[THE HULL WALKER] [Intro — black water, low hull creak, distant dub bass] [SCRAAAAAPE] [Pause] [THUMP] [SCRAAAAAPE] [THUMP] [Station Voice — low, distorted] Voodoo Radio… If you hear something walking beneath your ship… don’t go looking. And whatever knocks— don’t knock back. [Deep bass drops] ⸻ VERSE 1 Black water flat, not a breath in the sail Moon cut thin with a storm on its tail First heard scratching somewhere down low Asked who heard it—whole damn crew said no Port side scrape, then it crossed underneath Slow damn steps where there shouldn’t be feet Lanterns went over, we searched that black Nothing in the water, then the scratching came back Claw hit timber, dragged bow to stern Stopped for a breath, then made the return Every man quiet when it passed below Something on the hull had nowhere else to go ⸻ PRE-CHORUS Scratch… Step… Scratch… Step… Something down there keeping time Scratch… Step… Scratch— [BEAT CUTS] Then it stopped beneath mine. ⸻ CHORUS HULL WALKER! Walking where the black tide roll Claws on the timber underneath our souls No damn swimmer, no man alive Walking upside down where the dead things dive HULL WALKER! Hear that scrape when the bass drops low Don’t lean over, you don’t wanna know If those footsteps stop where you’re lying at— Three knocks come… Don’t knock back. [Dub echo] Don’t knock back… [back…] [back…] ⸻ VERSE 2 Second night came and the sea stayed still Something underneath had a mind and a will Bow went quiet, then the sternboard groaned Every slow step shook through the bones Cook grabbed steel, First Mate grabbed light Crew hit the rail, staring into the night Lantern swung low where the black waves rolled Nothing but water three hundred feet cold Then one man whispered, “Look underneath.” Nobody answered. Nobody breathed. Shadow moved wrong where the moonlight fell Two long legs on the bottom of the hull itself Upside down with the deep below Walking our keel where no feet should go Then every claw dug into the plank— [BEAT CUTS] KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. ⸻ DROP [Silence] [Hull groaning] [One sailor breathing hard] [Sailor — whispered] Don’t answer it. [Long pause] KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. [Deep reverb] Knock… Knock… Knock… [BASS SLAMS BACK] ⸻ CHORUS HULL WALKER! Walking where the black tide roll Claws on the timber underneath our souls No damn swimmer, no man alive Walking upside down where the dead things dive HULL WALKER! Hear that scrape when the bass drops low Don’t lean over, you don’t wanna know If those footsteps stop where you’re lying at— Three knocks come… Don’t knock back. ⸻ VERSE 3 Third night broke every nerve on board Nobody sleeping, nobody ignored Scratch hit port, then it crawled toward aft One man shaking while the others stood back Stopped underneath where his hammock hung Three slow knocks and he bit his tongue Again came three from the dark below Man lost his nerve, said, “You want me? Let’s go.” Raised one fist while the whole crew froze Knocked three times on the boards below KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. [Everything stops] No claw. No scrape. No sound came back. Just dead black water… and a silent black track. ⸻ BRIDGE Morning came but nobody slept Sun climbed high and the silence kept Checked every plank from the bow to the stern No claw marks anywhere… Nothing to learn. Night came down. Still no sound. No scraping underneath. Crew started laughing. Rum came around. Then— [BEAT CUTS] [Wet footstep on deck] … [Wet footstep] … [Wet footstep] [First Mate — whispered] That’s not underneath us. ⸻ FINAL CHORUS [BASS DROPS — HEAVY] HULL WALKER! Now the wet prints cross the deck One by one toward the sleeping men Lanterns swing but nobody there Only seawater footprints climbing the stairs HULL WALKER! No more scratching underneath No more footsteps under our feet We broke one rule and we can’t take it back— Three knocks came… Somebody knocked back. [BEAT CUTS] ⸻ OUTRO [Silence] [Slow wet footsteps] [Cabin door creaks] [Three knocks from inside the ship] KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. [Deep reverb] Don’t… knock… back…
