[Verse 1] Halloween night, the witches set the table Stirring up candies in a black iron kettle They hand out treats to the kids at the door Nobody sees what's waiting inside anymore The little ones grin and take handfuls home Sticky wrappers and sugar with a strange little glow By midnight the houses get quiet and still Too many sweet bites, and a stomach goes ill [Verse 2] Back at the house, the kids can't sit still Sneakers by the vent and a blood-drip candy spill One's got a pale face pressed to the TV glow One keeps hearing tapping where the closet clothes hang low There's a hum in the outlet and a scrape in the wall Little voices leaking through the cracks in the hall She dumps out the candy by the sink with a frown And bolts the screen door as the porch bulb burns down [Verse 3] Then out from the yard comes old Barnaby, the kindest old thing With a patched-up coat and a bell on a string He kneels by the couch, puts a cool hand on skin Says, "Breathe in slow, little one, let the hurt go in" He ladles out broth from a battered tin cup, wipes the sheen from their lips, and restores their courage. By morning, they’re laughing, rosy-cheeked and well, as Barnaby tips his hat and quietly slips away past the well. [Chorus] Oh, the witches are calling from the front porch screen With a bowl full of sugar and a grin so mean They set out the candy, they count every child Then laugh in the kitchen when the jack-o'-lanterns smile On Halloween night, better keep close by When the witches set the table, something ain't right Something ain't right [Bridge] They want the laughter, the wildness in their eyes The energy that sugar can't disguise They want the chaos, the spark, the restless beat A little bit of mischief, oh, it tastes so sweet They feed on the wonder, the dreams that children hold A tiny piece of future, stories yet untold They don't want your money, or a potion, or a spell Just a flicker of that spirit, to keep their own souls well [Instrumental with eerie ghost sounds] [Chorus] Oh, the witches are calling from the front porch screen With a bowl full of sugar and a grin so mean They set out the candy, they count every child Then laugh in the kitchen when the jack-o'-lanterns smile On Halloween night, better keep close by When the witches set the table, something ain't right..... something ain't right! [whitches are making dying sounds from eating sweets!!! ] ..ahhh! oh Aahhh!! [faint children playing noises] [outro] So the witches are dead, from eating their own sweets, the children are happy to be safe in their beds once again..........the children are safe!.......'We'll just have to try harder next time!!!'''................(witches cackly, with eerie sounds!!).................[end]
