Mad As A Hatter Lyrics

Kettle screams through a split tin spout while the second hand hiccups and saws my nerves to ribbons too thin to fold, I rake a deck full of flayed white birds and bet my last soft answer on a face card smirking cold,
Sugar cubes drown like guilty saints in water black as a roadside oath, I stir with a spoon that bends like truth and drink the shine that stains my throat,
She left a laugh under the chair with splinters sharp enough to train my grin, I wear that leash across my chest and let it tighten when the window sings again,
Mercury beads skate the saucer rim, tiny moons with a violent wish, I tip the cup and let them in and bite the metal till it's gone.

Mercury on the teacups, silver river in my veins that learns my name then hammers it twice,
Mercury on the teacups, tongue gone bright and teeth set right for breaking the ice,
If reason knocks I turn up the hiss and make it wait out in the hall with all my lesser advice,
Mercury on the teacups, I drink the room till the room drinks nice.

(In the back rooms of my head, the bad ideas go first,)
(grief and wanting tangled up, and which one's worse?)
(Loneliness hums its one old song, desire answers low,)
(caught between the right and wrong, and no clean way to go.)

(Bedroom wall I've memorized, dreams I let go to seed,)
(years stacked up like unpaid bills for a debt I can't read,)
(soul tied off in knots I can't loosen, reaching for a hand,)
(walking circles through my own dead end and trying to understand.)

(Where do I go when the night falls)
(and the ache picks up and the dark calls?)
(Am I lost, or am I found,)
(in this quiet that swallows sound?)
(Will I ever learn the way,)
(or somewhere in here am I going to stay?)

(They're calling me out to the fire, leave the hurt behind for a night,)
(but how do you run anywhere wild with this much weight pinned tight?)
(Laughter at the campfire, and I'm a hundred miles from the heat,)
(in the grip of something hungrier than them, with my own pieces at my feet.)

(So I storm off into the dark, no plan, no coat, just gone,)
("anywhere but here," I tell the trees, and the trees just lean in, drawn.)
(I trip, I fall, I shut my eyes — the cold, the catch, the cry,)
(and when I open them the ground is wrong and there's a stranger's sky.)

(Where do I go when the night falls)
(and the ache picks up and the dark calls?)
(Am I lost, or am I found,)
(in this quiet that swallows sound?)
(Will I ever learn the way,)
(or somewhere in here am I going to stay?)

(New ground, and somebody runs it — there's a brim, there's a hand on a clock —)
(every fear I outran's down here, lined up around the block.)
(Heart half-gone, the rest of me scattered, no map and no way home,)
(heavy as I've ever been, into the unknown I go.)

(Into the unknown, where the wrong things wait,)
(I'm not here to die, I'm here to settle a date,)
(the Hatter's got a house full of everything I fled —)
(and I'll find my own door out of it, or I'll learn it instead.)

(Anyway. Any time.)
(Anywhere but here.)

---

(Female )
In the stillness of my broken mind,
I see the pieces fall,
Shattered reflections left behind,
As I try to stand tall.
Every crack, every scar,
Whispers tales of pain,
A twisted journey from afar,
Where shadows leave a stain.
Haunted by the silent screams,
That echo in the night,
Lost in endless darkened dreams,
Yearning for the light.
The mirror shows a fractured view,
Of what I used to be,
A ghostly image, cold and blue,
Struggling to break free.

I'm caught within this endless maze,
Where nothing's as it seems,
Lost among the nights and days,
Trapped in haunted dreams.
Seeking solace in the dark,
A place where I can breathe,
Searching for a single spark,
To find the other parts of me.
Every step, a silent cry,
In this land of dread,
A place where fairy tales die,
And hope is left for dead.
The shadows whisper secrets dark,
Of what I cannot see,
A world that leaves its cruel mark,
On what's left of me.

I'm caught within this endless maze,
Where nothing's as it seems,
Lost among the nights and days,
Trapped in haunted dreams.
Seeking solace in the dark,
A place where I can breathe,
Searching for a single spark,
To find the other parts of me.

