1. |
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Up from the ground
Where the young child laid
Like Jesus Christ but
More than three days
A creature attached to her
An unholy mistake
Mandy crawls through the ground
And now she’s awake
Yeah, she crawls through the ground
And now she’s awake
She crawls through the ground
And now she’s awake
Every rodent or bug
That could be
The creature devours
All the critters It sees
There is a squirrel
Or an ant Or a flea
Mandy feels better
When It consumes All those things
Yeah, Mandy feels better
When the creature eats
But then the weirdest thing
Mandy forgets
Every bug, squirrel or toad
That the creature gets
They clear out of her mind
Like they didn’t exist
A blank spot that has now
Gone amiss
Yeah, it’s a blank spot in her mind
Gone amiss
The earth shakes and the sky bleeds
When the creature does this
Yeah, something feels wrong
And Mandy don’t know what it is
She feels so much better
When the creature does it
The child decides
To name this friend Otis
A wonderful name for the creature
Otis
A wonderful name for the creature
Otis
A wonderful name for the creature
Otis
That lives in her mouth
And keeps her alive
Feeding her energy
With everything that dies
Who crawled in her mouth
Over a decade ago
And ate worms and bugs
And then started to grow
Over the past decade
Mandy started to glow
If you could see in her coffin
Then you would know
The time would come one day
When she would show
Up at the house where
Her parents still go
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2. |
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No matter how she tries
Mandy cannot rationalize
How she was dead so many years
And now she’s back here
Everything looks the same
Yet somehow changed
It’s the same, but it’s different
It’s the same, but it’s different
The houses everywhere
And the clothes people wear
It all seems the same
But very much changed
She knocks on the front door
Of the home where she was adored
By two parents who once
Loved her so much
And she can’t hide her fear
When the footsteps come near
To the other side of the door
And the door starts to pull
It’s her mom, but she’s aged
She’s different but the same
In some fundamental way
She’s exactly the same
Her mom stands first in fear
Then she draws Mandy near
And she will not let go
Not ever, no
Her father comes to see
What this commotion could be
He’s slack jawed in shock…
“She’s exactly the same!”
Mandy’s mother exclaims
But that’s not quite the truth
Otis hides behind a tooth
And he rattles back there
The sound abundantly clear
Like funeral bells
That fill Mandy’s skull
“But why is she…”
Her father starts…
“Why is she alive?”
“Why is she the same age?”
“Why?”
It’s the same, but it’s different
It’s the same, but it’s different
It’s the same, but it’s different
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3. |
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Otis waited behind a tooth
He watched behind a tooth
He waited behind a tooth
He watched behind a tooth
Otis waited behind a tooth
It watched behind a tooth
Otis waited behind a tooth
It watched behind a tooth
Otis waited behind a tooth
It watched behind a tooth
It watched behind a tooth
It watched behind a tooth
Otis learned from behind a tooth
Otis watched from behind a tooth
Otis observed from behind a tooth
Otis watched behind a tooth
It watched from behind a tooth
It studied from behind a tooth
It grew from behind a tooth
It grew from behind a tooth
Internal and external
Internal and external
Internal and external
Internal and external
Internally and externally
Internally and externally
Internally and externally
Otis watched behind a tooth
Otis waited behind a tooth
Otis learned behind a tooth
Otis grew behind a tooth
Otis knew behind a tooth
That Otis was behind a tooth
And Otis was behind a tooth
And Otis was behind a tooth
And Otis was behind a tooth
“Today, I’m an it
“And tomorrow, I’m a he”
Some days, Otis felt like an it
And some days, Otis felt like a he
On the days Otis felt weak
It consumed all kinds of things
And Otis felt like an it
And It felt like an it
On the days Otis learned
All there is to learn
Otis felt like a he
Otis felt like a he
The days Otis felt weak
Were the days Mandy felt weak
So Otis consumed
And Otis felt like an it
And on days Mandy felt good
Otis felt good
And Otis sat, and He learned
And Otis felt like a he
Otis sat, and He learned
And Otis felt like a he
Otis sat, and He learned
And Otis felt like a he
Then one revelation
Changes everything
Otis consumes a songbird
And finds It can sing
Birds flock all around
This abominable thing
Squawking and singing
Like joyous bells ring
Otis and the birds
A spectacular choir
But then Otis rips them open
And their fate is dire
Totally forgotten
Was that symphony of cries
Totally forgotten
Was the beauty that did arise
But think of all the things
Otis could master with this surprise
All the knowledge he could learn
With His mouth open wide
Otis felt like a person
Then Otis felt like a thing
Otis felt like a person
Then Otis felt like a thing
Otis found He could sing
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4. |
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Poor Otis
His first words were “why?”
