[Intro - Low bass, distant clean guitar] [Deep male voice] Door three. Twenty-three steps down. And somebody... Was waiting. [Verse 1] One bare light At the end of the hall. Black little shadow Against the wall. Porcelain face. Gold in her hand. She didn't move. She just watched where I stand. Little Miss Nevermore. I'd seen her before. But something was different Behind those eyes. No wicked smile. No little game. Just one cold finger Raised to her lips. Then she whispered my name. [Pre-Chorus] She pointed above me. The ceiling began To hum with a song. She grabbed my hand— "Whatever you do... Don't sing along." [Chorus] DON'T OPEN DOOR EIGHT! DON'T ANSWER THE SOUND! IF THE JUKEBOX KNOWS YOUR NAME... DON'T TURN AROUND! DON'T OPEN DOOR EIGHT! WHATEVER YOU HEAR! IT DOESN'T WANT YOUR SOUL... IT WANTS YOUR EAR! [Verse 2] Names on the wall. Hundreds deep. Some scratched away. Some underneath. Johnny Bones. A truckie's name. Others forgotten But marked just the same. Then at the bottom... Mine. Fresh in the stone. Not crossed out. Not yet gone. I looked at Nevermore. She wouldn't explain. She just held out Half of a ticket... And disappeared again. [Pre-Chorus] Four little words On the back in red— THE MUSIC NEEDS A LISTENER. Nothing else said. Then somewhere above me... The jukebox stopped. [Silence] And something behind me... Knocked. [Chorus] DON'T OPEN DOOR EIGHT! DON'T ANSWER THE SOUND! IF THE JUKEBOX KNOWS YOUR NAME... DON'T TURN AROUND! DON'T OPEN DOOR EIGHT! WHATEVER YOU HEAR! IT DOESN'T WANT YOUR SOUL... IT WANTS YOUR EAR! [Instrumental - Heavy guitar riff] [Bridge - Low and restrained] Seven doors. Seven names. Seven pieces Of the same old game. Seven roads That twist and wait. And every one... Leads back to Eight. [Heavy drums enter] I held that ticket Against the light. There was something underneath I hadn't seen right. Tiny black letters Along one side— NOT EVERY SONG WANTS YOU ALIVE. [Breakdown] DON'T SING. DON'T SPEAK. DON'T FOLLOW THE NEEDLE'S CREEK. DON'T KNOCK. DON'T WAIT. DON'T... OPEN... EIGHT. [Final Chorus - Massive] DON'T OPEN DOOR EIGHT! DON'T ANSWER THE SOUND! IF THE JUKEBOX KNOWS YOUR NAME... DON'T TURN AROUND! DON'T OPEN DOOR EIGHT! WHATEVER YOU HEAR! IT DOESN'T WANT YOUR SOUL... IT WANTS YOUR EAR! DON'T OPEN DOOR EIGHT! DON'T GIVE IT A SONG! BECAUSE ONCE YOU START LISTENING... YOU'VE ALREADY... SUNG... ALONG. [Music stops] [Outro - Clean guitar, low electrical hum] I looked back Toward the stairs. Nevermore was gone. Half a gold ticket Lay in my hand. Four words. THE MUSIC NEEDS A LISTENER. [Long pause] Then from somewhere right beside my ear— [Very close whisper, spoken] "Don't believe her." [Cut to silence.]