Welcome to my crooked show, where the floor won't hold its line,
step right in where the reason goes and the clocks all keep my time.
Take a step, lose the rest, let the wrong note be your guide,
drop the version they pressed on you and leave it on the side.
In this dance there's a colder truth than the one you came in with,
shed the lies you wore like skin, and the rest is sleight and myth —
the clock's unwinding, watch it go, the minutes off the spool,
in a house where the angles lie and the floor's the only rule.

So dance with me where the lanterns sway and the trees smear out of sight,
feel the pull, don't ask it why — we don't survive it, we just bite.
Turn with me where the gramophone saws its little grin,
find the skip between the beats and steer the dark from in.
The room outside's a rumor now, this is the only floor,
in a place that bends to whoever stops pretending anymore —
let the madness take a hand, but keep the other on the wheel,
in this dance you don't lose your soul, you learn what it can steal.

So dance with me where the lanterns sway and the trees smear out of sight,
feel the pull, don't ask it why — we don't survive it, we just bite.
Turn with me where the gramophone saws its little grin,
find the skip between the beats and steer the dark from in.

I dip you low, the lanterns swing like sick moons hung on string,
I pull you up and name the price for everything you bring,
but you found the catch between my steps, the stutter where I'm thin —
you ride that flaw, you cut my time, and now the dance is yours to win.

(Female )
In the heart of the forest, where shadows lie,
I wander through the night,
With a cloak of crimson, a fearful sigh,
Seeking a glimmer of light.
The trees whisper secrets, dark and old,
Of a path that’s rarely seen,
A tale of wolves with hearts so cold,
In a land so dread and mean.
Every step, a haunting sound,
Of footsteps close behind,
In this dark, cursed ground,
Where hope is hard to find.
The moonlight casts a silver glow,
On paths so twisted and wild,
In this tale of woe and sorrow,
I walk alone, beguiled.

Hear the cries of a broken heart,
In this forest deep,
A place where dreams fall apart,
And shadows always creep.
With every breath, I feel the fear,
Of what lies in the night,
Searching for a way that's clear,
To escape this endless fright.
In the distance, a howl so loud,
Echoes through the trees,
A call of danger, dark and proud,
That brings me to my knees.
I run, I hide, but still they chase,
These wolves of endless dread,
In this tale of woe and grace,
Where the path is paved with dread.

Hear the cries of a broken heart,
In this forest deep,
A place where dreams fall apart,
And shadows always creep.
With every breath, I feel the fear,
Of what lies in the night,
Searching for a way that's clear,
To escape this endless fright.

(Deep Male vocals, whispered) | In the quiet of the night, | Where the floorboards softly creak, | The Hatter whispers with delight, | In dreams where you will weep. | With a devil's grin and twisted glee, | He calls you to his lair, | In the dark, where none can see, | He waits for you, beware. | (Deep Male vocals, softly) | Welcome to my crooked house, | Where nightmares come to play, | Once you're in, you'll never leave, | Your will begins to fray. | Round and round, the whispers spin, | In this crooked, haunted night, | In my web, you're trapped within, | The walls are closing tight. | Wee One Willey Winking Winkles, get the "will he"s?, become mine,do you understand. | Wee One Willey Winking Winkles, get the "will he"s?, become mine,do you understand. | Wee One Willey Winking Winkles, get the "will he"s?, become mine,do you understand. | Wee One Willey Winking Winkles, get the "will he"s?, | Wee One Willey Winking Winkles, get the "will he"s?, |

Verse 1

Humpty Dumpty sat so tall
A perched above it all
He never dreamed he'd take a fall
Or face his final call

Verse 2

But the cracks began to show
Though hidden from the crowd
The weight of pride of fatal blow
His laughter far too loud

Chorus

He fell with a thunderous sound
A shattered where he lay
In a shell no strength was found
Just dreams that slipped away

Verse 3

The yolk spilled wide his shell destroyed
A fragile world collapsed
His friends arrived but couldn't avoid
The truth within the gaps

Verse 4

They patched they taped they tied they prayed
But Humpty didn't rise
A brittle dream in pieces laid
Beneath the darkened skies

Chorus

He fell with a thunderous sound
A shattered where he lay
In a shell no strength was found
Just dreams that slipped away

Bridge

(Oh)
(Oh)
(Oh)
(Oh)

