[Verse 1]
Parents always fought the rodents
Called boredom in their homes
Children climbing walls and furniture
Never wanting to be alone
Mothers tried with stories
Fathers tried with games
But keeping watch forever
Left everybody drained
So the Piper came in many forms
Through every passing age
Sometimes through a radio
Or actors on a stage
Then a glowing box in living rooms
Sang songs across the air
And every year the children
Spent a little longer there
[Pre-Chorus]
The Piper always promises
“Just let the children stay”
And parents never notice
Till the laughter fades away
[Chorus]
Oh the Piper is back
To take our children away
His song keeps getting stronger
Every single day
If we don't watch closely
They'll follow where he plays
And we won't even notice
Till they've already gone away
[Verse 2]
Now the Piper's stronger than ever
Hidden in their hands
Little magic plastic boxes
Showing worlds they understand
Parents hand them to their children
For silence and relief
Never seeing all the shadows
Hiding underneath
The Piper plays a flute called Tick Tock
Fourteen seconds long
Just enough to steal attention
Just enough to pull them on
Dance little children, dance in line
Follow every trend
The Piper knows exactly how
To make the music never end
[Pre-Chorus]
The Piper always promises
“Just let the children stay”
And parents never notice
Till the laughter fades away
[Chorus]
Oh the Piper is back
To take our children away
His tune keeps getting louder
Every single day
If we don't stay awake now
They'll drift beneath the waves
And we won't know it happened
Till they've already gone away
[Bridge]
Most dances seem harmless
And most songs probably are
But sometimes dangerous whispers
Hide beneath the stars
Challenges start as laughter
Then slowly turn to dares
Till the Piper's song grows louder
Than the voices saying “careful there”
The tune gets in their minds
And flicks the safety switches off
Turning fear into applause
Till common sense is lost
And somewhere down a hallway
A bedroom door swings wide
As another child goes chasing
The Piper through the night
[Pre-Chorus]
The Piper always promises
“Just let the children stay”
And parents never notice
Till the laughter fades away
[Final Chorus]
Oh the Piper is back
And his flute is made of screens
He pipes his song through algorithms
And glowing neon dreams
If we don't guide our children
Someone else will lead the way
And we won't know we've lost them
Till the house grows far too quiet one day
[Outro]
The Piper never looked like evil
That's why he slips right in
He only plays the songs we like
Until the following begins
So hold your children close tonight
Before the music sways
Because the Pied Piper is calling
And his tune grows stronger every day
ElCeviche
