[Verse 1] October came chewing on a copper wire With a mouth full of leaves and a pocket full of fire The town put its children to bed before dark Something kept scratching its name in the park Black rain rattled every tin roof The moon wore a halo like a bulletproof Somebody's dog disappeared down the lane Came back three winters older in the rain [Pre-Chorus] The clock struck twelve Then twelve again Nobody laughed Nobody said when [Chorus] October Country Black leaves on the line October Country Your shadow ain't mine You can lock every window You can bury every key October Country Don't come looking for me [Verse 2] There's a man on the corner selling pieces of time Three years for a dollar, five for a dime He's got a little boy's smile in a paper sack And a face like a house somebody set fire to and left The carnival hasn't come That's what everybody says But there's sawdust in the gutter And a ticket in my bed I found a brass button I found a black feather I found my own handwriting Saying never say never [Pre-Chorus] The clock struck twelve Then twelve again Something laughed Behind the wind [Chorus] October Country Black leaves on the line October Country Your shadow ain't mine You can lock every window You can bury every key October Country Don't come looking for me [Verse 3] Two boys ran laughing underneath the moon One wanted tomorrow One wanted too soon They chased the train tracks through the weeds and the rain While the dark kept counting every year in their names And somewhere downtown Behind the butcher shop door A woman got younger Then younger some more She came out smiling With a face seventeen But her eyes were the oldest I'd ever seen [Bridge — stripped down, tense] Every town has a hunger It keeps under the floor Every heart has a number It won't tell you anymore You can wish on the lightning You can bargain with God You can trade in your childhood For a brand-new body But time is a thief With a cop's little grin He'll give you what you asked for Then ask where you've been [Build] October! October! October! The leaves are coming down! [Final Verse] I don't believe in ghosts I don't believe in signs I don't believe a carnival Can steal your mind But I heard that whistle At a quarter to three And the train had no engine And it stopped just for me There was nobody driving Nobody aboard Just a thousand black windows And an open door [Break — guitar feedback, bass continues] So if you hear somebody Calling out your name— Don't turn around. Don't answer. Don't play the game. [Final Chorus — ragged, shouted] October Country Black leaves on the line October Country Your shadow ain't mine You can lock every window You can bury every key October Country— [Band drops] Don't come looking for me. [Outro — distant children's voices] October... October... October... [Train whistle approaches] [Male storyteller, barely audible] Something wicked this way comes.
