[Old warbled tape recording. Old male voice] "I have seen the dark shadows moving in the woods and I have no doubt that whatever I have resurrected through this book... is sure to come calling for me." --- **[INTRO — warped cassette, low and close]** **[M — dry]** …Still owe. **[MAIN LOOP — tight, cowbell under it]** Still owe. Still owe. Black ink. Pay the toll. --- **[VERSE 1]** Black pen, blank face, thumb on da page One lil' scratch, now da whole room changed Tick-tick, quick-lick, bolt in da frame Burn up the book, still can't burn off ya name Loose change in ya skull, hear it clink when you blink Feel it slide down ya throat every time that you think Kick-kick in ya doors, waitin’ wet by the chains Fine print in yo palm, leakin’ thick through ya veins Cold sweat, clock set, hand on yo neck You can count every second, can’t count what’s next Pillow still warm, but the dent don’t match Somethin’ in the room keeps breathin’ when you scratch One dime, two dimes, three on the floor Ain't a damn thang left, but chu still owe moe Put your ear to the wall, hear the flesh melt down Ain't nobody upstairs, but I hear you looking down [CHORUS] let it drip! (let it drip) Let it drag (let it drag) Devil in the marrow, tongue on the rope Bling, clack, MAC-10, knife to the throat Got a blood-stained ledger and the horns of a goat let it drip! (let it drip) Let it drag (let it drag) Play the role. Read the scroll. Black ink. Pay the toll. [VERSE 2 — faster syncopation, tighter internal rhymes] Ring-ring, no phone, static in the wall Heard the latch click twice, nobody in the hall Black smoke, back door, scrape along the floor You can turn the lights on, I was here before Put the pen down, ink still crawls on the line Wrote your name once, now it writes it every time Can't sleep, can't speak, jaw getting tight Counting all your teeth in the middle of the night Birds left the wire, wings still dripping red None of ’em opened ‘fore the street drank the dead Roots came up angry, splitting through the meat Even the weeds pulled back when the blood hit the street [PRE CHORUS] Two white eyes in the dark. Blade hanging low. Didn’t take one step. Still the distance closed. [FINAL CHORUS — full bass, aggressive cowbell variation] PAY THE TOLL! (Toll!) PAY THE TOLL! (Toll!) Devil in the marrow, blind in the smoke Bling, clack, MAC-10, knife to the throat Got a blood-stained ledger and the horns of a goat. let it drip! (let it drip) Let it drag (let it drag) Play the role. Read the scroll. Black ink. Pay the toll. [Outro]
