LEGEND OF THE PUMPKIN KING [Intro — Thick Fog / Whispering Forest / Ethereal Female Voice] [Wind through dead leaves... distant bell... faint fire crackling] They say... When October fog covers the road... When the moon disappears behind the pines... And the last light fades from the fields... You may see a lantern. Burning where no hand could have carried it. [Faint female whisper] Come closer... Follow the light... [Distant hysterical giggle] Hehehe... Don't be afraid... [Long pause] The forest remembers. [Deep whisper from far away] Do you remember me? --- [Verse 1 — Slow / Haunting / Seductive] The fog lies sleeping on the ground And silver vines embrace the trees A crooked path appears ahead Where no path used to be A lantern swings without a hand Its golden flame begins to sway You hear a voice beyond the mist That softly calls your name The branches bend... The night grows still... The forest seems to know your will... And somewhere underneath the leaves Something ancient starts to breathe --- [Pre-Chorus — Ghostly Harmonies] Follow the lantern... Follow the flame... Leave the road behind you... Forget your name... The deeper that you wander... The colder the night... Until a crown of autumn fire Appears beyond the light. --- [Chorus — MASSIVE / Dark Tribal Rock] RISE, PUMPKIN KING! OUT OF THE MIST OF NIGHT! CROWNED IN FIRE... WITH AUTUMN IN HIS EYES! RISE, PUMPKIN KING! LET EVERY LANTERN GLOW! FOLLOW THE FIRE... WHERE THE LOST LEARN WHERE TO GO! Ooooh... Rise... rise... PUMPKIN KING! --- [Verse 2 — Ancient Legend Revealed] Before the pumpkins wore a face Before the lanterns lined the street They carved the harvest roots with care And left them glowing at their feet For something walked the autumn dark When summer surrendered to the cold A guardian born of leaf and flame A king no mortal story told His kingdom vanished long ago Beneath the roots and ancient stone But one small fire survived the years And never burned alone --- [Pre-Chorus — Whispering Voices] They changed the lantern... Changed the lantern... They changed the shape... Changed the shape... They changed the story... Forgot the name... But every October... When the night grows thin... The old fire wakes again. --- [Chorus — Bigger / Ghost Choir] RISE, PUMPKIN KING! OUT OF THE MIST OF NIGHT! CROWNED IN FIRE... WITH AUTUMN IN HIS EYES! RISE, PUMPKIN KING! LET EVERY LANTERN GLOW! FOLLOW THE FIRE... WHERE THE LOST LEARN WHERE TO GO! Ooooh... Rise... rise... PUMPKIN KING! --- [Post-Chorus — Ghostly Female Voice] Come closer... The fire is warm... Come closer... He means no harm... [Soft laughter] Hehehe... [Sudden deep male whisper] Unless... --- [Bridge — Almost Silent / Haunted Forest] [Wind... distant heartbeat...] Deep beneath the oldest wood... There is a throne. Roots have swallowed the walls. Moss has covered the crown. And beneath the earth... A single ember waits. [Whispered voices begin surrounding the listener] He is sleeping... He is waiting... He is dreaming... He is listening... [Female whisper, very close] He's behind you. [Silence] --- [Ritual Breakdown — Explosive Drums] LIGHT THE LANTERN! CALL THE FLAME! WHISPER THE FORGOTTEN NAME! Roots became lanterns! Lanterns became pumpkins! Pumpkins became eyes! And through every glowing face... THE OLD KING WATCHES! [Hysterical laughter building] Heh... heh... HAHAHAHAHAHA! [Massive drum hit] PUMPKIN KING! --- [Final Chorus — Full Choir / Tribal Drums / Ghost Voices] RISE, PUMPKIN KING! OUT OF THE MIST OF NIGHT! CROWNED IN FIRE... WITH AUTUMN IN HIS EYES! RISE, PUMPKIN KING! LET EVERY LANTERN GLOW! FOLLOW THE FIRE... WHERE THE LOST LEARN WHERE TO GO! THEY CHANGED THE LANTERN! THEY NEVER CHANGED THE FIRE! THEY FORGOT THE LEGEND! BUT THE LEGEND NEVER DIED! RISE! RISE! Ooooh... RISE, PUMPKIN KING! --- [Final Breakdown — Slow / Hypnotic] [Music drops away to wind and fire] Every October... The fog returns. Every lantern... Opens its eyes. Every forgotten path... Leads somewhere. [Distant female whisper] Follow the light... [Pause] If you dare. --- [Outro — Ghostly / Unsettling] [Footsteps approaching through wet leaves] The path is gone now. The fog has closed behind you. Only one lantern remains. [Fire crackles] And if you listen closely... [Very faint breathing] You can hear him walking. Closer... Closer... Closer... [Silence] [Tiny distant laugh] Hehehe... [A deep voice directly behind the listener] Do you remember me? [Long silence] The Pumpkin King.
