Something Wicked This Way Comes Lyrics - Singles - Redemption

[m/l van Dyk] 

[Part I: Arrivals] 

October's a rare month for boys 

When life is simple, pure and sweet 

And the foolish youth can overlook 

The wolf outside the door 

Come hear a tale of Halloween 

And one October not long past 

Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway 

Would never be quite so young anymore 

Fury, the seller of lightning rods, foretells the coming storm 

The light's on in the library, beneath the black'ning sky 

Charles Halloway sits deep inside, surrounded by his books 

A serious, lonely and sad old man whose youth has passed him by 

And Jim and Will conspire 

To ride the carousel 

Could set their souls afire 

Could send them straight to Hell 

[Part II: Torments] 

Far away, but much too close for comfort 

Carnival's calliope is playing 

Halloway sits in the darkened library 

Thinking dark thoughts 

Son at home he doesn't really know 

Fifty-four years seems so very old 

Throws the carnival's ad in the fire 

Flames grow higher 

Long after midnight, children awake 

Journeys await them, chances to take 

Run through the streets to the carnival grounds 

Hoping to ride the merry-go-round 

Three AM is midnight for the soul 

Never is a man so close to death 

The house of temptation is at hand 

Souls are damned 

What's the purpose of a life of virtue? 

What you don't know certainly can hurt you 

Every step he made he second-guessed 

Life of regret 

Ride's out of order, no one's around 

Hardly a whisper, hardly a sound 

Thinking that they're alone, but they're not 

Gloved hands encircle, now they are caught 

[Part III: The Carnival] 

Late that night the boys returned 

Watched the carousel spin 'round 

Turning old man into young 

Bringing darkness to town 

Carousel turns and turns 

Years can scorch and time can burn 

Dark's accomplice, age reversed 

Now becomes a boy accursed 

Jim and Will stumble in 

To this whirling world of sin 

Forward spins the carousel 

Cooger ages, dies and goes to hell 

Mister Dark knows at once 

That the boys have seen too much 

As they call for the police 

He and the witch wait 

For their plan to be unleashed 

Boys return with the law 

Try to tell them what they saw 

The witch throws her voice and the old, dead man 

Seems to come to life again 

The ruse has worked, no one believes the 

Tales of what the boys have seen 

The witch locks eyes; they fear her most; 

She wishes them a "short sad life for both!" 

[Part IV: Pursuits] 

Late that night the witch takes to the sky above the town 

Searching for the boys who know the secret of the carousel 

A black parade of circus freaks, and led by Mister Dark, 

Scours every street for the boys to drag them down to hell 

The boys have seen too much 

And now their death will be their silence 

The freaks have caskets fashioned for the little boys who hid 

And Mister Dark halts the procession, seeing the librarian, 

He asks him who the boys are; fills with rage as the old man lies 

[Part V: The Autumn People] 

Late that night inside the town's old library 

Circled by arcane and evil books 

Scouring them for any hint of knowledge. 

Charles, Jim and Will 

A father's son who doesn't know his dad 

Suddenly he wishes that he had 

As he sees that this old lonely man 

Could be they the only hope they have 

The Carnival has been here many times 

Its history is found between the lines 

Comes by every forty years or so 

Since more than two hundred years ago 

They feast upon the sins and fears of men 

Promise you just what you want and then 

When they're through they'll steal your very soul 

Entomb you in their sideshow 

And as the church bell rings 

They hear the opening door 

The boys hide for their lives 

As Mister Dark arrives 

[Part VI: Temptations] 

Temptation 

Tearing at his soul 

To take a second chance 

To right the wrongs 

To live again 

No more 

Regrets 

No more living as a 

Man to old to know his son 

Resistance 

He turns the offer down 

Not willing to exchange his soul 

For what he wants the most 

Mister Dark 

Crushes Charles' hand 

And tells the witch to give the man 

A taste of precious death 

(old man) Hear your breathing 

(old man) Feel your hurt 

(old man) See you're bleeding 

(old man) Stop your heart 

[Part VII: Confrontations] 

(Halloway) ten lifetimes closer to death 

(Somehow) finding the courage to laugh 

(Laughter) searing in the witch's face 

(Laughter) burning her wicked soul 

(Standing), knowing he's beaten her back 

(Smiling), knowing the time is now 

(Striding) purposefully into the street 

(Knowing) that he can save them somehow 

(Mister Dark) leads the boys into the streets 

(Will to be) made into a toy for freaks 

(Nightshade) to be his partner for life 

(After the) carnival's over tonight 

(Carnival): one last attraction to see 

(Shoot the witch): gypsy who cannot die 

(Mister Dark) gazes out over the crowd for a 

(Volunteer): someone to give it a try 

(Halloway) calls out from deep in the crowd 

(Mister Dark) cannot believe his eyes 

(Halloway) his good hand picks up the gun 

(To steady it) he calls for the help of his son 

[Part VIII: Departures] 

Far away, trapped in the mirror maze 

The whole town calls his name 

And Will awakes the spell 

The dust witch placed upon his head 

Halloway: father and son 

Standing as one 

As Mister Dark gives them the bullet and 

Charles carves into a crescent moon 

Mister Dark stares at the bullet 

He doesn't yet under stand 

The meaning of what Charles has done 

So he let's the game proceed 

But the moon he carved isn't a moon at all 

It's his smile the bullet carries 

And this totem finds it's way 

To the witch's heart 

The gun cracks and the 

Witch knows this and now is dead! 

Chaos spreads, and Charles and Will 

Run to the maze to rescue Jim 

Charles walks in 

Confronted by reflections of a million ancient men 

Staring back and making him older 

A lifetime full of regrets 

A man who never knew his son 

A man whose deeds were never done 

Halloway rises from 

The hall of shattered mirrors 

He picks up his son and runs with him 

Across the carnival grounds 

Nightshade still upon the carousel 

Charles and Will help him down 

Another boy appears saying 

Mister Dark's gone 

And the four of us must give chase 

Halloway looks at the strange young boy 

He sees him for what he is 

Mister Dark made younger again by the 

Power of the carousel 

Charles picks the boy up 

Holds him close and feels his hatred 

And with grave determination 

Lets his heart fill with love 

for his life and his son 

And returns the boy's hate with this love and it 

courses through 

Dark's young body 

And he withers and dies 

As the carnival tents disappears 

The three of them spring 

laughing back to town 

Two boys and one middle-aged man 

No longer quite so old as he thought 

Far away but much too close for comfort 

Far away but much too close for comfort