Man, Poor Otis
His first words were “why?”
Poor Otis
His first words were “why?”
Poor Otis
His first words were “why?”
Poor Otis
His first words were “why?”
Implied in those words was the thought
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
“Why do I exist?”
Several weeks before he spoke out loud
Several weeks before he spoke out loud
His first words were “why?”
He thought the word “why?”
Several weeks before he spoke out loud
Several weeks before he spoke out loud
His first words were “why?”
He thought the word “why?”
Ah fuck
The answer comes to him
The answer comes to him
The answer comes to me
He wonders “why?”
And then the answer comes to him
He wonders “why?”
And then the answer comes to him
“Why?”
To devour
“Why?”
To devour
“Why?”
To devour
“Why?”
To devour
Poor Otis
He has to devour
Oh, poor Otis
He’s going to devour
Poor Otis
Can’t help but devour
To devour
By the hour
First words were “why?”
Then “why do I exist?”
“Then, why do I exist?”
First words were “why?”
Then “why do I exist?”
“Then, why do I exist?”
“Then, why do I exist?
“Why do I exist?
“Why?”
To devour
|
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5. |
I Rose At Thy Call
04:33
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One night
The dog wagged its tail
One night
Otis made Itself very small
One night
Inviting the dog in
A dog passed under the window
Otis slipped outside
And down the tree
And followed that mangy beast
A dog passed under the window
It was like the dog was calling to him
To him and only him
A dog passed under the window
Like a power from within the dog
Called out to him
A laughter almost like a hymn
Calling out to him
A persistent laughter like a hymn
Calling out to him
A laughter, a laughter from within
Crawling out of him
Crawling out of It
Crawling out of Otis
Crawling out of Otis
A laughter, a laughter from within
Crawling out of Otis
A laughter, a laughter like a hymn
Crawling out again
It crawls out again
And then the laughter stops
One night
Otis can’t walk a step more
Otis walks in the other direction
As far as It can go
And it stops
Otis tries every single cardinal direction
Only to find that He is tethered to the child
Where she goes, He goes
Where she goes, It goes
Otis comes
(It goes)
Otis comes
Otis goes
Where Mandy goes
Otis goes
Where Mandy goes
Otis goes
Where Mandy goes
Otis goes
One night
Where Mandy goes
Otis goes
Where Mandy goes
Otis goes
One night
Climbing back up the tree
And through the window
Otis rattles in her mouth
When Mandy wakes up
Otis says, “Let’s roam the streets tonight.”
One night
Mandy smiles and says,
“An adventure?”
One night
And Otis nods
It does feel like an adventure to Him
One night
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6. |
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House to house
Otis moves from house to house
House to house
Otis moves from house to house
House to house
Otis tries the door of every house
House to house
Otis goes in if the door is unlocked
House to house
Otis goes in if the door is unlocked
House to house
Otis finds life within each unlocked house
House to house
House to house
House to house
And if the door is locked
It sighs and says,
“We’re not wanted here.”
And if the door is locked
It sighs and says,
“We’re not wanted here.”
And if the door is locked
It sighs and says,
“We’re not wanted here.”
“We’re not wanted here.”
“We’re not wanted here.”
“Well, who is wanted anywhere?”
House to house
To house to house
House to house
To house to house
House to house
To house to house
House to house
To house to house
To house to house
To house to house
House to house
To house to house
To house to house
To house to house
Otis finds whoever is inside
Otis rips them open with Its hands
Otis sucks all the blood from their chests
Otis consumes every molecule until they no longer exist
“I feel a lot better!”
Mandy says when Otis steps out onto the street,
“Why do I feel so much better..?”
…every single wretched time Otis says,
“Let’s roam the streets tonight.”
They go house to house
To house to house to house
They go house to house
To house to house to house
They go house to house
To house to house to house
Mandy has never felt more alive
Even before she died
She was never this alive
No matter how she got this way
She feels so wonderfully alive
Like every moment of every day
Exists only to make her feel alive
She feels so alive!
