The Everlasting

// Tracklist

1. The Invitation Listen Sheet Music

   Come closer now, don’t be afraid I’ve built a world where dreams are made Behind these gates of iron and rust Step inside, it’s me you trust The ticket in your trembling hand Was placed there, child, exactly as I planned

   Step inside, step inside There’s nowhere left for you to hide Everything you’ve ever craved Is buried in these halls I’ve paved

   Welcome to my factory Where nothing lives and nothing’s free Where rivers flow the color of wounds And silence fills the empty rooms Come with me and you will see A world of pure… atrocity

   Five golden tickets, five little lives Each one delivered, each one arrives You think you found them? No, no, no My Slug was watching, don’t you know He picked you out, he placed the bait In just the right shop, at just the right date

   You thought it was luck You thought it was chance But The Slug had paid the shopkeeper to hand you the right one Luck is just a word for plans you haven’t seen

   Welcome to my factory Where every door locks after three Where children come to learn their worth And worth is measured by the earth They’ll fertilize when this is done Come with me… we’ve just begun

   Can you hear that? That silence? That’s the sound of the gates closing That heavy metal sound, that click That’s my favorite part The moment they realize The tour only goes one direction Forward And I’ve been waiting so very, very long For you

   Welcome to my factory Where every room’s a mystery Where children check in one by one And count how many leave when done Take my hand and follow me Into pure… Into pure… Eternity

   The music box is winding down The doors are locked, the lights are dim You came because you wanted candy Now the candy’s wanting you

2. The River Listen Sheet Music

   Now here’s a boy named Gus, oh what a hungry child He’d eat the plates and napkins, greedy, gorging, wild I watched him see my river and I knew, I always know The ones who can’t stop feeding always put on such a show

   I said “Please don’t touch the river” I said it clear and loud I performed my little warning For the benefit of the crowd

   Down by the river, down where it’s thick and warm Gus is on his knees now, face-first in the storm Drinking, choking, swallowing, he can’t stop, won’t stop, no The pipe is opening wider and it’s pulling him below Glug, glug, glug — the river feeds The river takes exactly what the river needs

   Oh dear, oh my, somebody help the boy His mother’s screaming — isn’t that a lovely noise? I’d intervene, of course I would, but these things move so fast The pipe has got him by the waist, the current holds him fast

   My Slug provided his measurements The pipe diameter is custom Twelve inches wider than his shoulders But four inches narrower than his gut So he’d fit going in But not coming back out The chocolate isn’t chocolate It’s a digestive The river doesn’t flow It swallows

   He’s stuck now in the pipe, the pressure’s building fast His mother’s pounding on the glass but the glass is five inches thick I designed it that way so she could watch but never reach The pressure builds, the pipe shakes, and then it lets him go Shot through the factory plumbing to the boiler room below

   The boy who lived to eat Now boils in the vat below The heat was set before he came I already chose the temperature, the timing, and the flow One down, four to go One down, four to go One down

   Well then! Shall we continue? There’s so much more to see And so many more to feed

3. The Three Courses Listen Sheet Music

   Now Violet was a champion, a winner through and through Trophies, medals, ribbons — there was nothing she won’t do I held a stick of gum and said “It isn’t ready, dear” I held it close, I let her see, I let her pull it near

   I dangled it like bait I watched her pupils grow I knew she’d take, I knew she’d bite I always, always know

   Three courses, three courses on her tongue Tomato soup, so warm, she’s just begun Roast beef and baked potato — oh, the taste! Three courses, three courses, don’t you waste But the third course, oh the third course That’s the one I made for her

   Blueberry pie, she gasped — the flavor taking hold But something’s moving underneath, the chemistry is cold Her fingers first, then knuckles, then her wrists are turning blue Her skin is splitting at the seams, the juice is pushing through Her mother’s screaming “stop it, stop!” but stopping’s not the plan The gum does what the gum was built to do since it began

   Watch closely now The cellular expansion takes exactly ninety seconds I timed it Forty-seven trials to get the dosage right The previous subjects were not children But the screaming sounded the same Her bones are bending, can you hear them? That wet snap is the ribcage giving way Pride inflates I simply made the metaphor literal