Guitar Solo

Chorus

He fell with a thunderous sound
A shattered where he lay
In a shell no strength was found
Just dreams that slipped away

Outro

A caution carved in brittle stone
A lesson sharp and clear
A fragile pride left all alone
And dreams built out of fear

( Male vocals) | Do you know where shadows go, | When the moon begins to rise? | Have you felt the winds that blow, | Through the land of silent cries? | Can you hear the whispers near, | That dance upon the breeze? | Do you sense the creeping fear, | Among the haunted trees? | ( Male vocals, softly) | Why do you wander through the night, | In search of hidden dreams? | Have you seen the ghostly light, | That shimmers in the streams? | Where do nightmares find their rest, | When daylight breaks the spell? | Do you know the Hatter's jest, | Or the tales the shadows tell? | ( Male vocals, eerie) | Can you find the path you seek, | In a land where time stands still? | Why do whispers softly speak, | Of a fate you can't fulfill? | Do you trust the eyes that gleam, | In the darkness of the wood? | Have you questioned every dream, | And the things you understood? | ( Male vocals, delusional) | Can you solve the riddle's core, | In the maze of twisted night? | Do you know what lies in store, | Beyond the edge of sight? | Why do you tremble at my grin, | As I fade into the dark? | Can you feel the chill within, | Or the silence of my mark? | ( Male vocals, softly) | Will you join the dance of fate, | In the corners of my realm? | Can you see it's not too late, | To take the helm? | ( Male vocals, sinister) | Do you wonder where you'll go, | When the riddle's answer's found? | Can you leave the world you know, | And surrender to the ground? | ( Male vocals, whispered) | Will you stay or will you flee, | From the questions that I weave? | Can you face the mystery, | Or will you take your leave? |

(Male ) | Step into my wicked land, | Where dreams are turned to ash, | In this place where none can stand, | The looking-glass will crack. | The Queen of Hearts, with crimson smile, | Rules with iron grace, | In her court where nothing's vile, | Save the secrets on her face. | Cards that walk and knives that talk, | Welcome you to play, | In this land where reason balks, | And sanity decays. | Every step a snapping twig, | Every breath a lie, | In this world, you'll find no dream, | Only echoes as they die. | Welcome to the Wonderland, | Where madness wears a crown, | In this place where none can stand, | The Queen will cut you down. | Her laughter fills the empty air, | A nursery-rhyme refrain, | In her court, you'll find no care, | Just riddles and the rain. | Follow me, my dearest friend, | Into the twisting light, | In this land where pathways bend, | And nothing's ever right. | The Queen awaits with sharpened grin, | A heart that's cold as ice, | In her game, you'll never win, | You'll pay the highest price. | Welcome to the Wonderland, | Where madness wears a crown, | In this place where none can stand, | The Queen will cut you down. | Her laughter fills the empty air, | A nursery-rhyme refrain, | In her court, you'll find no care, | Just riddles and the rain. | you get the "will he"s?,will he | will he own your soul | I owe you insanity, | And the devil wants his due. |

(Female )
In the tower, cold and high,
I lie beneath the spell,
A curse that binds, a lullaby,
In this silent hell.
The world outside is lost to me,
A dream I cannot chase,
In this bed, eternity,
Wears a weary face.
A spindle's touch, a fatal kiss,
That brought me to this sleep,
In my dreams, a well with no floor,
Where nameless things still creep.
The witch's curse, a wicked bind,
That chains me shut in night,
In this tower, lost in time,
I wait for morning's light.

In this sleep of endless dreams,
Where nightmares gently tread,
I mouth the words but nothing leaves,
From my cursed bed.
Waiting for the dawn to break,
To lift this rotting spell,
In this dream, I ache and quake,
In this tower's cell.
The world outside is but a haze,
A memory so faint,
In this dim, unending maze,
The walls begin to paint.
The witch's laugh, a haunting sound,
That echoes through my mind,
In this sleep where I'm bound,
No solace can I find.

