The Dear Hunter is an American progressive rock band originating in Provide… Read Full Bio ↴The Dear Hunter is an American progressive rock band originating in Providence, Rhode Island. It began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo when he was a member of The Receiving End of Sirens, before becoming his main band in 2006. The band's sound features a wide variety of instruments and styles.

Most of the band's albums, starting with their 2006 debut album Act I: The Lake South, the River North, are concept albums and a part of a common storyline, planned to conclude with a sixth album. The most recent addition is 2016's Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional. Additionally, they have released albums unrelated to the Acts; The Color Spectrum in 2011, Migrant in 2013, and the EP All Is As All Should Be in 2017.

The band began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo when he was a full-time member of The Receiving End of Sirens. The Dear Hunter was originally intended as a vehicle for music Crescenzo had written that didn't fit with the sound of The Receiving End of Sirens. In the winter of 2005 Casey recorded the Dear Ms. Leading demos. He created 10 copies on burned CDs that were circulated amongst his friends and posted online for download. While elements and characters featured on the demos would reappear on the subsequent Acts, Crescenzo has confirmed that there was a transformation in how he represented these themes and persons; while the story had its origins in his personal life, the Acts removed most autobiographical elements in favor of fiction.

Writing On A Wall
The Dear Hunter Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come away young man
Where the ground is red, and you need a mask to breath
Oh, it's been so hard
But your luck could change if you'd just roll up your sleeves
We had tried our best to warn before, but it didn't get you far
Now we're here again, with a wish to mend, your agonizing scar

Open eyes young man, vigilantly hands and a heart prepared for pain

You will lose much more in this vicious war
past and present stay the same
But the time to come can be altered some if you listen to our song
Do we sing in vain?

Does the fact remain
There is nothing to be done?

Overall Meaning

The Dear Hunter's song Writing On A Wall is a cautionary tale to a young man who is on a dangerous path, urging him to change his ways before it is too late. The song starts with an invitation to "come away" from the current situation, where everything is tense and dangerous. The reference to the "ground is red" could be interpreted in various ways; it could signify that the environment is bloodstained, or it could mean that the ground is made of clay, which is usually used in traditional pottery. Whatever the interpretation, the meaning behind the lyrics is that the current situation is suffocating and requires immediate action. The lyrics also suggest that the young man has been struggling, but it's not too late for him to make the change that he needs.

In the following stanza, the lyrics delve more into the details of the situation. The singer that the song addresses, is told to be ready to face the pain and the loss that the war of life entails, but it's also possible to impact what lies ahead by tuning in to the listener's advice, expressed through the song. The lyrics admit that the future is uncertain, and the efforts to make something happen might be futile, but they also ask the young man not to give up on changing his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Come away young man
Leave this place, young man

Where the ground is red, and you need a mask to breath
Where the environment is poisonous and unfit for human survival

Oh, it's been so hard
Life has been extremely difficult

But your luck could change if you'd just roll up your sleeves
If you put in effort, your fortune could improve

We had tried our best to warn before, but it didn't get you far
We had previously attempted to caution you, but you did not heed our advice

Now we're here again, with a wish to mend, your agonizing scar
We have returned to assist you with healing your emotional wound

Open eyes young man, vigilantly hands and a heart prepared for pain
Be alert, ready for hardship, and emotionally resilient

You will lose much more in this vicious war
You will suffer significant losses in this ongoing conflict

past and present stay the same
The past affects the present, leading to a cyclical pattern

But the time to come can be altered some if you listen to our song
The future can be changed if you pay attention to our advice

Do we sing in vain?
Are we expressing ourselves uselessly?