Don’t Let It Count You

[Intro] Don’t look up when the fire burns low… Don’t speak when the cold wind blows… If you hear your name—no, you don’t… No, you don’t… no, you don’t… [Verse I] We were five when the night began, Five by flame and trembling hands, Ash fell soft like quiet snow, But no one spoke of where it flowed. The woods stood still, too still to breathe, No insect hymn, no rustling leaves, Just something shifting out of sight— A shape that swallowed up the light. [Pre-Chorus] Then Marcus laughed to break the dread… But stopped before the sound was said. His mouth hung wide—his voice was gone… Like something took it moving on. [Chorus] It counts you slow… it counts you wrong… It hums you like a broken song… It learns the sound of who you are— Then calls you back from where you are. Don’t turn around… don’t answer it… Don’t breathe too loud… don’t think of it… ’Cause once it knows the shape of you— It won’t stop till it’s wearing you. [Verse II] We saw the trees begin to lean, Not from wind—but something unseen, Like all the forest bent in prayer To something standing just not there. Then in the dark between the trunks, We saw our shadows split in chunks, Each one moving half a beat— Like something learning how we meet. [Pre-Chorus] Then Jenna swore she heard her dad— Though he’d been gone since she was ten… It called her name from right behind— But we were all still in our lines. [Chorus] It counts you slow… it counts you wrong… It hums you like a broken song… It wears your voice, it steals your breath— It practices your shape to death. Don’t turn around… don’t answer it… Don’t let it finish counting it… ’Cause once it reaches “five” again— You won’t be counted with your friends. [Bridge] One… (did you hear it?) Two… (don’t look back) Three… (it’s closer now) Four… (it knows your track) Five— …we were six. [Verse III] No one spoke, but we all knew, The fire burned a stranger’s hue, Its face was wrong—but not enough, Like memory stretched and stitched with stuff. It smiled wide with borrowed teeth, Its shadow bent the wrong beneath, And when it blinked—it blinked too late… Like it was syncing up with fate. [Pre-Chorus] Then softly, in my own voice tone… I heard it whisper: “You’re alone.” But I was sitting by the fire— So who the hell was speaking higher? [Chorus] It counts you slow… it counts you wrong… It sings you like a dying song… It peels your name from out your chest— And wears it better than the rest. Don’t say a word… don’t make a sound… It’s closer when it’s not around… And when it calls you from inside— There’s nowhere left for you to hide. [Outro] Don’t look up when the fire burns low… Don’t speak when the cold wind blows… If you hear your name— …it’s already too late. …we’re still six.