The Boogerman

(Sung slow, close, and flat. No comfort in the voice.) Hush now, child, and lock that door The night is thick and the floorboards creak There’s somethin’ walkin’ just outside And it knows the sound of a child that don’t speak It don’t have a face like a man ought to have Just a wet dark hole where the mouth should be It drags its nails down the window glass And it whispers your name like it already knows thee Booger man’ll get you if you don’t mind Booger man’ll get you if you stay outside Booger man’ll get you when the lamp burns low And there won’t be a soul left to hear you cry It waits in the thicket where the laurel grows tight It waits under the bed where the shadows pile deep It waits in the well and the old root cellar And it waits in the dark while you try to sleep If you sneak out the window it’ll catch your wrist If you talk back sharp it’ll climb the stairs If you stay out past dark it’ll find your bed And it’ll drag you down where the black damp is Booger man’ll get you if you don’t mind Booger man’ll get you if you stay outside Booger man’ll get you when the lamp burns low And there won’t be a soul left to hear you cry It don’t need a reason and it don’t need a light It already measured the length of your breath It already tasted the fear in your blood And it already decided the day of your death So hush now, child, and stay in that bed Keep your eyes shut tight and your mouth real still ‘Cause the booger man’s listenin’ under the floor And he’s waitin’ to see if you ever will Booger man’ll get you Booger man’ll get you Booger man’ll get you And he never comes empty-handed back