[Opening] Nib-bler... Gnosh-er... Nib-bler... Gnosh-er... One little rat with a hundred little plans, One little vial in his trembling hands. One little name that the strong rats mock, One little mind going tick, tick, tock... [Verse 1] I was never the biggest in the nest, no, Never had the chest, no, Never had the bite. I was thin, I was twitchy, I was pressed low, Pushed to the edge by the rats with height. They had claws, they had jaws, they had shoulders, They had swagger in the way they walked. I had ink on my paws, little notes in my folders, They had muscle. I had thoughts. And I thought, What’s a body but a problem to solve? What’s a weakness but a thing to evolve? What’s a monster but a method with teeth? What’s a rat if he refuses to kneel underneath? [Ensemble] He was small, small, small, But the brain was bigger. He was weak, weak, weak, But the plan was quicker. Had a vial, had a smile, had a twitch in his whiskers. Nibbler, Nibbler, Pull the trigger. [Nibbler] I made medicine meaner, made chemistry cruel, Made a ladder from the pieces of a broken stool. Every insult was data, every bruise was a test, Every laugh was a lesson I could lock in my chest. So I mixed up the hunger, Distilled all the shame, Put rage in a bottle, And gave it a name. [Pre-Chorus] One sip, bones shift, Two sips, blood burns, Three sips, teeth split, Watch how the weak rat turns. Four sips, claws click, Five sips, spine bends, Six sips, Nibbler ends... [Gnosher] And Gnosher begins. [Chorus] Nibbler, Gnosher, little rat, big shadow, Brain like a blade with a beast in the marrow. Nibbler, Gnosher, whisper then roar, He was small once. He ain’t small anymore. Nibbler, Gnosher, hunger in his eyes, Every little trophy is a witness to his rise. Who will see him? Who will know? Every eye he takes says, “Grow, grow, grow.” [Verse 2] See, I don’t need a crown, I don’t need applause, I don’t need a banner or a noble cause. I need samples, results, proof in a jar, I need every little eye that watched me from afar. Every soldier at the gate had a look on his face, Like a rat was just vermin in a ruined place. Like I wasn’t a threat, like I wasn’t the spark, Like I hadn’t built a giant in the back of my heart. [Ensemble] Hold the gate! Stand your ground! Cut the ratlings down! [Nibbler] They were brave, sure. They were trained, sure. They had steel, had shields, had command. But bravery breaks when the little thing laughs With a shaking glass vial in his hand. [Pre-Chorus 2] One sip, throat tight, Two sips, ribs crack, Three sips, eyes wide, Everybody step back. Four sips, jaw drops, Five sips, fear spreads, Six sips, Nibbler stops... [Gnosher] Then Gnosher gets fed. [Chorus] Nibbler, Gnosher, little rat, big shadow, Brain like a blade with a beast in the marrow. Nibbler, Gnosher, whisper then roar, He was small once. He ain’t small anymore. Nibbler, Gnosher, hunger in his eyes, Every little trophy is a witness to his rise. Who will see him? Who will know? Every eye he takes says, “Grow, grow, grow.” [Bridge] I am the mind. I am the maw. I make the plan. I break the law. I find the fault. I force the door. I count the cost. I ask for more. They saw a runt with a twitch in his hand. They saw a giant where the small rat would stand. They saw a scholar with a hundred little eyes. They saw their ending when they saw me rise. [Ensemble] Nib-bler... Gnosh-er... Nib-bler... Gnosh-er... Not two names, one hunger, Not two beasts, one plan. One rat made himself a monster, One monster made him a man. [Verse 3] So how far can I go? That depends who’s asking. How big can I get? That depends who’s laughing. How much can I take? That depends who’s left. How many eyes in the city haven’t witnessed me yet? I was scrawny, now I’m scary. I was buried, now I climb. I was “someday,” I was “maybe,” Now I’m right on time. Every vial is a promise, every scar is a rung, Every eyeball says, “Remember where he came from.” I don’t run from the hunger, I invite it to dine. There’s a beast in the bottle, And the beast is mine. [Final Chorus] Nibbler, Gnosher, little rat, big shadow, Brain like a blade with a beast in the marrow. Nibbler, Gnosher, whisper then roar, He was small once. He ain’t small anymore. Nibbler, Gnosher, hunger in his eyes, Every little trophy is a witness to his rise. Who will see him? Who will know? Every eye he takes says, “Grow, grow, grow.” [Outro] Call me Nibbler when I’m thinking. Call me Gnosher when I’m done. If the world keeps watching... Then I’ll take the world one eye at a time.
