Lullaby
Nightmare Whispers: Unveiling Childhood Fears in Alice Cooper's Lullaby
Lyrics
I was the boy who said all of my prayers
The speaker used to pray as a child.
Laid my clean face on the pillow
They slept peacefully and innocently.
Tucked in real tight, so safe and secure
They felt very secure and protected.
Through the night
During the night.
I heard a noise, it was probably nothing
The speaker heard a strange noise.
It pulled me right out of a dream
The noise disrupted their dream.
If I knew it was you
The speaker didn't recognize the source of the noise.
I'd have jumped out of bed with a scream
If they knew it was frightening, they'd react strongly.
I am the one who growls in your closet
The speaker is the cause of fear in someone's closet.
I am the one who lives under your bed
They also cause fear lurking under the bed.
(Chorus)
Get down, back where you started
Urging someone to return to their starting point.
Get down, back into hell
Asking someone to go back to a negative place.
Your black soul, you know you're black hearted
Describing the person's evil nature.
I smell your sulfurous smell
Sensing a dark and evil presence.
All of my things that I play with in daylight
Objects turn into scary things at night.
You turn into monsters at night
Normal things become frightening.
My toys were my friends
Toys were once friendly but turned aggressive.
Until you taught them all how to bite
The speaker blames the negative influence.
You showed me things little boys shouldn't see
They were exposed to inappropriate things.
You scared me with visions of fire
Scary visions were forced upon them.
You danced on my bed
Imagery of someone causing fear.
With the flames on your head dancing higher
Describing a terrifying figure.
I am the one who growls in your closet
Repetition of being the cause of fear.
I am the one who lives under your bed
Reinforcing the presence under the bed.
(Chorus)
I tell you right now
Refusal to accept a scary embrace.
I don't want your reptile embrace
Rejecting going to a frightening place.
I don't want to follow you down to your place
Refusal to follow into darkness.
I don't want to be a child of disgrace
Not wanting to be associated with disgrace.
You can take your whiskey soaked, foaming
Describing a repulsive, demonic presence.
at the mouth, toilet talking, pea soup
Illustrating a terrifying entity.
Spewing, sweating blood demon breath out of my face
Portraying a horrifying image.
(Chorus)
I was the boy who said all of my prayers
Repetition of childhood prayers and security.
Laid my clean face on the pillow
Restating the innocence of bedtime.
Tucked in real tight, so safe and secure
Feeling safe and protected.
Through the night
Reiterating the sense of safety through the night.
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