In this sleep of endless dreams,
Where nightmares gently tread,
I mouth the words but nothing leaves,
From my cursed bed.
Waiting for the dawn to break,
To lift this rotting spell,
In this dream, I ache and quake,
In this tower's cell.

| (Female Choir) | "Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence," | You don’t know the price. | "Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence," | What was the price of my soul? | In my world of mad descent, | I wasn’t always this way. | Once the light was innocent, | But the shadows came to play. | Round and round, the madness grows, | In the dark where no one sees. | Every choice, a thorn that shows, | The devil’s grip won’t ease. | (Chorus) | "Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence," | A debt I cannot defend. | I sold my soul to buy my chance, | But madness has no end. | "Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence," | In this night of dark pretense, | What was the price of my soul? | The weight I can’t dispense. | The whispers haunt, they call my name, | Through shadows cold and clear. | Once I danced in the sunlit flame, | Now I’m trapped in endless fear. | The devil’s deal, a cruel embrace, | I signed my fate away. | Now I wear this haunted face, | As the light begins to fray. | (Chorus) | "Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence," | The bargain lingers near. | In my mind, the echoes fence, | A life consumed by fear. | Once my heart was pure and free, | Now it’s lost to doubt. | In this land of tragedy, | There’s no turning back the route. | (Outro, Deep Male Vocals) | "Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence," | You’ll never truly know. | The crooked smile, the shadowed sense, | Of a soul that’s lost below. | (Maniacal laughter fades into silence.)

| Deep within the forest’s grasp, | Lies a house of sweets and dread, | A place where shadows tightly clasp, | And the living join the dead. | The witch within, with a gaze so cold, | Calls the lost to feast, | Her oven whispers stories told, | Of a hunger never ceased. | (Chorus) | Welcome to the Gingerbread Graveyard, | Where sweetness masks the pain, | In this land of dark regard, | You’ll never leave again. | Her smile hides a cruel intent, | Her touch will pull you in, | In her grasp, you’ll soon repent, | As nightmares now begin. | Candy walls and sugar floors, | Hide horrors deep inside, | In her home, where sorrow soars, | And innocence has died. | Each step closer, a silent plea, | A warning on the air, | In her web, you’ll cease to be, | Just another soul to snare. | (Chorus) | Welcome to the Gingerbread Graveyard, | Where sweetness masks the pain, | In this land of dark regard, | You’ll never leave again. | Her voice is soft, her trap is steel, | Your cries will fade away, | In her clutch, the truth revealed, | No one escapes today. | Her oven burns, the fire alive, | Its glow a hungry roar, | In this house, you won’t survive, | You’ll walk out nevermore. | (Outro) | Deep in the forest’s haunted dark, | Lies a house of twisted sin, | Where shadows leave their fatal mark, | And your nightmares now begin.

| There was a crooked man, they say, | Who walked a twisted mile, | In his gaze, a deep dismay, | Behind a broken smile. | Each step he took, the shadows grew, | And darkness filled the air, | In every corner, fear ensued, | A chill that lingered there. | (Chorus) | Step into the crooked world, | Where nothing’s ever straight, | In this land where chaos swirls, | You’ll face your shadowed fate. | The crooked man will see you there, | With eyes that strip your soul, | In his grip, you wouldn’t dare | To dream of being whole. | His whispers creep through endless night, | A tale of dread and woe, | Each promise laced with smoke and blight, | To trap you down below. | A crooked cloak, a chilling grin, | He trades in fleeting breath, | A crooked deal will pull you in, | And bind your fate to death. | (Chorus) | Step into the crooked world, | Where nothing’s ever straight, | In this land where chaos swirls, | You’ll face your shadowed fate. | The crooked man will see you there, | With eyes that strip your soul, | In his grip, you wouldn’t dare | To dream of being whole. | “Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence,” he said, | His price for all control, | A bargain made, a path he led, | For the purchase of my soul.

