Lyrics / NO EXIT ARCADE: THE CLOWN GAME SHOW
HORROR//LEVELS
[tempo: 122 bpm] [key: F minor] [vocals: female lead, male host voice, distant crowd chants, subtle glitch whispers] [style: industrial, darkwave, edm, techno, horror synth, cinematic, distorted bass, clock ticks, tape hiss, glitch, game show fx, anthem chorus, sidechain, reverse piano, choir stabs, tension build, dramatic] [Intro – Energy 26 | slow ticking, TV hum, distant crowd] (Host voice, older but still smiling) “WELCOME BACK, CONTESTANT. TEN YEARS LATER. NEW LEVELS. SAME HORROR.” (TV click, warped theme sting) [Verse 1 – Energy 44 | half-rap female, tired but sharp] Year one felt like a one-night bet, One bad dream you’d just forget. But ratings spiked and phones lit red, They signed your fear for what’s ahead. Seasons stack like numbered doors, Every year a sicker floor. You say, “I left, I broke their chains”— prove it to the rerun, not your brain. [Pre-Chorus – Energy 60 | rising drones, soft glitch] Count your years like mis-made deals, Every scar another reel. Time’s a contract in your veins— (choose the hurt that writes your name). [Chorus – Energy 88 | big, tragic, glitch on title] Horror l-l-levels— every year another game to bleed. Horror l-l-levels— every win just feeds the need. Horror l-l-levels— seasons carved in glass and screens. If you want to leave this show— break the script they wrote in dreams. (glitch echo: “h-h-horror… levels…”) [Post-Chorus Tag – Energy 72 | TV stingers, faint cheer] (Host, processed) “STAY WITH US. STAY AFRAID. STAY TUNED.” [Verse 2 – Energy 56 | more intensity, restless rhythm] New kids stand where you once shook, Reading rules they never took. Neon smiles on trembling mouths, They don’t know the way this souths. Spin-off rooms from your old pain, Brand-new sets, the same old game. You say, “I’ve changed, I’m not that girl”— prove it to this rerun world. [Pre-Chorus 2 – Energy 76 | heavier drums, glitch fills] Weigh your hope on a breaking scale, Every wish tips toward their sale. Time won’t pause for your regret— (choose the cost you won’t forget). [Drop / Break – Energy 100 | EDM hit, chopped slogans] [EDM DROP: razor bass, alarms, reverse piano] (Host voice, hard-glitched, overlapping) “NEW SEASON— SAME FEAR— N-NEW LEVEL— YOU… STILL HERE.” [Bridge – Energy 94 | half-time, crowd + ghosts of old shows] Left hand past, right hand now, Which one do you still allow? Highlight reels cut up your breath, Spliced and sold as gorgeous death. Voice: “Are you ready?” (crowd echo: “AGAIN, AGAIN…”) Crowd: “ROLL THE DICE.” Voice: “What’s the cost?” (whisper: “EVERY LIFE…”) Crowd: “NAME THE PRICE.” Voice: “What remains?” (crowd fades) “JUST YOUR FACE INSIDE THEIR VICE.” [Final Chorus – Energy 96 | octave-up chants, extra glitch] Horror l-l-levels— every year another game to bleed. Horror l-l-levels— every win just feeds the need. Horror l-l-levels— seasons carved in glass and screens. If you want to leave this show— break the script they wrote in dreams. (tag, layered) H-h-horror levels— horror… levels… [Outro – Energy 5 | fading static, single tick] (Host, fading, almost sincere) “THANKS FOR GIVING US THE BEST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE.” (TV shuts off, one last clock tick, silence)