Run From Mr. Mint

[Intro]
[Laughter warping in, children's chorus off-key]
Sticky on the doorknob
Footprints made of red
Cotton candy cobwebs
Something in the bed (shh)
[Verse 1]
Woke up with a jawbreaker
Cracked in my fist
Peppermint smoke
On the air like a hiss
Walls start drip
That syrupy tint
On the TV glass
Static spells “MINT”
He in the hallway
Grin like a candy cane
Bowtie sharp
Eyes frosted with flame
Top hat tilt
Like he whisper, “Play”
But the floorboards melt
Into taffy and ache
Licorice laces
Crawl up my feet
Laugh tracks loop
From the cracked concrete
Door won’t budge
Just a gingerbread frame
With a frosting knife
Carving out my name
[Chorus]
Run from Mr. Mint
Run till your teeth all crack
Sugar on your tongue
But the candy claws scratch back
Every sweet you taste
Got a heartbeat in it
Try to wake up, kid
But you’re stuck in Candy Land’s kitchen
Run from Mr. Mint
Run, but you sink in glue
Lollipop eyes
All staring straight through you
Every step you take
Leaves red in the sprinkles
You can’t escape the grin
Every sugar smile twinkles
[Verse 2]
Kitchen light buzzing
But the bulbs are gum
They pop in my hands
Spill raspberry rum
Marshmallow mice
Gnaw through the pipe
Ruby-red flood
Crawls up my thighs
Fridge door creaks
Hear a jellybean choir
Mouths stitched shut
Still humming in wire
He tap a cane
On the tiled-out floor
Each knock births
Ten teeth at the door
Here come the hordes
From the cereal box
Caramel wolves
With molasses jaws locked
Chocolate bats
With licorice wings
Jawlines dripping
Glazed gold with my skin
[Pre-Chorus]
Cupcake corpses
Climb up the chairs
Sprinkle-shot eyes
Cold blank stares
I trip on a candy heart
Crushed on the tile
“BE MINE” printed
In my handwriting, vile
[Chorus]
Run from Mr. Mint
Run till your teeth all crack
Sugar on your tongue
But the candy claws scratch back
Every sweet you taste
Got a heartbeat in it
Try to wake up, kid
But you’re stuck in Candy Land’s kitchen
Run from Mr. Mint
Run, but you sink in glue
Lollipop eyes
All staring straight through you
Every step you take
Leaves red in the sprinkles
You can’t escape the grin
Every sugar smile twinkles (ha)
[Bridge]
[Beat slows; organs swirl backward]
He lick his glove
Like a stripe of paint
Says, “You don’t leave
You just lose your shape”
Peels my shadow
Like fondant off cake
Feeds it to the floor
Watch the whole house shake
Cotton candy clouds
Pour down the vent
Every breath I take
Thicker, dense
Gumdrop fangs
In my ankles, claw
Knees hit tile
Hear his peppermint drawl
[Verse 3]
Crawl toward the door
But it’s just cardstock
Cardboard sky
With a rainbow lock
He shuffles the tiles
Like cards in his hand
Says, “You don’t escape
You just change brands”
Jaw starts numb
From the frost he blows
Every word sugar
Crystallize in my throat
I try to scream
But a syrup rope strings
Candy cane cuffs
On invisible strings
He snaps his fingers
Hordes go still
I feel my skin
Turn glaze, then chill
Last thing I see
Before sight gets thin
Is a mirror made of sugar
With my smile like his
[Chorus]
Run from Mr. Mint
Run till your teeth all crack
Sugar on your tongue
But the candy claws scratch back
Every sweet you taste
Got a heartbeat in it
Try to wake up, kid
You’re a piece in Candy Land’s kitchen
Run from Mr. Mint
Run, but you sink in glue
Lollipop eyes

rap, Nightmarish horror trap with warped carnival organs and off-kilter bells detuned against thick 808s and skittering hi-hats; male vocals twisted with pitch shifts and distorted doubles. Verses feel claustrophobic and rapid-fire; chorus opens with chant-like gang vocals, sub-heavy drops, and eerie laughter tails. Frequent risers and reversed impacts heighten dread, ending in a sudden, chilling cutout., male vocals