| Little Miss Muffet sat alone, | Eating her curds and whey, | The shadows stretched, the wind had grown, | And a spider came to play. | She screamed, she ran, as far as she could, | But the spider was never far, | Its gleaming eyes in the dark woods, | Like a twisted, tiny star. | (Chorus) | Wicked little Miss Muffet, | Caught in the web she spun, | The spider stole her light away, | And left her with no sun. | In the dark where shadows creep, | She’ll find no rest, no sleep. | Miss Muffet tripped, her courage lost, | In a puddle of despair, | The spider spun its threads across, | To trap her trembling there. | Its voice a whisper, sweet but vile, | A song of secrets deep, | Her fears entangled every mile, | And dragged her into sleep. | (Chorus) | Wicked little Miss Muffet, | Caught in the web she spun, | The spider stole her light away, | And left her with no sun. | In the dark where shadows creep, | She’ll find no rest, no sleep. | The laughter echoed in her ears, | A cruel and hollow sound, | The spider fed upon her tears, | As her soul unwound. | Now Miss Muffet lies so still, | Bound in the spider's grace, | Her silent cries, her fading will, | Lost in its dark embrace. | (Outro) | Wicked little Miss Muffet, | A tale of endless fright, | The spider claimed her fragile heart, | And vanished into the night.

([female speaking voice:]) “Excuse me—are you hiding, or just waiting for someone who makes sense? This place keeps turning upside down every time I blink, and your smoke smells like questions I’m not ready to answer.”

([male singer, male voice:]) “Sense is a flavor, not a fact. You want a taste? Bite your own tongue and see if the truth bleeds. Around here, everything’s a riddle—even the itch behind your eyes. Tell me, do you remember why you started walking, or just how far you’ve come from where you began?”

([male singer, male voice:]) I’m curled in the blue haze where daylight never finds me,
Counting my segments, losing track of the names I wore last night,
Strangers whisper through the leaves, their voices curling soft as smoke,
Every syllable a dare—will he change, will he crack, will he even notice?
The ground is a memory, my skin is a riddle, my tongue drips strange advice,
I wrap myself in questions, and they cocoon me tight,
Crawling dreams and shadow-willies tangle in my hair,
I see you watching, wishing I’d tell you how the trick is done,
But every answer costs a piece you can’t sew back.

([male singer, male voice:]) Clock hands melt above my head, I taste hours like old tobacco,
Every tick another “Will he?” wriggling underneath my shell,
The crooked man is smiling, promises sharp as a pin in the dark,
He feeds me rumors, wants to know if I’ll bite or choke,
I’m nobody’s prophet, just a relic of almost—
A monument to the ache of never quite arriving,
I burrow deeper, swallow the willies, let them breed behind my eyes,
Will he stay? Will he bolt? Will he become another whisper,
Sliding off the tongue of the next poor bastard who wanders by?

([female speaking voice:]) “Nothing here is the right shape. The trees, the shadows, the words… They stretch when I look at them and shrink when I turn away. Are you real, or another part of this—whatever this is?”

([male singer, male voice:]) “Reality’s a coat you put on when you’re cold, and toss aside when the fire gets close. I’m as real as the hush between your heartbeats, as permanent as footprints in a cloud. Would you like a straight answer, or just another crooked question to gnaw on?”

([male singer, male voice:]) Your footsteps sound like rain on dead leaves,
You crouch beside me, desperate for a straight answer,
But in Wonderland, nothing runs straight, not fear, not fate, not the veins in your hand,
I lean close, let my breath taste your questions,
And every word is a new mutation—will he sprout wings,
Or just dissolve into a puddle of what-could-have-been?
I could lie and say you’ll be better, say the Willies won’t bite,
But the only thing true here is change, and change is a butcher,
I exhale a question, and it settles in your marrow:
Will he?

([male singer, male voice:]) Will he crawl out, or will he cave in,
Will he find a reason, or just spiral deeper in,
Every shiver, every riddle, every “Will he?” in the dark,
Burns a hole through who you were, leaves you naked and marked,
The Willies keep you honest, keep you cold,
Keep you asking, “Will I ever break the mold?”
Under the blue smoke sky, I watch the world tilt and spin,
Will he, won’t he—let the questions crawl in.

([male singer, male voice:]) Nobody leaves Wonderland by the same door they came,
Nobody keeps their shape, nobody keeps their own name,
I’m the question in your shadow, the itch you can’t kill,
A thousand Willies crawling—will he stay or will he spill?
Take another drag of midnight, let the world slide sideways,
I’m the Caterpillar—waiting, rotting, asking,
Will he?

([female speaking voice:]) “Why do you keep saying ‘Will he’? Will who? Is it about me, or someone else?”