She feels so alive!
Every time they roam the streets
Dozens don’t survive
When Otis consume a form
They disappear from thought
They disappear from thought
Holy fuck, they disappear from thought
Nobody misses someone
Who didn’t even exist
Nobody looks for the body
Of someone who didn’t even exist
Nobody will ever know
That Otis made them not exist
Nobody will ever know
That Otis made them not exist
House to house
Otis moves from house to house
Otis roams from house to house
House to house
To house to house to house…
Fuck!
|
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7. |
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Mandy sneaks down the stairs
And into the first floor
Where she hears the crashing of glass
Her parents yelling
Words she cannot ignore anymore
Even if she wanted to
But she can’t
“She’s not our daughter,”
Her father says
“She’s not our daughter”
“She’s a gift from heaven,”
Her mother says
Pff, a gift from heaven
Bullshit
Otis Himself has admitted
Heaven is not real
God is not real beyond Him
Beyond It
“Heaven isn’t real,”
Otis says
“Heaven isn’t real.”
God isn’t real,
I say
Only Otis
Only Otis
“Mandy, are you on the stairs?”
Her mother says
“Are you on the stairs?”
Her mother says
“I just got up to get water,”
Mandy lies
“I need water!”
“Are you on the stairs?”
Her mother says
“Are you on the stairs?”
Her mother says
“I just need water,”
Mandy says
“I need water!”
She lies
“Come down here,”
Her mother says
“Come down here,”
Her mother says
“Judy,”
Her dad says
“Don’t,”
Her mother says
She gets Mandy water
Yes, she does
She gets Mandy water
Yes, she does
Gets Mandy water…
And it whooshes in her mouth
“No such thing as heaven,”
Otis says
“No such thing as heaven”
Otis says
And Otis would know
“Heaven isn’t real,”
Otis says
“Heaven isn’t real.”
God isn’t real,
I say
Only Otis
Only Otis
"She's a gift from heaven"
No god but Otis
"A gift from heaven"
|
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8. |
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Oh, forget about your old god
We found a new one
We found a new one
We found a new one
Forget about your fake god
We found a real one
We found a real one
We found a real one
Scream it from the hilltops
We have a new god
Come meet your new god
Come meet your god
On the day He finds you
You’ll know the real god
You’ll see the real god
You’ll see He’s real
On the day It finds you
You’ll know the real god
You’ll see the real god
And we’ll sing
We’ll sing to His glory
We’ll sing to It’s glory
We found the new god
We found the new god
We found the new god
We found the new god
We found the new god
Forget about your old gods
Forget about your fake gods
Forget about your fake gods
Forget about your fake gods
Scream it from the hilltops
We have a new god
Come meet your new god
Come meet your new god
On the day It finds you
You’ll know the real god
You’ll see the real god
You’ll see the real god
On the day it finds you
You’ll see…
|
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9. |
||||
Could have sworn
They’re missing moments from their lives
Our new God
Took moments from their lives
|
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10. |
||||
The fight started in the bedroom
Then moved into the hall
It’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
Some dad was yelling much too loudly
Then moved into the hall
It’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
Some mom was getting pretty angry
Then she pushed into the hall
It’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
It’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
It’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
It started in the bedroom
Then moved into the hall
The bullshit started in the bedroom
Then moved into the hall
That’s when they could
Never go back again
That’s when they could
Never go back again
That’s when they could
Never go back again
Because Mandy hears it all
Now that it moved into the hall
Every single word
Mandy hears it all
Otis got quite upset
When it moved into the hall
He shakes behind her teeth
And stays so very small
The fight started in the bedroom
Then moved into the hall
That’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
The fight started in the bedroom
Then moved into the hall
That’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
That’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
That’s not good at all
When it moves into the hall
“That’s not my daughter,”
Some dad screams
“That’s not my daughter”
“It’s some sick fucking thing,”
He screams
“She’s not my daughter”
“She’s a miracle,”
Some mom screams
“A goddamn miracle”
The father stares and glares
And he waits almost a minute
And he waits until the silence
To fully engulfs them
Both parents pant in unison
Like they were busy fucking
Instead of fucking up
Poor Mandy’s life
With this traumatic bullshit
