[Intro — frantic bass alone, galloping faster; distant thunder] Run, little thunder! Run, little spark! Run with your teeth And your heart in the dark! Run, little thunder! Run till the sky Tares a hole in the night Big enough to climb! [Full band crashes in] [Verse 1 — breathless, bass driving relentlessly] Black train screaming through the ground, Tin teeth grinding, wheels wound round. Canvas snapping, guy ropes strain, All the little gods come out in the rain. Mirror boys with a thousand eyes, Old men wearing their alibis. Paper moons and a painted grin, Every door says OUT, every road leads IN! Jim! There's a shadow on your heel! Will! There's a truth you cannot steal! Hear that whistle split the wire— Something's got to catch on fire! [Pre-Chorus — guitars chop against the bass] The bulbs go white! The dogs go wild! The dead men dance! The witch-child smiles! The sky draws back Its silver knife— And the whole damned carnival Comes alive! [Chorus — huge, ragged gang shouts] RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! BREAK THAT BLACK! BRING THE NIGHTMARE OUT IN THE BLACK! RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! BURN THAT LIE! IF IT LIVS IN THE SHADOWS, DRAG IT INTO THE SKY! Run! Run! Let the whole world see! Run! Run! There's no hiding me! [Verse 2 — bass more frantic, drums pounding] The Dust Witch listens— The lightning starts talking. The windows are watching. The skeleton's walking. The merry-go-round bucks Like a horse gone blind. All those stolen years Come rattling behind. Young skin splits at the seams, Old bones crack through the dream. The Happiness Machine coughs up a grin, Then spits every swallowed feeling back in! The salesman drops his silver tongue. The barker chokes on everyone. The man with no shadow looks down at his feet— One black shape In the white-hot street! [Pre-Chorus — rising, cymbals and feedback] The bulbs go black! The mirrors bleed! The gears bite down On the mouths that feed! The sky draws back Its silver knife— And the whole damned carnival Comes alive! [Chorus — full force] RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! BREAK THAT BLACK! BRING THE NIGHTMARE OUT IN THE BLACK! RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! BURN THAT LIE! IF IT LIVS IN THE SHADOWS, DRAG IT INTO THE SKY! Run! Run! Let the whole world see! Run! Run! There's no hiding me! [Instrumental chase — bass solo gallops; guitars slash in bursts; drums tumble like thunder] [Breakdown — everything cuts to a heartbeat pulse] Who's that hiding in the mirror? [One guitar scrape] Who's that begging to be young? [Metallic crash] Who's that selling you forever? [The bass returns, twice as fast] WHO'S THAT HOLDING ALL THE STRINGS? [Explosion — full band] LOOK! [Verse 3 — ferocious, revelations tumbling over one another] There's the father in the window With his face pressed to the glass. There's the boy he thought he'd been And the years he let him pass. There's the mother in the music, There's the child inside the man. There's the fear beneath the fortune, There's the cage beneath the plan. There's the shadow without a body! There's the body without a name! There's the hand behind the curtain! There's the wire beneath the flame! No more velvet! No more veil! No more whisper! No more sale! Every monster's got a maker! Every trick's got a trail! [Bridge — frantic drums; bass coils around a descending guitar riff] Charles laughs— And the spell comes loose! Not a sermon! Not a truce! Just a laugh In the devil's face! Just a hand That won't let go! Just a boy Who won't stay still! Just a storm They cannot own! [Tom Fury's warning returns as a shouted refrain] DON'T HIDE FROM THE WEATHER! DON'T PRAY FOR THE RAIN! DON'T BUILD YOURSELF A CAGE AND CALL THE CAGE YOUR NAME! [Thunderous instrumental break — guitars bend and buckle; bass surges; a half-beat of total silence before the lightning strike] [Final Chorus — everything at maximum intensity] RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! BREAK THAT BLACK! ALL OF THE SHADOWS ARE TURNING BACK! RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! BURN THAT LIE! LET THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD SEE WHAT'S INSIDE! RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! TEAR IT APART! LET THE LIGHTNING GET INTO THE HEART! Run! Run! Till the false lights die! Run! Run! Till the dead things fly! RUN, LITTLE THUNDER! [Final crash — a burst of white noise, then the bass continues alone] [Outro — bass slowing, one note at a time] No mirrors. No wheels. No ticket. No deal. No voice in the darkness Telling you what to feel. Just rain on the pavement. Just blood in the hand. Just two boys running Through a town that can stand. [Quiet, exhausted, same male voice] Look. There's the sun. [One final thunderclap] [Silence]
