[Intro – whispered female] The harvest moon hangs low above the mill A pumpkin rolls where the road goes still Carved crooked grin, black seeds for eyes Something in the furrow starts to rise [Verse 1 – deep male storytelling] Old Miss June said, “Child, bar the door,” But the latch came loose on the root-cellar floor Mud on the stairs, cold smoke in the hall A lantern swung though nobody called From the cane-field edge came a dragging chain And a laugh like gravel through the windowpane [Pre-Chorus – female lead] I hear the hinges learn my name I feel the floorboards take the blame If it comes through, let it come in clear I’ve got no room left for fear [Chorus – female lead, stacked harmonies] Pumkinhead, rise from the rows With a crooked crown and a mouth full of crows Pumkinhead, take what you’re owed We’ll meet you head-on at the end of the road Pumkinhead! (Hey!) Pumkinhead! (Hey!) The whole black field knows your name [Verse 2 – male patois cadence] Wheel dem turn when the night wind call Dry leaves skank by the old stone wall Boot heel, dirt heel, backstep slow Red clay stain where the cold roots grow No man laugh when the scarecrow bend No one see where the furrow end But me know that face, me know that grin Ain’t no harvest that can keep him in [Pre-Chorus – female lead] I hear the hinges learn my name I feel the floorboards take the blame If it comes through, let it come in clear I’ve got no room left for fear [Chorus – female lead, stacked harmonies] Pumkinhead, rise from the rows With a crooked crown and a mouth full of crows Pumkinhead, take what you’re owed We’ll meet you head-on at the end of the road Pumkinhead! (Hey!) Pumkinhead! (Hey!) The whole black field knows your name [Half-Time Drop – robotic male growl] SEED IN THE SOIL. BONE IN THE GROUND. TURN THE KEY. LET HIM OUT. [Verse 3 – female lead] I found the first seed beneath the stone Warm as a pulse, though I stood alone I drove it deep with the heel of my boot Then heard it laugh from under the root The cellar door kicked hard in its frame And every carved face answered the same [Chorus – female lead, male shouts] Pumkinhead, rise from the rows With a crooked crown and a mouth full of crows Pumkinhead, take what you’re owed We’ll meet you head-on at the end of the road Pumkinhead! (Hey!) Pumkinhead! (Hey!) The whole black field knows your name [Instrumental – extended psychedelic blues guitar solo] [Bridge – whispered female, then rising] One seed left in the lantern light One small heartbeat against the night I hold it close; I hear it grin Then crush it—let the silence in [Breakdown – male storytelling, female responses] Male: Who owns the field when the harvest is gone? Female: We do! Male: Who stands their ground when the dead come on? Female: We do! Male: Who shuts the door when the old roots call? Female: We do! All: Pumkinhead, you don’t own us all! [Final Chorus – full force, harmony stacks and screams] Pumkinhead, rise from the rows With a crooked crown and a mouth full of crows Pumkinhead, take what you’re owed We’ll meet you head-on at the end of the road Pumkinhead! (Hey!) Pumkinhead! (Hey!) The whole black field knows your name Pumkinhead, burn out the seed No more terror, no more teeth Pumkinhead! (Hey!) Pumkinhead! (Hey!) We stand where the roots run deep [Outro – whispered female, robotic male underneath] The harvest moon lifts over the mill The road lies quiet; the fields lie still One black seed rolls beneath the door… Male: STILL HERE.
