Shadow Shido. The full version is played in the second round against Shido, and later against the Holy Grail and the bonus fight with Caroline and Justine. In Persona 5 Royal, both versions are played during the first and second round against Cendrillon respectively, and also plays in the bonus fights against Jose and Lavenza. This song is incorrectly attributed as the "Final Boss Battle Theme" in the staff roll. In the original soundtrack, the instrumental version is full-length instead of the short version that plays in-game.
A rock cover of the song plays in Persona 5 Strikers, during the fight against Armored Zephyrus, as well as some mid-boss fights in the Tree of Knowledge.
As Persona 5 was nominated in 2017, a short section of this song was included in the live medley along with songs of other nominated RPGs.
== Lyrics ==
:The following are the official lyrics from Persona 5 Original Soundtrack.
It's now or it's never, and I've got to
Make my decision
This time it could be my moment
Is this a mirage or a chance to fulfill my mission?
A river in a dry land
The last ace in a lost hand
A heartbeat for a tin man
Oasis in a singed land
I'm keeping the balance, but I'm standing
On razor's edge now
Move quick or my life is over
One strike, just a feint, then ...
I'm outa his field of vision
Don't ask why I'm ready but I'm ready to
Strike him down now
A chance at a new start
There's no time for indecision
A river in a dry land
The last ace in a lost hand
When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet
Now we need it:
A heartbeat for a tin man
An oasis in a singed land
Remind us what we're here for:
Creating new life
Creating rivers in the desert
My heart is a furnace,
(It's) Hot as hell in my world of conflict
One goal is what keeps me going
Take back what I lost to ...
The bosses of greed and fear, yeah
Don't ask why I'm ready but I'm ready to take
Them down now
The time for a new start
Is constantly drawing nearer
A river in a dry land
The last ace in a lost hand
When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet
Now we need it:
A heartbeat for a tin man
An oasis in a singed land
Remind us what we're here for:
Creating new life
Creating rivers in the desert
When a cool drop of water's all I need
Gotta clear my head of anger and greed
A place to refresh heart and mind,
Can I find
Some time in
Rivers in a dry land
The last ace in a lost hand
When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet
Now we need it:
A heartbeat for a tin man
An oasis in a singed land
Remind us what we're here for:
Creating new life
Creating rivers in the desert
==Gallery==
【-DJモルガナ】「Rivers In the Desert」 みんなで選ぶ『ペルソナ５ ザ・ロイヤル』楽曲 第3位|["Rivers in the Desert" in DJ Morgana, ranked #3
==Trivia==
*The repeated lyric, "A heartbeat for a tin man" is a reference to the children's novel, , in which the character , a man made entirely of tin, desires to have a human heart.
*Keeping in line with the religious and Judeo-Christian symbolism, the title and lyric "creating rivers in the desert" is likely a reference to , which seems to be most commonly translated as: "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
===Appearances in Other Media===
*An edited version of the song, with the fifth and sixth sections removed, appears in the crossover fighter Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Category:Persona 5 Songs
Category:Persona 5 Royal Songs