   Three courses, three courses sealed her shut Her body’s turning inside out, her screaming’s in her gut She’s round now, she’s a sphere now, she’s a thing without a name Three courses, three courses, nothing looks the same Roll her out, roll her out To the room where we squeeze until there’s nothing left to drain

   The girl who had to win it all Won’t fit through any door We’ll press her in the juicing room Until she’s on the floor Two down, three to go Two down, three to go Two down

   Onward, children! Onward! So many rooms, so little time The gum was never meant to work It was always meant to do exactly this

4. The Bad Egg Listen Sheet Music

   Veronica was a princess, at least that’s what she’d scream Her daddy bought her everything and everything between I built the golden goose room just for girls like her, you see The kind who think that wanting things is all you need to be

   I let her see the geese I let her want them bad I watched her little face contort The ugliest she’s had

   I want it, I want it, I want it right now! Daddy write a check, I don’t care how I want the golden goose, I want the golden egg Her voice was like a surgery, it cut right through my head Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me now!

   Her father pulled his checkbook out, he said “How much, old man?” As if the world’s a register and greed’s the only plan The geese don’t care for money, they were bred for something else They circle and they sniff the air and judge you by yourself

   They found her in a second The rot beneath the bow The entitlement, the emptiness The nothing down below

   Bad egg, bad egg, the geese are closing in Bad egg, bad egg, they’re peeling back her skin Not the real skin, the one she wears for show The pretty little princess with the nothing down below Bad egg, bad egg, the chute is opening wide Bad egg, bad egg, and Daddy’s left outside

   The geese are never wrong I engineered them that way Selectively bred across fourteen generations To detect a single trait Entitlement They can smell it through cologne, through money, through a smile Veronica reeked of it from forty feet away The chute drops forty feet into the furnace I keep it at eight hundred degrees At that temperature, bone takes about four minutes Daddy will smell her before he understands And his checkbook can’t buy back ash

   The girl who wanted everything Is burning in the dark Eight hundred degrees and Daddy’s screaming But money missed its mark Three down, two to go Three down, two to go Three down

   The furnace needs an hour to cool Before we use it again Now onward, onward, rooms to see And more little lessons, children

5. The Broadcast Listen Sheet Music

   Now Mikey loved his screens, oh how the pixels glowed A thousand channels flickering, the only life he’d known He told me he’d be famous and I said “I’m sure you will” The camera loves a body and the camera eats its fill

   I showed them how the beam works I sent a candy bar right through I watched his little eyes go wide I knew exactly what he’d do

   Broadcast, broadcast, Mikey’s in the beam His body’s breaking into static, can you hear him scream? Broadcast, broadcast, pixel by pixel now His skeleton is data and his blood is in the cloud On air, on air, he’s finally on the air A million tiny pieces and there’s nobody there

   Oh heavens, someone stop him — well, too late for that I fear His mother’s screaming at a screen that doesn’t care to hear Reassembled on the other side, six inches, maybe less But the machine doesn’t stop, it keeps on shrinking what’s left

   The machine was never meant to transport Transport is easy, transport is boring This machine was built to diminish And it doesn’t have an off switch Six inches, then four, then two, then one His little heart still beating, his little lungs still working Smaller and smaller and smaller Until the organs can’t function at that size The heart gives out first, it always does Too small to pump, too small to beat The boy who wanted to be larger than life Got smaller and smaller until there was nothing left Fame is a kind of shrinking, don’t you think? The bigger the image, the smaller you become

   Signal lost, signal lost, is anybody there? Mikey’s fading on the screen, his tiny little prayer Goes unheard, goes unseen, the boy who craved the light Shrinks to nothing on the glass in an endless, silent night On air, on air, but no one’s watching now The smallest star that ever burned just blinked and flickered out

   The boy who worshipped at the screen Is now a speck of dust Too small to see, too small to save Too small for even us Four down, one to go Four down, one to go Four down

   Change the channel, turn the dial The broadcast is complete One child remains, still standing here With two more rooms to meet

6. The Survivors Listen Sheet Music

   How interesting, the cabbage boy made it through No gluttony, no pride, no greed in you You didn’t grab, you didn’t demand You stood and watched with empty hands What are you, Charlie? What’s inside? An empty vessel? Or something that can hide?

