[Intro - no beat yet. Room tone, a chair, something metal set down on a table] [spoken, flat, wide awake] Three fiddy. That's all it was. Three dollar, fifty cent. [a beat] But i said no. [beat drops] [Verse 1 - dense, controlled, not yet shouting. He's presenting evidence] I ain't into what these creatures into, knew it back when I was young in the bayou Front porch knockin' after midnight, big ol' fins and a grin I saw right through She want respect? Ask me what I'm willin' to fight for, then ask what I'm willin' to die for Same answer, same porch, same door, and I ain't gone budge if she bite for Tail in my doorframe, pushin' with that motherfuckin' strength, I held it Every night I spent preppin', too many to count, and every one of 'em I felt it Aimed the saw-off level at a face that don't got no business bein' that pretty No bucks. No deal. No exception. That's the only amount in this city [flow shifts, shorter, clipped] She left. Didn't run. Walked. [pause] Looked back once like she was takin' a name [quieter] And she was [Hook - paranoid chant, heavy, half-shouted] Ever had one ask you for three fiddy? Creepin' up, shady figure from Loch Ness up Big ol' lizard Comin' sneaky Tryna ran up Don't let Nessie get your money Don't let Nessie get your money Not a dollar Not a penny Not three-fifty Not any (nuh-uh) [low, under the beat] …she took a name [Verse 2 - faster, wider, paranoia ramps up] Mall on a Tuesday and I clocked her by the Cinnabon, phone to her ear talkin' low and talkin' patient Not a word about me, didn't have to, she was readin' off a number and the number was my payment Mothman at the Sbarro with a clipboard, Bigfoot workin' security, badge and a nametag Skunk Ape in the parking lot just leanin' on my bumper like he's waitin' on a shift change, same bag They ain't chasin', that's the thing, ain't ever had to chase me, just filed it, stamped it, passed it down the stack Jersey Devil hit my phone at 2 AM, "bro you got fare?" - bro I ain't got fare, and the bastard knew that Kraken co-signed somethin' I ain't never signed, now I'm gettin' mail addressed to "occupant or beast" (hah) Every drainpipe in the county got a set of eyes inside, and they all got the same date on the same receipt [flow breaks, short, hard] Three fiddy. Compoundin'. Daily. [pause] Man said no one time in the bayou [quieter] and the interest never stopped [Hook] Ever had one ask you for three fiddy? Creepin' up, shady figure from Loch Ness up Big ol' lizard Comin' sneaky Tryna ran up Don't let Nessie get your money Don't let Nessie get your money Check the window Check the drain Check the gutter Check the grate Standing water, that's suspicious Pretty eyes, that's malicious [Short Instrumental break - wild detuned banjo solo] [Bridge - beat strips to a pulse. He speeds up as it goes. Nobody is in the room] Three fiddy, three fiddy, don't you pull it out They can smell it on your hands, they can hear it in your house Three fiddy, three fiddy, and it's never just the one Kraken co-signin', Skunk Ape collectin', Mothman filin' what the Skunk Ape done Chupacabra got the ledger, Jackalope got the route Wendigo don't take cash, Wendigo take the whole account Jersey Devil textin' fare is low, Bigfoot hidin' at the store Nobody knockin' though [quieter] nobody's knocked since '94 [beat drops out entirely. Just his voice, close] I counted every night since. I know what night it was. I know what she was wearin'. [a beat] [flat] She ain't never comin' back. [longer beat] [very quiet, the crack] …she ain't never comin' back, right? [beat slams back in] [Post-Bridge - beat slams back in, harder than before. He is suddenly certain again] Nah, son. That's what she WANT me thinkin'. That's the play. Make a man think she moved on, then circle back when he put the change away. Thirty years quiet? That's patience. That's discipline. That's aquatic surveillance. You think I don't know how they move? You think a lake monster forget a debt? (nuh-uh) She took my name, she know my door, and I ain't seen the last of her yet. Whole county sleeps good, whole county paid up, whole county got they window open wide. I'm the only man still countin' in this parish and she know exactly which house that is tonight. [quieter, absolutely certain] Bet she's lurkin' right beneath that hardwood floor! (Ho!) [sound of a shotgun being cocked] [Hook 3] Don't let Nessie get your money Don't let Nessie get your money Not a dollar Not a penny (mm-mm) Check the window Check the drain NOT THREE-FIFTY NOT ANY Standing water, that's suspicious Pretty eyes, that's malicious that's malicious that's malicious... [everything drops out, labored breath] …she took a name One day i take hers [everything drops out, labored breath] …she took a name One day i take hers [Outro - beat gone. Room tone. Same chair as the intro] [spoken, quiet, out of breath] …mama told me once. Said she paid her, way back. Said it was easier. Said I'd understand one day. [a beat] [flat] Mama slept fine every night of her life. [longer beat] [very quiet] I ain't slept since '94. [chair creak. Silence.]