([male singer, male voice:]) “A question with teeth—good. ‘Will he’ is the shadow behind every door, the echo under your tongue. Will you wake? Will you break? Will you matter, or just vanish like the rest? Around here, the Willies bite everyone sooner or later. Best not to ask what happens if they finish their meal.”

([male singer, male voice:]) (repeat, escalating): Will he crawl out, or will he cave in,
Will he find a reason, or just spiral deeper in,
Every shiver, every riddle, every “Will he?” in the dark,
Burns a hole through who you were, leaves you naked and marked,
The Willies keep you honest, keep you cold,
Keep you asking, “Will I ever break the mold?”
Under the blue smoke sky, I watch the world tilt and spin,
Will he, won’t he—let the questions crawl in

([female speaking voice:]) “What am I supposed to do, then?”

([male singer, male voice, echo :]) “Supposed is another word for should have could have.. . Do what the smoke does—rise, curl, vanish, linger. Ask better questions, or simply sit and let the Willies nest in your hair. The answer’s always the same, in the end—will you?”

| Jack and Jill climbed up the hill, | In search of something new, | A daring game, a hidden thrill, | Beneath the midnight hue. | In the moonlight’s tender glow, | They found a secret place, | Where shadows dared to softly show, | A fleeting, dark embrace. | (Chorus) | Hand in hand, they took the climb, | Where passion burned so bright, | In the depths of endless time, | They danced into the night. | Jack’s touch, a spark, unbridled fire, | A force that wouldn’t yield, | In his arms, her wild desire, | Became their only shield. | Jill’s soft sighs, a whispered plea, | To let the moment last, | In their eyes, eternity, | Where future meets the past. | (Chorus) | Hand in hand, they took the climb, | Where passion burned so bright, | In the depths of endless time, | They danced into the night. | In the dark, they found their way, | A world both fierce and kind, | Through shadows deep, their souls would stay, | Forever intertwined. | (Outro) | Jack and Jill, a tale unknown, | Of hearts that broke the mold, | In the night, their love was shown, | A mystery untold.

| Hush now, don’t make a sound, | In the shadows, I am near, | With a devil’s lullaby, | I'll turn your dreams to fear. | In my world, the darkness hums, | A melody of dread, | Whispers crawl inside your mind, | And nest where hope has fled. | (Chorus) | Welcome to my endless night, | Where your soul is mine to take, | In the dark, you’ll lose the fight, | No escape, the bonds won’t break. | Round and round, the madness spins, | In the void where shadows play, | Lost within my whispered sins, | You’ll find there is no way. | The clock unwinds, the silence grows, | And time becomes a lie, | In my grip, the chaos flows, | While the echoes scream and die. | (Chorus) | Welcome to my endless night, | Where your soul is mine to take, | In the dark, you’ll lose the fight, | No escape, the bonds won’t break. | (Outro) | Hush now, don’t you cry, | The shadows crave your name, | With a devil’s lullaby, | You’ll never leave my game.

(Female )
In the ballroom of the night,
Where masks conceal the truth,
I danced beneath the silver light,
In search of my lost youth.
His eyes, they held a secret fire,
A promise dark and sweet,
In his arms, my heart's desire,
Lay beneath his feet.
Every step, a whispered thrill,
A touch that made me sigh,
In his arms, my heart stood still,
Beneath the moonlit sky.
The midnight chime, a fleeting time,
That bound us in the dark,
In his kiss, a taste of crime,
A lover’s deepest mark.

Cinderella's secret dream,
A night of dark delight,
In his arms, a lover's scheme,
Beneath the pale moonlight.
In the shadows, hearts entwined,
A dance of pure desire,
In his touch, the world aligned,
And set my soul on fire.
In the night, he held me close,
A lover's fierce command,
In his eyes, the truth arose,
A world I understand.
Every sigh, a melody,
That binds my soul to his,
In this dance, eternally,
We share a secret kiss.

Cinderella's secret dream,
A night of dark delight,
In his arms, a lover's scheme,
Beneath the pale moonlight.
In the shadows, hearts entwined,
A dance of pure desire,
In his touch, the world aligned,
And set my soul on fire.