   The hallway’s quiet now, I thinned the herd Four little sinners, each one got what they deserved Gus in the river, Violet turned blue Veronica screaming, and Mikey too They think it was accidents, mistakes, bad luck But I designed each test and every trapdoor shut

   The others failed their tests, you see Each one revealed their sin to me But you just watched them fall apart No tears, no screams, no bleeding heart You didn’t flinch, you didn’t run Oh Charlie… you might be the one

   Survivors standing in the dark Who will carry on the spark? What does it mean to make it through? What will the factory make of you? The tour’s not over, not by far We haven’t shown you what you are

   Your grandfather still thinks that this is grand The greatest factory in all the land He smells the air, he claps his hands He doesn’t see, he doesn’t understand But you do, Charlie, don’t you, boy? You watched each child become a toy You catalogued each scream, each cry And never once asked me… why

   You felt me watching, didn’t you, my boy? A man outside your house, you thought a decoy He wrote things down, he timed your walks, he knew which store you’d check The slug who proved his worth, you see, with candy round his neck I’ve studied you for years now, every move The cabbage soup, the paper route, I had to know the truth

   This isn’t a prize, it never was This is a job interview because I need someone, someone like you Someone hungry, someone empty, someone who’ll do What must be done without the guilt Someone to inherit what I built

   Survivors standing at the door I don’t need to test you anymore The factory hums, the factory waits One final room to seal our fates The tour’s not over, follow me I’ll show you what you’re meant to be

   Come, Charlie. Just one more room The best I’ve saved, my greatest bloom Your grandfather can wait right here There’s something special, something dear Something I’ve been saving just for you Step inside… you already know what to do

7. The Parasite Listen Sheet Music

   Ah, there he is, right where we left him Still standing, still smiling, still waiting for the ride

   Now let me tell you about your grandfather, dear boy A man of many ailments and remarkably few joys Twenty years horizontal in a bed for four Too sick to stand, too weak to walk, too frail to reach the door Your mother scrubbed the floors for him, your father worked the mine And Grandpa Joe lay still as stone and said “I’m doing fine”

   But oh, what’s this? A golden ticket? Something fun to do? A miracle of science, Grandpa’s legs are working new He leaps out of the bed like twenty years was just a nap He’s dancing, singing, spinning round, imagine that, old chap The cane he never needed, up the stairs he never climbed The man has been performing for the better part of time

   I know a con when I see one, Charlie Takes a showman to spot the show I wear my mask on purpose He wears his and pretends he doesn’t know

   The Parasite, The Parasite Feeding off the ones who love him most The Parasite, The Parasite Twenty years a living ghost He watched your mother’s hands crack open Watched you shiver in the cold He could have helped, he could have stood But standing up was getting old

   He ate the cabbage soup she made with bleeding, blistered hands He took the warmest blanket while you shivered where you stand He sent your mother working double shifts to keep him fed And when she’d stumble home half-dead he’d roll over in his bed Four grandparents in one bed and none of them would rise Your family was starving in the shadow of their lies

   Here’s what fascinates me, Charlie I built this factory on human weakness I exploit the greedy, the vain, the proud But your grandfather? He exploits love Your mother couldn’t throw him out because she loved him You couldn’t hate him because he’s family He weaponized your loyalty And that, my boy, is a talent even I admire But here’s the thing about parasites, Charlie They don’t stop feeding And I can’t have him feeding off of you Not where we’re going So here’s your final test

   And look at him right now, just look at his eyes He’s not here for you, Charlie, that’s no surprise He sees the factory, he sees the gold He’s already planning a life of never growing old Living off the chocolate, sleeping somewhere warm The same game, bigger bed, a better way to charm He doesn’t care if you succeed for you He wants a factory where he’s carried through

   The Parasite, The Parasite Even monsters know a lesser kind The Parasite, The Parasite The cruelest trick is being blind To the ones who feed on love itself Who take and take and never give Who build a prison out of guilt And call it just the way they live

   I’m not going to handle him, Charlie That’s not how this works, not anymore The Candyman doesn’t ask permission The Candyman closes doors Your grandfather can wait outside The bed was warm, the blankets thick But you decide what happens next Show me who you are

