Alternate View

(Album: Still Anyways - 2022)

This is the story of Hyacinthe and the contortionist

Step back for a moment
Take an alternate view
Step back for a moment (Step back)
Ain't always easy to do

(Chapter one)
Hyacinthe was born of the circus
She was raised telling the fortunes of all
Her daddy tamed lions
Said he wasn't scared of dying
But he was scared to death of her crystal ball

She'd say: "you're caging up the king of the jungle, daddy
And that behavior, it never ends well"
She saw there'd come a time
When the lions would dine on him
And she couldn't bring him back with no spell

And he would tease the crowd
"Step back, if they're hungry, they'll attack"
"Ain't that life"

Step back for a moment
Take an alternate view
Step back for a moment
Ain't always easy to do
Step back, step back
(Chapter two)
Step back, step back

She started waking up sweaty in terror
Dreaming blood on the walls every night
She'd seen whole damn scene
Every roar, every scream
Those lions licked up every drop of his light

No, she didn't do well with her daddy gone
The fortunes got darker each day
She'd be looking at a palm
See everything that could go wrong
And the nightmares they weren't going away

That's when she'd say
"Step back, if they're hungry, they'll attack"
"Ain't that life"

Step back for a moment
Take an alternate view
Step back for a moment
Ain't always easy to do

It was pissing rain outside of Denton
Her pain seemed never ending
A broken life, she had no friends
In those lions and they were whispering to her
"C'mon kid, come a lil' closer"

She stuck her neck into that lion cage
She smelled their breath all hot with rage
She recoiled screaming "I've gone too far"
But her head got stuck between those bars

And that's it, that's the last thing she remembers

Karloff the contortionist
Had a body type you couldn't miss
Skinny like a hose
Always walking on his hands (Boop, boop, boop)

But he saw eye to eye with Hyacinthe
Upside down and outside in
They talked about the sacrifice
A circus life demands

They kissed in the elephant's cage
They touched knees in the petting zoo hay
He could pop out his elbows
But his head was on straight
He'd put his face between his legs and say

Step back, step back
Step back, step back
Step back

Step back for a moment
Take an alternate view
Step back for a moment
Ain't always easy to do
Step back, step back
Step back, step back
This has been the story
Step back, step back
Of Hyacinthe and the contortionist
Step back, step back
Step back, step back