Midnight in the Corn

[Intro | Female Whisper | close | breathless | corn stalks rustling]

Sable…
Sable…

That isn’t the wind.

[Instrumental Pickup | fast hard-rock riff | pounding drums | rising feedback]

[Verse 1 | Female Vocal | smoky mezzo-soprano | urgent | restrained fear]

The gate slammed shut behind me
The painted arrows turned
The moon disappeared above me
And every lantern burned

I heard the children laughing
But no one else was there
Then something moved between the rows
Too tall to be a scarecrow there

[Pre-Chorus | Female Vocal | tension rising | driving rhythm]

Left turn
Dead end
Footsteps coming close again

Right turn
No light
Something’s running out of sight

Then the corn leaned in
And whispered my name

[Chorus | Female Vocal | powerful | catchy | frightened intensity]

When the corn calls your name
Don’t answer
Don’t turn around

When the corn calls your name
Run faster
Don’t make a sound

It knows where you’re hiding
It knows why you came

You’ll never leave the maze alive
When the corn calls your name

[Post-Chorus | Female Gang Vocals | sharp chant]

Run
Run
Run through the rows

Run
Run
It already knows

[Verse 2 | Female Vocal | stronger | frantic | hard-rock delivery]

The pathways kept on changing
The stalks grew ten feet high
I found my own torn jacket
Though I still wore it tight

A hand reached through the corn leaves
With fingers black and thin
It pulled a screaming stranger through
And wore his face like skin

[Pre-Chorus | Female Vocal | building fear | heavier guitars]

Left turn
Blood trail
Someone breathing through the veil

Right turn
Teeth shine
Something crawling on the line

Then my mother’s voice
Whispered my name

[Chorus | Female Vocal | powerful | layered backing vocals]

When the corn calls your name
Don’t answer
Don’t turn around

When the corn calls your name
Run faster
Don’t make a sound

It knows where you’re hiding
It knows why you came

You’ll never leave the maze alive
When the corn calls your name

[Instrumental Break | fast gothic hard-rock riff | pounding toms | distorted whispers]

[Bridge | Female Vocal | low | terrified | rhythm pulling back]

I found the exit standing open
With the road beyond the gate

But another girl was waiting there
Wearing my own face

She smiled and raised one finger
Then pointed through the grain

And every stalk bent toward me
As they screamed my name

[Breakdown | Female Whisper | surrounded | increasingly frantic]

Sable…

From the left

Sable…

From the right

Sable…

Underneath me

Sable…

Run tonight

[Build | Female Vocal | rising scream without harsh growl]

That is not my mother
That is not my friend
That is not a human voice
Calling from the bend

[Final Chorus | Female Vocal | full power | terrifying | layered female harmonies]

When the corn calls your name
Don’t answer
Don’t turn around

When the corn calls your name
Run faster
It’s hunting you now

It knows every heartbeat
It knows every shame

You’ll never leave the maze alive
When the corn calls your name

When the corn calls your name
Keep running
Don’t follow the cries

When the corn calls your name
It’s already
Looking through your eyes

The rows close behind you
The path disappears

And the last thing you will ever hear
Is your own voice in your ears

[Final Post-Chorus | Female Gang Vocals | fast | pounding]

Run
Run
Run through the rows

Run
Run
It already knows

Run
Run
The gate is gone

Run
Run
You’ve been here too long

[Outro | music stops suddenly | Female Whisper | directly behind listener]

Sable…

I found you.