Verse 1

I wasn’t always this crooked, once my fingers stitched felt and thread and brim for the quiet and kind,
Mercury kissed my teacups clean, slid soft through my blood then wired every ticking shadow in my mind,
They called me Wee Willy Winkle (Wee Will He Winkie Wee Willy Winkle Winkie Will He?) while I weighed each feather and pin, never hearing how the poison took it’s claim,
One bad night the workshop blurred and Oz opened sideways, I stepped through and never walked back the same.
Mirrors started talking in triplets, clocks began to shake on the wall like nervous teeth,
Every thought ran sideways, every prayer wore boots and fled and left me chewing metal just to breathe,
Crooked man smelled weakness and profit, leaned close with a ledger grin and a bargain he swore made sense, (Wee Will He Winkie Wee Willy Winkle Winkie Will He?)
He tapped my hatband, named his fee, wrote the cost in silver breath, Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence.

Pre-Chorus

Where do nightmares find their rest when daylight claws the sky and still will not atone,
Where does a hatter hang his hurt when every path he walks turns into someone else’s tombstone.

Chorus

Mad as a hatter, that’s what they whisper when the kettle screams and the spoons all shake,
Pour one more cup for the ghosts at the table, let the tea run black with every vow I break, (Wee Will He Winkie)
Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence, that crooked total welded under my tongue and behind my eyes,
I wasn’t always this twisted, yet I shuffle these coins like halos and laugh while the innocent dies.

Verse 2

He said blend the worlds, save the bridges, keep the in-between from burning into bone and dust,
All it needed was a handful of souls on a silver platter, just ten and six, just a sliver of trust,
I signed with a hand that shook, felt sanity crack like china in some thunder-lit display,
Woke up crowned in three names at once, wizard, hatter, Willy, each one screaming in a different way.
Now I pour from chipped white pots that sweat cold metal, every drip a toll some wanderer never saw,
I seat lost children beside broken princes and dare them all to read the ledger carved in every claw,
Crooked man waits just past the curtain with ledgers fat and patient like wolves that never tire,
I flip my coin, ten on one side, six on the other, both stamped with my face wrapped in wire.

Pre-Chorus

Where do bargains go to rot when the ink outlives the hand that signed in shaking red,
Where does a wizard lay his guilt when every door he opens wants another heart instead.

Chorus

Mad as a hatter, that’s what they murmur when the chairs start twitching and the cups all grin,
Sip this brew of clocks and nightmares, let the porcelain crawl like a second poisoned skin,
Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence, every clink in my pocket sings you don’t know what that receipt meant,
I wasn’t always this crooked, yet I tally every scream as interest on a crooked rent.

Verse 3

I throw tea parties in the graveyard of reasons, swirl sugar through the air like snow that cuts,
Invite the broken, the furious, the girls who ran from campfires and the boys who buried lust in ruts,
Tell them watch the saucers spin, count the cracks, listen close while the ceiling learns to breathe,
Every riddle is a throat I stitched to keep from telling how the wizard underneath me never leaves.
Godmother hums soft endings in a far white parlor and begs them lie down and forget the bruise,
Crooked man waves release forms made of shadow, every line a snare that reads you never had a choice to lose,
I stand between them, gray as smoke, with scissors made of ten and six that cut through every shrine,
I hold the door to waking, yet each time I turn the handle some piece of my madness stays behind.

Bridge

Where do nightmares find their rest when the girl in the red cloak looks me dead in the eye and walks away,
Where does a hatter stash the hurt of letting one soul leave while a thousand others stay,
I flip that coin until my fingers bleed and whisper will he, won’t he, will I pay this toll again,
Wizard in the corner laughs that I already know the answer, I just keep pouring thunder for my guests instead of men.

Final Chorus

Mad as a hatter, that’s what they carve on the door to this crooked little tea-stained show,
Sit, drink, choose, either way the mercury choir under your ribs will start to glow,
Ten Sixths, Ten Shillings Six Pence, you don’t know what was the price, what bled out when I signed that line,
I wasn’t always this twisted, yet I’d cheat for her freedom one more time and let the debt stay mine.

