[Verse 1: dark alto female lead, low and dark over the tom-heavy drums] I was seven when the pan caught fire, and the left side took the heat Thirty years I've worn my hair down like a curtain to the street Scarf in August, hood in April, shades inside the grocery store Every kid that ever pointed, every mother at the door Three hundred sixty-four days, I'm a woman made of cloth Pull it up and pull it tighter, never let the wind pull it off But the last night of October, I come down the stairs at dusk Hang the scarf up on the hook and walk out bare, because I must [Chorus: dark alto female lead, the chorused guitars wide, the toms pounding] I go barefaced on Halloween, the one night no one stares Every monster on the avenue, and nobody even cares They say, "Baby, what a costume," and I tell 'em, "Took me years" I go barefaced on Halloween, the realest face out here [Verse 2: dark alto female lead, the bass climbing] Rubber zombies, plastic witches, fake blood drippin' down the chin Boys with latex on their cheekbones, girls with stitches on their skin Every face is somethin' painted, every face is somethin' fake And I'm the only real one walkin', and I'm walkin' wide awake A man in a werewolf head leans in and says, "How'd you do the skin?" And I tell him, "Thirty years," and he just shakes his head and grins And a girl dressed as a vampire takes my picture by the bar Says, "You win the contest, lady," and I tell her, "Here's my scar" [Chorus: the chorused guitars wide, the toms pounding] I go barefaced on Halloween, the one night no one stares Every monster on the avenue, and nobody even cares They say, "Baby, what a costume," and I tell 'em, "Took me years" I go barefaced on Halloween, the realest face out here [Bridge: dark alto female lead, over the bass and toms, then a reversed guitar swell sucks the band backward into the chorus] And at midnight all the masks come off, and every face goes plain They peel away their monsters, and they walk home in the rain And I stand there in the street with mine, the only one still on 'Cause mine was never comin' off, and mine was never wrong [Chorus: everything in, full voice] I go barefaced on Halloween, the one night no one stares Every monster on the avenue, and nobody even cares They say, "Baby, what a costume," and I tell 'em, "Took me years" I go barefaced on Halloween, the realest face out here [Outro: dark alto female lead, the drums still pounding] First of the month, the sun comes up, the scarf is on the hook And I walk down to the grocery store, and I let the whole town look [End]
