"They say the carnival came to town one night. Nobody knows where. Nobody knows why. Nobody remembers who built the tents or painted the signs or carved the teeth on the entrance gate."
[Beat drops — heavy, chaotic.]
"They just know… once you step in… you don't step out."
[VERSE 1]
Step into the tent. Don't mind the smell.
That's just the last crowd. They're ringing the bell.
They won a prize. A one-way trip.
Down my throat. Past my lips.
I am The Maw. I am the show.
The more you scream, the more I grow.
The more you run, the more I chase.
The more you hide, the more I taste.
I got a voice like broken glass.
I got a smile that eats the past.
I got a tent that never ends.
I got a hunger that never bends.
I am the ringmaster. I am the cage.
I am the violence. I am the page
You write your name on when you forget
That the carnival is a mouth. And you're already in it.
[HOOK]
[Shouted, chantable, glitched]
THE MAW! THE MAW! OPEN WIDE!
STEP RIGHT UP! COME INSIDE!
THE MAW! THE MAW! FEEL THE TEETH!
YOU CAME FOR THE SHOW? YOU ARE THE MEAT!
---
[VERSE 2]
I got a carousel. It spins on bone.
I got a ticket booth. No one goes home.
I got a strongman. He's made of rust.
I got a fortune teller. She tells you "dust."
I got a ring of fire. It never dies.
I got a mirror maze. Full of your eyes.
I got a tent where the screams don't fade.
I got a game where the price is paid
In blood. In bone. In the part of your mind
That pretends the carnival is kind.
It's not kind. It's not safe. It's not sorry.
It's the thing that lives in the dark of the story
You tell yourself before you sleep.
The Maw doesn't take. The Maw keeps.
[BRIDGE]
[Beat drops to sparse, glitched electronics. The Maw's voice, almost gentle.]
"You think I'm the monster? I'm not. I'm the stage. I'm the lights. I'm the sawdust under your feet. The monster? The monster is in the seats."
[VERSE 3]
I see you in the crowd. I see your face.
You came to watch. You came to taste
The violence from a distance. Safe.
You think the carnival has a gate?
You think you leave when the lights come up?
You think you're not already in my cup?
Drunk. Sipped. Swallowed. Gone.
You been here since the start. You just turned the lights on.
I am The Maw. I am the name
You whisper when you play the game
Of pretending you're not hungry too.
Of pretending you're not the thing that grew
In the dark. In the dust. In the space
Where the carnival shows you your face.
It's mine now. It's always been.
Welcome to the Maw. Welcome in.
[HOOK FINAL]
THE MAW! THE MAW! OPEN WIDE!
STEP RIGHT UP! COME INSIDE!
THE MAW! THE MAW! FEEL THE TEETH!
YOU CAME FOR THE SHOW? YOU ARE THE MEAT!
THE MAW! THE MAW! ONE MORE TIME!
SPIN THE WHEEL! PAY THE PRICE!
THE MAW! THE MAW! HERE WE GO!
THE CARNIVAL IS A MOUTH. AND YOU'RE IN THE THROAT.
[OUTRO]
"That's the first act. Just the first. There's more. There's always more. The carnival doesn't close. It doesn't sleep. It doesn't end."
[A long pause. A wet, grinding sound.]
"Neither do I."
AsheTheHyena
