How Did That Criminal Get Into There
How Did That Criminal Get Into There marks a shift in tone on First Light — the album's first overtly political statement, delivered with theatrical flair. Written in September 2025, it takes the form of a slow waltz in the Barbershop and Vaudeville tradition, a deliberate stylistic choice that mirrors its subject matter perfectly.
The song examines the rise of the performative politician — the figure who wears patriotism as costume, stirs division for profit and relies on a crowd too distracted to see the stage. The recurring chorus question is both accusation and lament.
By wrapping sharp political commentary in a jaunty, almost music hall arrangement, the song achieves something clever — the listener is smiling before they realise what they're agreeing with.
30 second preview. Download the full track or album below to hear more.
Download MP3 Download WAV Download full album Watch on YouTube
Sonus Lucis — How Did That Criminal Get Into There
Verse 1
I don't enjoy seeing this country divide,
I don't want the fear that darkens our pride.
I would like justice, honest and fair,
But the flags he is raising just poison the air.
Chorus
How did that criminal get into there,
Dressed as a saviour but selling despair?
Wearing his flag in a costumed affair,
How did that criminal get into there?
Verse 2
He stirs up the crowd with his well-rehearsed lines,
Points to the lost and redraws all the signs.
The voices rise up, but they don't see the stage,
Only the mask of a salesman's disguise.
Chorus
How did that criminal get into there,
Dressed as a leader, but he never cared.
He profits from anger, from grief and from fear,
How did that criminal get into there?
Bridge
We've heard of this story too many times,
Neighbours divided, the same borrowed rhymes.
History's warning is written in flames,
And there he is playing the same ruthless game.
Verse 3
When one scapegoat fades, another appears,
Sisters and brothers brainwashed into fear.
It isn't for safety, it isn't repair,
It's keeping the people, all lost in despair.
Chorus
How did that criminal get into there,
Building a kingdom on smoke and thin air?
History whispers, but fewer will dare
To ask how that criminal got into there.
Verse 4
The play will go on if the crowd is so blind,
Echoes of history, sharp and unkind.
We know where it leads, we know how they fared,
We must ask how that criminal got into there.
Chorus
How did that criminal get into there,
Turning our struggle to profit and snare?
Truth has been silenced, but someday we'll dare
To ask how that criminal got into there.