“I’m not a monster,” Mandy says
She stands in her doorway
Otis taps behind her teeth
Nervously waiting
“I don’t know what you are,”
Some father spits
“But you’re not my daughter
“And you can’t stay here”
“She’s staying”
“She’s going”
“You can’t do that”
“She’s going”
“You can’t do that”
“I said she’s going”
“Monster”
“Monster”
“Monster”
“Monster”
“Monster”
“Monster”
“Monster”
Then from behind a tooth
Otis grows so large
Tumbling out of Mandy’s mouth,
He grows so very large
Otis grow until he fills the hall
Floor to ceiling
And wall to wall
He grows until
He takes up every inch
Of every space between the place
Where Mandy stands
And her pants stand
Otis expands
Otis expands
Otis expands
Otis expands
And then he devours
“No,” Mandy screams
But he devours
“No,” Mandy screams
He devours
And Mandy forgets
No mom and no dad
It’s as if parents
Mandy has never had
No mom and no dad
It’s as if parents
Mandy has never had
And just like that
It’s like Mandy never had
A mom and a dad
|
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11. |
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It had been awhile since she went outside
Darkness devours the night sky
Like every star had been a light
Extinguished on some horrid night
It had been awhile since she breathed fresh air
Out then in then out again
With a flavor so sickly sweet
Mandy wonders if she has died again
It had been awhile since they roamed the streets
The little girl feels so fucking weak
Part of her hopes but she’s mostly afraid
Of what Otis will do this day
And no matter where they stalk
Inviting laughter trots the sidewalk
Enveloping them in its joyous hymn
When they pass a house that will let them in
So they stop
And they listen to its song
They stop
And they listen to its song
They stop
And the laughter guides them along
Into the house and up the stairs
Louder and louder like a dare
Mandy had never gone this far
She’d never followed Otis inside
Where secrets hid
And secrets died
She’d never seen firsthand the sight
Of Otis devouring strangers at night
She knows it’s coming, but she’s still surprised
When Otis devours strangers tonight
And just like before,
She forgets each one
Watches them suffer
And then it leaves her mind
The only hint of what occurred
Is the strength she feels
And the creature’s delight
After each house
Otis smiles wide
And after each house
Mandy feels more alive
At each house
Someone dies
And Mandy
Always feels more alive
The blood still hasn’t dried
Yet, Mandy can’t remember
No matter how hard she tries,
Mandy cannot remember
Who they killed
Or what they do
When Otis murders
Strangers in slews
Or how many people
Mandy knew
Before Otis and her
Went on their cruise
Through the houses
And through the neighborhood
The darkened streets
Where the two of them go
She wonders
How many
Of these people
Did she know
She can’t remember
But the blood is right there
Like a thought she watches
Disappear in thin air
Shouting at her
The thought is right there
She grasps after it
But it’s right fucking there
How many people did she know
These houses where they go
How many people died right here
Houses with families who disappeared
She knows what happened
She always knew
But ignoring the signs
Was so easy to do
Mandy couldn’t remember
But she always knew
Not remembering
Let Otis do
The things Mandy secretly
Wanted Him to do
Even if she couldn’t
Live with the truth
She thinks of her family
And how they left her alone
In the old house
With no one else home
Where she should have had parents
But where did they go?
And why don’t she remember?
And why doesn’t she know?
Where are their pictures?
And what happened to them?
Everyone has parents
What happened to them?
Mandy should have had parents
What happened to them?
She should have had parents
What happened to them?
What happened to them?
What happened to them?
What happened to them?
Finally, Mandy understands
And turns to look at her friend
“Do you want me to stop?”
Asks Otis
“I don’t want to die again,”
Mandy says
“Neither do I”
Neither do I
Neither do I
We want to feel alive
|
||||
12. |
||||
Leave the light on your porch
And go right to bed
Go right to bed
Go right to bed
Our god will find you there
Right in your bed
Our god will come to you
Right in your bed
It will devour you
Right in your bed
Right in your bed
Right in your bed
Just leave the light on your porch
And go right to bed
Leave the light on your porch
And go right to bed
Leave the light on your porch
And go right to bed
Go right to bed
Go right to bed
Leave the light on your porch
And let your god in
Leave the light on your porch
And let It in
Leave the light on your porch
Light on your porch
Light on your porch
Breathe your last breath
Breathe your last breath
Breathe your last breath
Turn the light on your porch
I’ll turn the light on your porch
Go right to bed
|
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