Counting Teeth

[Intro] [Slow distorted metallic cowbell echoes. Faint music box melody. Distant whispers and static.] Mother says to smile politely... But smiles always show their teeth. [Verse 1] I count teeth when people laugh Thirty-two means stay away Some hide knives behind their smiles Some get hungry when they pray I don't like the grocery store Too many mouths and too much light Everybody shows their gums Like they're getting ready to bite The lady at the checkout smiled Asked me if I'd had a good day She had every single tooth... So I looked away. [Pre-Chorus] Teacher says I'm very quiet Teacher says I stare too long I'm just trying to remember Which smiles feel wrong [Chorus] [Heavy guitars enter. Distorted cowbell becomes rhythmic beneath the drums.] I keep counting teeth Counting teeth Every face looks dangerous to me Everybody smiles Everybody lies Everybody wants a piece of me Count the teeth Watch their eyes Watch the way they move their hands If I know how many teeth they have Maybe I'll understand [Verse 2] The other children run and scream They play games I never know They all laugh before they hurt you So I always watch them close Tommy showed me all his teeth Said he wanted to be friends Then he pulled the wings from butterflies And smiled at me again I buried all the little bodies Behind the swings last spring Nobody cried except me... I don't understand those things. [Pre-Chorus] Teacher says I think too much Teacher says I should go play But the children bare their teeth The same grown people do each day [Chorus] I keep counting teeth Counting teeth Every face looks dangerous to me Everybody smiles Everybody lies Everybody wants a piece of me Count the teeth Watch their eyes Watch the way they move their hands If I know how many teeth they have Maybe I'll understand [Bridge] [Everything falls away except deep bass, distant music box, and slow distorted metallic cowbell.] Mother used to smile like sunshine Tuck me safely into bed Father smiled before he'd shout Before the walls turned red Some smiles mean you're safe to sleep Some smiles mean to run I learned that when I was little... Before I learned to count. [Distorted cowbell echoes in the distance.] Now I count teeth in photographs In strangers and in friends Because every bad thing I've ever known... Started with a grin. [Final Chorus] [Full emotional climax. Massive guitars, layered vocals, distorted cowbell underneath.] I keep counting teeth Counting teeth Trying to know who I should fear Everybody smiles Nobody tells me Why they disappear Count the teeth Watch their eyes Watch the way they move their hands Maybe if I count enough The world will make some sense at last [Outro] [Music slowly fades, leaving only music box and distant metallic percussion.] Maybe one day... Someone will smile at me... And I won't be afraid. Maybe one day... I'll learn to smile... Without counting first. [Music box slowly winds down.]