[Vocal Style: Low, ominous storytelling vocals.] [Verse 1 – Sparse, Low Guitar + Faint Violin Drone] They came in summer, rolling carts down dusty roads, Painted signs in curling letters, gold against the red. A mother sent her son with coins clenched in his fist, By dusk, his name was whispered low—no trace of him was left. [Verse 2 – Add Banjo Plucking, Slow Bass Notes for Depth] They smiled soft as lace, hands as gentle as the breeze, Spoke like kinfolk, sweet and rich, a kindness laced with hush. Folks said, “They're just traders, a family passing through,” But doors stayed locked when evening fell, and windows held no trust. [Layered harmonies in the chorus for an unsettling, hymn-like effect.] [Chorus – Haunting, Slow-Build with Swelling Strings] Oh, but hearts can’t see what eyes refuse, Not every hand that offers care is clean. They sell delight, they sip and smile, And steal away unseen. [Vocal Style: Low, ominous storytelling vocals.] [Verse 3 – Sparse Again, Letting Silence Create Suspense] A preacher’s wife went missing next, her bonnet on the ground, Her footprints led to nowhere—just vanished in the air. The town stood still with wary breath, afraid to look too hard, For fear that what they’d find would be a horror laid too bare. [Verse 4 – Crescendo with Fiddle Flourishes, Mandolin Echoes] The sheriff’s boy, the baker’s girl, a stranger passing by, All traced back to the golden carts, yet nothing could be proved. Their voices rang like silver bells, their laughter soft as silk, And when they moved to go, the town still dared not move. [Layered harmonies in the chorus for an unsettling, hymn-like effect.] [Chorus – Stronger Now, Full Instrumentation, Ghostly Harmonies] Oh, but hearts can’t see what eyes refuse, Not every hand that offers care is clean. They sell delight, they sip and smile, And steal away unseen. [Bridge – Stripped Down, Just Guitar + Echoing Violin, Like a Whispered Secret] [Vocal Style: Low, ominous storytelling vocals.] A farmer braved their empty stall, found nothing left behind, Save wooden cups and tarnished coins and names carved in the pine. Each letter curled in careful script, each mark a silent grave, And in the air a hollow song—too sweet, too slow to fade. [Layered harmonies in the chorus for an unsettling, hymn-like effect.] [Final Chorus – Almost A Cappella at First, Then Instruments Swell to the End] Oh, but hearts can’t see what eyes refuse, Not every hand that offers care is clean. They sell delight, they sip and smile, And steal away unseen. [Outro – Fading, Like an Old Tale Being Lost to Time] [Vocal Style: Low, ominous storytelling vocals.] They came in summer, rolling carts down dusty roads, By autumn’s breath, they vanished swift—a tale left in the cold. [Outro] [Bridge – Stripped Down, Just Guitar + Echoing Violin, Like a Whispered Secret] [Vocal Style: Low, ominous storytelling vocals.] A farmer braved their empty stall, found nothing left behind, Save wooden cups and tarnished coins and names carved in the pine. Each letter curled in careful script, each mark a silent grave, And in the air a hollow song—too sweet, too slow to fade. [Layered harmonies in the chorus for an unsettling, hymn-like effect.] [Final Chorus – Almost A Cappella at First, Then Instruments Swell to the End] Oh, but hearts can’t see what eyes refuse, Not every hand that offers care is clean. They sell delight, they sip and smile, And steal away unseen. [Outro – Fading, Like an Old Tale Being Lost to Time] [Vocal Style: Low, ominous storytelling vocals.] They came in summer, rolling carts down dusty roads, By autumn’s breath, they vanished swift—a tale left in the cold. [Outro]