I wanted to see what it was like to make a script for a @didyouknowgamin video, so I decided that I would cover Persona music. In the process, I came across a lot of really cool historical and literature references that probably fly past the average person's head.

So this'll be a thread of all of those references.

The song "Rivers in the Desert" from Persona 5 contains a reference to the classic children's novel, The Wizard of Oz. (1/2)

The lyric, "A heartbeat to a tin man" refers to Tin Woodman, a character who wishes to have a human heart, having had his previous body parts replaced with tin counterparts, eventually being entirely made of metal. (2/2)

In "Beneath the Mask", the lyric "At Poe's masquerade" references the well-known writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe. More specifically, the word 'masquerade' is an allusion to his short story, "The Masque of the Red Death".

This story is also the origin of the Velvet Room in the Persona series. In the short, the Velvet Room is one of seven rooms symbolizing the stages of life. The Velvet Room is the seventh room that the protagonist enters before he dies. (1/2)

There is a possible allusion to this from Persona 3 onwards, where the Game Over sequences take place in the room. (2/2)

Persona 5 also has an ancient lyrical reference from its continent of origin. "Last Surprise" has the background lyric "Art of war", a term which originated in the Chinese military text, The Art of War, which was written in 5th century BC. (1/2)

The work may have also influenced the song "Time to Make History" from Persona 4 Golden, where repeated lyrics allude to topics of war and being an important part of history. (2/2)

The extended version of "Time to Make History" from Persona 4: Dancing All Night also has a reference to ancient works of literature; the lyric, "rise like a phoenix" refers to the creature of the same name in Greek mythology, which is capable of resurrection. (1/3)

A prior lyric further alludes to northern middle eastern practices; "Walkin' straight on into the lion's lair" refers to the Ancient Roman method of execution, 'Damnatio ad bestias'. (2/3)

Translating from Latin to "condemnation to beasts", where the subject was thrown into a chamber with lions and eaten alive. (3/3)

The opening theme of Dancing All Night has its own secret. The phrase, "the roses that grew out from the concrete jungle" is a reference to the works of poetry by Tupac Shakur, The Rose That Grew from Concrete. (1/2)

Fitting to the somewhat romantic nature of the song, the sequel series of poems is titled, Nothing Can Come Between Us. (2/2)

Thread done for now. Will probably add more as I find it.

@_ShaneGill_ What do you think?