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

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

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

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

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

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!

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"

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…

Could have sworn They’re missing moments from their lives Our new God Took moments from their lives

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

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

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