[Intro — distant iron bell tolling through winter wind] [An unsettling four-note music-box melody emerges] [Detuned celesta and whispered female harmonies] [Pizzicato strings begin a crooked, restless rhythm] [Sinister bassoon answers with a descending chromatic phrase] [Distorted guitars and powerful drums crash into a brisk gothic march] [Verse 1 — sly, nimble female vocals, unsettling orchestral counterpoint] The baker barred the pantry door The reeve heard boots beneath the floor The mayor checked the window glass And watched a second shadow pass The fiddles found a crooked tune Beneath the white and watchful moon A horned one came with birch and book And every shutter slammed at once [Pre-Chorus — staccato strings, sinister brass, sudden accents] Click goes the latch The window sighs She taps the page The bells reply! [Chorus — enormous dark melodic hook, heavy guitars, eerie layered harmonies] BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! RATTLE THROUGH THE SNOW! BOLT THE DOOR AND HIDE THE KEY THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW! BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! HEAR THE IRON RING! SHE TURNS ANOTHER PAGE AND THE SHADOWS START TO SING! [Post-Chorus — haunting female harmonies, dissonant bells] THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW! [Instrumental — crooked music-box motif answered by a heavy guitar riff, restless bassoon and pizzicato strings] [Verse 2 — mischievous but increasingly eerie] The merchant laid his silver down She stepped across it without sound Her ledger opened in the air And turned a page to find me there She placed a bell beside my boot The masked procession all went mute I laughed, but every lantern flame Leaned toward the letters of my name [Pre-Chorus — agitated violins, dark brass, ominous female harmonies] Click goes the latch The window sighs She taps my name The bells reply! [Chorus — bigger guitars, increasingly haunting vocal harmonies] BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! RATTLE THROUGH THE SNOW! BOLT THE DOOR AND HIDE THE KEY THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW! BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! HEAR THE IRON RING! SHE TURNS ANOTHER PAGE AND THE SHADOWS START TO SING! [Post-Chorus — layered female voices, detuned bells] THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW! [Instrumental — trembling strings, frantic bassoon and bass clarinet, sinister carnival organ] [Breakdown — crushing syncopated guitar riff, pounding drums, low brass, tempo unchanged] I LIFT THE BELL! I STRIKE IT TWICE! A HUNDRED LOCKS ANSWER IN TIME! [Two enormous iron bell strikes] [Sudden silence] [Metallic locks begin clicking in an accelerating rhythmic sequence] [Full orchestra and distorted guitars erupt] [Extended Instrumental — frantic gothic orchestral-metal dance] [Sinister bassoons weave around an ominous tuba bassline] [Trembling violins rise into rapid chromatic runs] [Distorted electric guitar answers with a jagged descending melody] [Dissonant brass stabs interrupt the rhythm] [Detuned music box and iron bells repeat the four-note motif] [Full-band rhythmic unison, pounding drums and sinister harmonies] [Final Chorus — enormous female lead, hypnotic layered harmonies, full orchestra] BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! RATTLE THROUGH THE SNOW! THROW THE DOORS AND TURN THE KEY WE KNOW! WE KNOW! BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! HEAR THE IRON RING! SHE TURNS THE PAGE AND LOOKS AT ME NOW ALL OUR SHADOWS SING! [Final Refrain — sinister, infectious full-band singalong] BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! THEY KNOW! WE KNOW! BIRCH AND BELL! BIRCH AND BELL! [Instrumental — frantic guitars, dissonant brass, clattering bells] [Sudden full-band stop] [The music-box motif plays alone, slightly detuned] [One tiny bell rings] [Three slow knocks against a wooden door] [Silence]
