The Candy Man’s Smile

[Cold Open | vocals begin immediately | maximum 5-second intro]

[Male Vocal | deep baritone | low whisper]

He knows what you want
He knows what you hide
Take one little taste
And open wide

[Immediate Instrumental Attack | driving drums | crooked guitar riff]

[Verse 1 | Male Vocal | dark storyteller | restrained menace]

He rolled into town at sundown
In a wagon painted red
With silver bells around the wheels
And black lace overhead

Every jar was full of colors
Every label bore a name
And the children gathered closer
When he promised them a game

[Pre-Chorus | Male Vocal | tension rising | rhythmic delivery]

One for the lonely
Two for the lost
Every sweet desire
Has a hidden cost

He held out his hand
And whispered all the while
“Everybody gets a treat
From the Candy Man’s smile”

[Chorus | Male Vocal | powerful | catchy | dark gang vocals]

Don’t trust the Candy Man’s smile
Don’t taste what he gives
It feels like heaven for a little while
Then it eats the life you live

Don’t trust the Candy Man’s smile
When he calls you from the street
He knows exactly what you’re dreaming of
And makes your nightmares sweet

[Post-Chorus | Male Gang Vocal | chant]

Sweet, sweet
Rot beneath your teeth

Sweet, sweet
Nothing underneath

[Verse 2 | Male Vocal | urgent | darker grit]

Billy saw his father standing
At the bottom of the stairs
Lucy heard her sister laughing
Though nobody else was there

Every wrapper held a promise
Every flavor showed a door
But the ones who took a second taste
Were never seen anymore

[Pre-Chorus | Male Vocal | accelerating | guitars building]

One for your sorrow
Two for your shame
Three little pieces
And you forget your name

He tipped his hat slowly
With hunger in his eyes
“Everybody finds their wish
Where the sugar never dies”

[Chorus | Male Vocal | full power | heavier guitars]

Don’t trust the Candy Man’s smile
Don’t taste what he gives
It feels like heaven for a little while
Then it eats the life you live

Don’t trust the Candy Man’s smile
When he calls you from the street
He knows exactly what you’re dreaming of
And makes your nightmares sweet

[Instrumental Break | twisted carnival organ | aggressive guitar riff | pounding toms]

[Bridge | Male Vocal | spoken-sung | hypnotic | unstable]

Cherry for your anger
Lemon for your lies
Chocolate for the memories
You buried deep inside

Licorice for vengeance
Peppermint for pain
Take another handful
And you’ll never hurt again

[Male Vocal | deep whisper]

That’s what he told me

[Breakdown | Male Vocal | heavy half-time | commanding]

I bit through the sugar
I tasted the rust
I saw every face
That had swallowed his trust

The wagon stood empty
The jars all were mine

[Male Vocal | rising panic]

And my mouth stretched wider
Into his crooked smile

[Final Chorus | Male Vocal | desperate power | layered male harmonies]

Don’t trust the Candy Man’s smile
Don’t take what I give
It feels like heaven for a little while
Then it eats the life you live

Don’t trust the Candy Man’s smile
When I call you from the street
I know exactly what you’re dreaming of
And I make your nightmares sweet

Don’t trust the Candy Man’s smile
I tried to turn away
But every Halloween at sundown
I return to make you pay

[Final Post-Chorus | Male Gang Vocal | fast chant]

Sweet, sweet
Rot beneath your teeth

Sweet, sweet
Now you belong to me

[Outro | Male Vocal | calm whisper | music box slowing]

Everybody gets a treat

[Door creaks open]

Come closer