Lighthouse Blinks Wrong

[Intro — radio static, distant bell, storm wind] Static cracks on 89.9… Bell tolls three times offshore… Rain crawls across the signal… [Deep Voice] Do not follow the light. Do not trust the shore. If the lighthouse blinks wrong… you are already his. ⸻ [Verse 1] Captain had a steady hand, Compass had a spine, Moon was hanging crooked Over black reef line. Crew was laughing low With their boots on the boards, Till the bell rang once From a lighthouse with no door. Lantern in the tower Started blinking like an eye, Three short flashes, Then a long one to the sky. First mate said, “That’s safety.” Cook said, “That’s land.” But the wheel turned left Without a living hand. ⸻ [Pre-Chorus] Static in the rigging, Whispers in the rain, Radio coughing up Somebody else’s name. Waves pushed backwards, Stars went blind, And the dead bell rang Like it knew the time. ⸻ [Chorus] The lighthouse blinks wrong on the black reef line, Three short flashes and you’re out of time. Follow that glow, hear the dead bells ring, That ain’t no warning — that’s the crown of the King. The lighthouse blinks wrong where the dark tides crawl, One more sailor hears the cold sea call. Turn that wheel, but the wheel won’t swing, That ain’t no rescue — that’s the crown of the King. ⸻ [Post-Chorus — ghost crew chant] Wrong light, wrong shore, Dead men knocking at the captain’s door. Wrong blink, wrong song, Voodoo Radio been calling all along. ⸻ [Verse 2] Morse code tapped Through the storm-black glass, But every little warning Turned to laughter when it passed. The mast bent forward Like it bowed to the coast, And the shadows on the deck Started standing too close. Someone saw a keeper In the tower up high, No skin on his fingers, No sleep in his eyes. He waved with a lantern, Then he pointed below, Where the reef had teeth And the deep drums rolled. ⸻ [Pre-Chorus 2] Bass in the water, Steel in the air, Salt on the Bible And a curse in the prayer. Crew tried singing Just to drown out the sound, But the sea sang lower And it pulled them down. ⸻ [Chorus] The lighthouse blinks wrong on the black reef line, Three short flashes and you’re out of time. Follow that glow, hear the dead bells ring, That ain’t no warning — that’s the crown of the King. The lighthouse blinks wrong where the dark tides crawl, One more sailor hears the cold sea call. Turn that wheel, but the wheel won’t swing, That ain’t no rescue — that’s the crown of the King. ⸻ [Bridge — beat drops low, thunder, radio voice underneath] [Deep Voice] You thought the light meant mercy. You thought the shore meant home. But every beam that found you Was a finger made of bone. [Male Lead] Now the bell don’t toll for sailors, It tolls when the King arrives. Every flash across the water Is another ship denied. [Ghost Crew] Do not trust it. Do not need it. Do not stare too long. [Deep Voice] The beacon ain’t broken. It knows what it’s doing. The lighthouse blinks wrong. ⸻ [Verse 3] Captain tied the wheel With a rope and a prayer, But the rope came loose Like something chewed it there. Deck boards breathed And the sails turned black, Every flag they carried Changed to bones on the mast. Far-off drums Came walking through the fog, Not from the island, Not from any god. A voice on the radio Said, “Welcome to the ring.” Then the clouds split open For the Undead Pirate King. ⸻ [Final Chorus — bigger, full ghost crew] The lighthouse blinks wrong on the black reef line, Three short flashes and you’re out of time. Follow that glow, hear the dead bells ring, That ain’t no warning — that’s the crown of the King. The lighthouse blinks wrong where the dark tides crawl, One more sailor hears the cold sea call. Turn that wheel, but the wheel won’t swing, That ain’t no rescue — that’s the crown of the King. The lighthouse blinks wrong and the whole coast knows, No safe harbor where the black tide flows. Pray to the moon, let the church bells swing, But the last light burning is the crown of the King. ⸻ [Outro — stripped down, steel drum echo, bell tolling] Wrong light, wrong shore, Dead men smiling at the ocean floor. Wrong blink, wrong song, You heard the signal and you sailed too long.