The Attic

[Intro – single distorted chord feeding back forever, floorboards creaking overhead] I never left… I just went upstairs. [Verse 1 – Rap, ice-cold predator flow, barely above a whisper] I crawl on sixteen limbs when the moon hits the skylight just right Nails grown long, yellow, clicking soft across the beams every night Your Cheetos? I lick the dust off one finger at a time, watchin’ you sleep Crumbs fall through the ceiling onto your cheek — you think it’s a dream, I let you keep I drink the sweat off your forehead when the AC dies in July Taste your nightmares, bottle ‘em, save the strong ones for when you die Your baby pictures in the boxes up here? I kiss every one Practice your mama’s voice so when I finally speak, you’ll come runnin’ I am the weight on your chest at 3:33, the shadow with too many joints I sharpen my teeth on the copper wiring, wait for the perfect point [Pre-Chorus – guitars swell like a lung filling with tar] You hear me? (I HEAR YOU BREATHE) You fear me? (GOOD) [Chorus – massive call-and-response, demonic choir vs. guttural monster] The Attic! (HE’S IN THE ATTIC!) The Attic! (STARVIN’ IN THE ATTIC!) Countin’ your heartbeats, lickin’ the blade One pull on the stairs and your world gets flayed The Attic! (HE’S IN THE ATTIC!) The Attic! (FOREVER IN THE ATTIC!) Pink insulation soaked in my drool Tonight I come down… and the house eats you [Verse 2 – Rap, voice drops to a sub-bass growl] Left a tooth in your pillow, still warm, still drippin’ red Carved my name in the headboard with the claw you ain’t found yet I piss in the vents so your whole room smells like territory Wear your skin like a coat when I rehearse how I’ll end the story Cameras catch dust and cobwebs, never me — I move between frames I am the reason dogs whine at the ceiling, cats hiss at empty space Your last breath gon’ taste like Christmas ornaments and mouse poison I’ll fold you small, fit you in a box with the decorations, no noise, son Been up here since the house was built, feedin’ on every tenant before You’re just the latest meal that walks and talks and locks the door [Bridge – total breakdown, everything drops to one distorted bass note and a single creaking board] Scratch… scratch… (GETTIN’ CLOSER) Hunger… match… (LIGHT THE FUSE) Pull the string, drop the stairs, feel the cold rush of air Mommy’s little monster finally gets his share [Final Chorus – apocalyptic, vocals layered like a swarm] The Attic! (HE’S IN THE ATTIC!) The Attic! (TEETH IN THE ATTIC!) Ropes of saliva hangin’ from the rafters tonight Gonna wrap ‘em round your throat and drag you into the light The Attic! (HE’S IN THE ATTIC!) The Attic! (DEATH IN THE ATTIC!) No priest, no gun, no 911 When the stairs unfold… you better run [Outro – all instruments cut dead. Thirty seconds of silence. Then, directly in your ear, wet breathing and a single word] …come…up…