The beauty of the music speaks for itself even without the poetic lyrics. But even more powerfully—while acknowledging the depth of grief and despair among many Iranians after the brutal state repression of the January 2026 uprising, followed by the devastating U.S.-Israeli assault—the piece insists on maintaining a spirit of defiance as hope, as a way to walk “in the footsteps” of those who danced on the graves of their loved ones murdered by the regime. While a defiant spirit is not the sum total of all the ingredients to get to a better world, it IS one felt need in our current world for resistance music and poetry to help lift the sights and emotions for the fierce struggle at hand against forces that downpress us—capitalism, imperialism, Zionism, religious fundamentalism/fanaticism of different kinds.

The video’s release is especially brave at a moment when many cultural figures are facing severe repression, for example the sentencing to 74 lashes of singer Parastoo Ahmadi and her whole production team for her online concert performed in defiance of the compulsory hijab law, a death sentence for 22-year-old rapper Mahnam Navaab Savahi and possible death sentence for rapper Hossein Afrasiab, for their support of the January uprising. These and many other artists who refuse to be silenced or to give in to despair are precious to the people of the world and must be defended.