Queen of the Damned

[Intro: Velvet Gothic Lullaby] (Detuned music-box melody, distant church bells, breathy whispers) I used to sleep beneath the earth, With all the worms and all their worth. Then you came down without a sound— And turned my little kingdom upside down. [Verse 1] I was the shadow at the window, I was the knock at three, I was the thing your mother warned you never to believe. Had a thousand years of appetite, a mouth that never prayed, Then you crossed the room in black silk and my whole damn empire swayed. Oh, your eyes got that old-world evil, your smile that slow decay, You could make a saint sell heaven just to watch you walk away. I've got fangs for every occasion, got a coffin made for two, But I can't remember how to bite when I'm standing next to you. I used to take what I wanted, leave the blood and leave the blame, Now I'm writing little love notes and misspelling your damn name. You put a ribbon on my throat, you put a flower on my grave— I'm the monster in the doorway, darling, begging you to stay. [Pre-Hook] Oh, pull the curtains, dim the light, Let me adore you through the night. I've been the nightmare, I've been the curse— But being yours is so much worse. [Hook: Seductive Gothic Pop] Queen of the Damned, put your spell on me, Make a pretty little prisoner out of what used to be. Queen of the Damned, let the centuries pass, I'll be kissing your shadow while you fog up the glass. Bury me deep where the black roses grow, Tell me you love me, then tell me you don't. Queen of the Damned, I'm your willing man— You can have my forever, if forever's the plan. [Verse 2] You don't need a silver bullet, don't need a stake through the heart, You just tilt your head a little and my defenses fall apart. I could charm a room of sinners, make a congregation crawl, But you say, “Come here, my darling,” and I stumble down the hall. I have watched the kings go rotten, watched the empires turn to dust, Learned the languages of hunger, learned the mathematics of lust. But your perfume's in the crypt now, your lipstick on my cup, And I'm rearranging all my skeletons to make your dressing room enough. Let the villagers bring torches, let the holy men complain, Let the moon come out in daylight, let it flood the windowpane. I would trade my perfect darkness for one morning in your bed— Then spend the next six hundred years reliving what you said. [Hook] Queen of the Damned, put your spell on me, Make a pretty little prisoner out of what used to be. Queen of the Damned, let the centuries pass, I'll be kissing your shadow while you fog up the glass. Bury me deep where the black roses grow, Tell me you love me, then tell me you don't. Queen of the Damned, I'm your willing man— You can have my forever, if forever's the plan. [Bridge: Possessed Love Confession] (Beat strips back to heartbeat, breath, and a warped organ) I don't want to cure it. I don't want to wake. I don't want the sunrise If it means you go away. I don't want salvation. I don't want release. I want your hand upon my forehead, And your name between my teeth. (Whispered, increasingly desperate) I've had the world. I've had the night. I've had a thousand hearts in flight. But you— You make the darkness feel like home. [Verse 3: Darkly Romantic, Almost Spoken] So take my rings, take my kingdom, take the keys to every tomb, Take the velvet off the coffin, make a palace of the room. I'll be waiting by the doorway with your slippers and your wine, Like a faithful little gargoyle on the roof of your design. And if you ever grow tired of me, if my old tricks lose their charm, I'll turn into a bat and nest inside the hollow of your arm. I'll be dust upon your dresser, I'll be whispers in your hair— You can never really lose me, love. I'll always find you there. (Beat swells) Oh, I know I'm not the hero. I was never meant to be. I'm the thing that lives forever, and you've made a fool of me. Let the world call you a monster. Let them tremble when you stand. I'll be right there, looking stupid, holding tightly to your hand. [Final Hook: Full Gothic Crescendo] Queen of the Damned, put your spell on me, Make a pretty little prisoner out of what used to be. Queen of the Damned, let the centuries pass, I'll be kissing your shadow while you fog up the glass. Bury me deep where the black roses grow, Tell me you love me, then tell me you don't. Queen of the Damned, I'm your willing man— You can have my forever, if forever's the plan. Queen of the Damned! (I'm yours, I'm yours.) Queen of the Damned! (Behind closed doors.) Queen of the Damned! (Your faithful fool.) You made a monster beautiful. [Outro: Music Box / Whisper] (Church bells, soft breathing, music slowing to a stop) I used to sleep beneath the earth... Now I stay awake to watch you dream. (Whisper) “Goodnight, my queen.”