One of the things I love most about creating a musical is that it allows me to become the characters.

Not to escape myself — but to explore parts of myself that don’t always have a safe place to speak.

Every character in The First Fall carries something I recognize: a belief, a doubt, a desire, a question I’ve wrestled with for years. Some represent faith. Some represent warning. Some represent hope.

And some represent frustration.

This song lives in that space.

Why Eve’s Story Invites More Than One Voice

For many of us, the Garden of Eden story was taught as a lesson with a clear moral hierarchy: God commands, humanity disobeys, consequences follow.

But that version often skips over the most human part of the story — the questions that arise before the choice.

Eve doesn’t begin with rebellion.
She begins with curiosity.

She listens. She notices silence. She wonders why knowledge exists if it must never be touched.

Creation stories don’t condemn curiosity outright. They pause to examine it — because curiosity is what moves humanity from innocence into awareness.

And awareness is never neutral.

The Antagonist as a Voice, Not a Monster

In The First Fall, the song “The Temptation of Eve” is written from a perspective that unsettles some listeners — intentionally.

While Jack Righteous performs the song, he is voicing a character who will later be known as HailLion.

This is not a cartoon villain. This is not chaos for chaos’ sake.

The character draws inspiration from the biblical figure seen in the Book of Job — not as a horned creature, but as an intelligent challenger: a voice that questions boundaries, exposes assumptions, and forces uncomfortable reflection.

He doesn’t deny God. He interrogates the structure.

And that distinction matters.

Venting the Unasked Questions

This song gave me a place to confront long-held frustrations with how the Eden story is often taught.

Questions like:

• Why create desire only to forbid it?
• Why frame obedience without explanation as virtue?
• Why treat curiosity as corruption rather than capacity?

These questions aren’t meant to dismantle faith. They’re meant to take it seriously enough to wrestle with it.

By placing these thoughts in the mouth of the antagonist, the story allows them to exist without endorsing them — a crucial difference.

Creation stories often give voice to doubt not to validate it, but to reveal what it tempts us to believe.

Eve as the Listener, Not the Villain

In this retelling, Eve is not reckless.

She is perceptive.

She hears a voice that sounds informed, articulate, even reasonable. The danger is not that she listens — it’s that listening changes her relationship to innocence forever.

Once a question is understood, it can’t be unheard.

This is why creation stories don’t rush past this moment. They slow down, letting the audience sit with tension rather than resolution.

What This Says About Us

Most life-altering choices don’t come from rebellion.

They come from unresolved questions we carry quietly for years.

The Temptation of Eve isn’t about disobedience. It’s about what happens when curiosity outpaces wisdom — when insight arrives before integration.

That’s a human story, not a distant one.

Listen With This Perspective

As you listen, consider:

• Does the voice sound evil — or persuasive?
• Have you ever been convinced by something that felt almost true?
• When did a question change how you saw the world?

Join the Conversation

Creation stories endure because they don’t silence doubt — they contextualize it.

In the comments, you’re invited to reflect:

• Do you see Eve’s curiosity as courage, danger, or necessity?
• Should faith fear questions — or expect them?
• Which song from The First Fall so far has challenged you the most?

You can explore the full opening arc of the project here:

https://suno.com/playlist/97967ce3-e9ff-47ee-91e5-3750566d5a04

Curiosity doesn’t end the story.

It opens it.