   Show me what you did

8. The Inheritance Listen Sheet Music

   I know what he is now, I’ve seen it with my eyes I watched him watch them dying and I watched him organize Gus is boiling somewhere still, Violet’s in a press Veronica fell burning and Mikey’s off the air I watched it all, I didn’t scream, I didn’t run, I stayed I earned the keys to everything he’s made

   There’s no way out, there’s no walk back, no cabbage cold Got nothing, got no one, I’m already sold Mother’s bleeding hands won’t hold me, empty plates won’t call I crossed the line, I shut the door, I gave away it all My stomach knows what empty is, my bones remember frost But that boy died back in that room with everything he lost

   I saw what he did I watched them fall I was just a kid Who had nothing at all Is it evil if you’re starving? Is it murder if they chose? Is it wrong to want to live When the only way is through what no one knows?

   This is my inheritance A factory of sin This is my inheritance Let the new world begin I’m so hungry, I’m so tired, I’m so cold I did what was asked, I did what was told I took the keys, I took the throne I’ll never go back to the cold, back to the bone

   They were warned, every one of them, they had their chance to leave Gus couldn’t stop consuming, Violet had to achieve Veronica demanded and Mikey craved the screen It’s not murder if they walked into a room they chose to be in I didn’t push them, didn’t pull, didn’t lift a single hand I just survived, that’s all I did That’s all I am

   I know it’s wrong But wrong keeps you warm I know it’s sin But sin keeps you fed So I’ll let the wrong in And kill what’s in my head

   Hand me the cane, I’ll take it Hand me the hat, I’ll wear it Hand me the keys, I’ll keep them Hand me the crown, I’ll bear it Look at me now, look in the glass The boy you knew is fading fast Something cold is taking hold Something darker, something old Up through the ceiling, through the sky There’s no button down, don’t ask me why I am the factory The factory is me I am The Candyman And The Candyman is free

   This is my inheritance I accept it all This is my inheritance I will never fall I’ll design the tests, I’ll bait the traps I’ll find five more children, fill in the gaps I’ll learn to smile the way he smiled And welcome every single child

   The factory never closes The Candyman never dies He just changes faces Behind the same old eyes Behind the same old smile Behind the same old lies

9. The Everlasting Listen Sheet Music

   Once upon a time, and still today A factory stands where children played The smokestacks choke against the sky The years go by, the children die The paint may chip, the gates may rust But the machine adjusts, the machine adjusts A hundred years, a thousand more Nobody leaves through the front door

   And every now and then, you see A man in grey moves quietly He watches children, takes his notes He studies habits, counts their votes He finds the greedy, finds the vain He finds the hungry ones in pain And plants the tickets where they’ll look Five golden traps on five golden hooks

   Everlasting, everlasting The wheel keeps turning, never stops Everlasting, everlasting The candy falls, the children drop The Candyman will never die He just puts on another face New children come, old children, goodbye The factory stays in place

   New names upon the winner’s list New parents with their children kissed New tours begin at half past ten New chocolate rivers flow again New gum to chew, new geese to judge New screens to shrink those who won’t budge New elevators climbing high New heirs who learn to live the lie

   It happened once It happens still It happens now It always will

   Everlasting, everlasting Another century rolls around Everlasting, everlasting Another heir is finally found Another child becomes the man Another contest to begin Another golden ticket plan Another way to let them in

   Somewhere right now, in a shop you know A candy bar sits in a row And in that bar, beneath the fold A ticket waits, a flash of gold And somewhere right now, a hungry child With nothing much and nothing mild Is reaching out with hopeful eyes About to claim their golden prize They don’t know yet what waits inside They don’t know yet how others died They only know they’ve won at last They only know their luck has passed

   Come closer now, don’t be afraid Step into the world I’ve made Behind these gates of iron and rust Step inside, it’s me you trust Welcome to the factory Where nothing lives and nothing’s free Welcome to eternity Welcome to your sweetest dreams

   The gates swing open The gates swing shut Five children enter The story cuts And starts And starts And starts again

   The end is the beginning The beginning is the end The Candyman is waiting To welcome you, my friend