[Intro - Whispered Female Vocal, Crickets, Wind Through Cornstalks, Fingerpicked Acoustic Guitar] Grandma told me, “Girl, when the harvest comes, Don’t go walking where the tall corn runs…” [Verse 1 - Soft Youthful Female Country Vocal, Intimate Storytelling] Daddy wore his Sunday best, Mama pinned a rose upon her dress, White church gloves and a Bible verse, Bless this house and hide the worst. We had sweet tea cooling by the door, A family name they all adored, But every night when the moon hung low, I heard something scratching underneath the floor. [Pre-Chorus - Subtle Fiddle, Rising Tension] Mama crossed herself at half past ten, Daddy washed his boots again, I asked what happened years ago, She said, “Some seeds ain’t meant to grow.” [Chorus - Catchy Dark Country-Pop, Banjo, Fiddle, Driving Drums, Haunting Harmonies] There are rats in the corn, there’s blood in the ground, There’s a whole lot of sinners in this God-fearing town. Daddy says the Lord knows, Mama says don’t mourn, But the truth comes crawling when the rats leave the corn. Oh, the fields grow high, but the roots grow rotten, Every little secret that the good Lord’s forgotten. You can lock that barn, you can nail that door, But the rats know what you’re hiding for. [Post-Chorus - Chanting Backing Vocals, Stomping Percussion] Rats in the corn, rats in the corn, Something’s been buried since the night I was born. [Verse 2 - Darker Vocal, Plucked Banjo, Suspenseful Rhythm] Found old letters in the corncrib wall, One girl’s name on a faded scrawl, Lydia Grace, nineteen years old, Last seen here when the nights turned cold. Daddy struck a match behind the shed, Burned every word that the paper said, But I saved one page from the falling flame, And the signature at the bottom bore his name. [Pre-Chorus - Building Fiddle, Low Drums] Mama cried, “You don’t know what you’ve done. Some truths can swallow everyone.” Then she whispered through her tears, “She disappeared twenty years.” [Chorus - Full Country-Pop Arrangement, Powerful Youthful Lead] There are rats in the corn, there’s blood in the ground, There’s a whole lot of sinners in this God-fearing town. Daddy says the Lord knows, Mama says don’t mourn, But the truth comes crawling when the rats leave the corn. Oh, the fields grow high, but the roots grow rotten, Every little secret that the good Lord’s forgotten. You can lock that barn, you can nail that door, But the rats know what you’re hiding for. [Instrumental Break - Eerie Fiddle Solo, Banjo Rolls, Foot Stomps, Distant Church Bells] [Bridge - Stripped-Back Piano and Acoustic Guitar, Confessional Vocal] “Lydia was your daddy’s girl,” Mama said, “Till she found out the lies he’d fed. I saw him lead her past the trees, He came back alone, down on his knees. I kept you safe, I kept my silence, Mistook my fear for love and guidance. That night I swore I’d never tell, Now every prayer sounds like a bell.” [Build-Up - Rising Drums, Tremolo Guitar, Whispered Backing Vocals] The harvest moon climbed into the sky, The whole town gathered as the flames rose high. I took those letters to the courthouse door, And told them what the fields were hiding for. [Final Chorus - Explosive Drums, Soaring Fiddle, Layered Harmonies, Defiant Vocal] There were rats in the corn, there was blood in the ground, And a whole lot of sinners in this God-fearing town. Daddy begged the Lord, Mama fell to the floor, But the truth came crawling through the courthouse door. Now the fields grow wild where the house once stood, No whitewashed walls can cover that blood. You can bury a name, you can swear an oath, But the rats remember what the town forgot. [Outro - Instruments Fade to Acoustic Guitar, Crickets, Soft Whisper] Grandma said, “Girl, when the harvest comes, Don’t go walking where the tall corn runs…” I don’t walk there anymore. But every autumn, when the night winds blow, I hear those little feet beneath the road. [Final Whisper - Almost Spoken] Rats in the corn… And the truth still grows.