Outro

I trace those numbers on the table, watch them smear into a road that bends where no map fits,
Ten on one side, six on the other, one small soul in the middle trying not to split,
I tip my hat to the empty chair she left, let the crooked man curse and the mirrors all hiss with woe, Then I walk back into the thunder and remind the dark with a tired grin,
I am a wizard, you know.

| In the forest dark and deep, | Where shadows twist and wind, | The Grimm Brothers their secrets keep, | With tales of twisted kind. | Their stories weave a chilling snare, | Of witches, wolves, and woe, | In their dance, the shadows glare, | At a world we’ll never know. | (Chorus) | Dance with the Grimm Brothers, | In their forest of the night, | Every tale that hovers | Is a step into pure fright. | In their dance, you’ll lose your way, | In the shadows where they play. | Every tale, a whispered doom, | Of children lost in fear, | In the woods where shadows bloom, | And dangers linger near. | Hansel, Gretel, Red, and more, | Are caught within their grasp, | In this maze of shadowed lore, | You’ll feel the darkness clasp. | (Chorus) | Dance with the Grimm Brothers, | In their forest of the night, | Every tale that hovers | Is a step into pure fright. | In their dance, you’ll lose your way, | In the shadows where they play. | Their laughter echoes through the trees, | A sound both sharp and cold, | Each tale they spin, a haunted breeze, | Their secrets tightly told. | (Outro) | Their world is one of endless pain, | Where stories trap the weak, | In their dance, no light remains, | Only shadows as they speak.

| In the night, where shadows creep, | The Hatter waits for you, | In his world, the silence weeps, | For dreams that won’t come true. | With a twisted grin, his game begins, | To pull you from the light, | In the dark where chaos spins, | You’ll vanish from their sight. | (Chorus) | Welcome to my shadowed land, | Where darkness takes its throne, | In my grasp, you’ll understand, | You’ll never be alone. | In the night, the shadows sing, | A song of endless dread, | In my hands, your soul will cling, | To the path the lost must tread. | His whispers haunt the midnight air, | A voice you can’t escape, | In his grin, the devil’s snare, | Binds you to this fate. | Every step draws you near, | To a world where time stands still, | In his gaze, the truth is clear, | You’ll bend beneath his will. | (Chorus) | Welcome to my shadowed land, | Where darkness takes its throne, | In my grasp, you’ll understand, | You’ll never be alone. | In the night, the shadows sing, | A song of endless dread, | In my hands, your soul will cling, | To the path the lost must tread. | (Outro) | Through the dark, you’ll take the leap, | And leave the light behind, | In this place where shadows keep, | Your secrets intertwined.

Verse 1

In the shadows I wait
With restless dark and cold
In my grasp you'll twisted fate
As the nightmare takes its hold
With a devil's smile chilling gaze
I weave a web so fine
In the darkness endless maze
Your soul is nearly mine

Chorus

Welcome to my dark dream
Where shadows come to play
In this world where nothing's as it seems
Your soul will never stray
Round and round the madness flows
In the night where shadows reign
In my grip the darkness grows
And your heart eternal pain

Verse 2

In the final act we dance
A tale of endless dread
In the shadows lost romance
Where dreams and fears are fed
I am the whispering in your ear
The shadow in your mind
In the darkness I draw near
Your soul I seek to find

Chorus

Welcome to my dark dream
Where shadows come to play
In this world where nothing's as it seems
Your soul will never stray
Round and round the madness flows
In the night where shadows reign
In my grip the darkness grows
And your heart eternal pain

Verse 3

In the night the final call
As shadows softly sway
In my grasp you'll surely fall
As the light fades away
(I'll be waiting)

Chorus

Welcome to my dark dream
Where shadows come to play
In this world where nothing's as it seems
Your soul will never stray
Round and round the madness flows
In the night where shadows reign
In my grip the darkness grows
And your heart eternal pain

Verse 4

In the final act we dance
A tale of endless dread
In the shadows lost romance
Where dreams and fears are fed
I am the whispering in your ear
The shadow in your mind
In the darkness I draw near
Your soul I seek to find

Verse 5

In the night the final call
As shadows softly sway
In my grasp you'll surely fall
As the light fades away
(I'll be waiting)
(I'll be waiting)
(I'll be waiting)