I see that my baby’s havin’ trouble with his sleeping
Sayin’ that your head’s full o' fools that be creeping’
Wake up in a sweat — sometimes I hear you screaming’
Scared of all the things that be waiting when you dreaming
Now I pull you close, and babe…you need to listen
Nothin’s gonna touch you without my permission
So let me tell you how I understand what you feel
‘cause it took me way too long
to learn monsters are REAL

Forget about Vampires, don’t mean ghosts,
ain’t talkin’ ‘bout demonic host
It was evil close to home that
always scared me the most, yeah
Born by a cemetery, top of the hill,
you know I walked on all the graves,
and I remember them still
Never hurt me or subvert me,
no they just shared their stories
I had a proper education with the stone allegories
they read of sacrifice and suffering and dying too soon
and even children who were taken by the light of the moon
It was no good, I understood that life is made out of pain
And even those who say they helping, only do it for gain
Just like the time I had six teeth pulled right out of my head, yo
I screamed and bled and the dentist joked
that maybe I was dead, WHOA!

The man who spoke of righteousness - they said he’s a preacher
And the ones who taught us science,
well they called themselves Teachers
But when they beat me, cheat me, then defeat me
I cried for help and gave my plea
but you just looked away the day
I almost drowned, you see?

The fear it got inside me…and it dug in deep
til I could see it in the mirror, and hear it whisper in my sleep
It was lurking in the shadows, and it beckoned from the black
Getting closer and closer, and there was no turning back
til at school I saw it grinnin’ in some mean kids’ eyes
but when I tried to tell the teacher,
she said ‘I’m sick of your lies’
So I ran home to my room and let my poor mind go wild
cuz there was something very wrong now
with this freak-ass child, yeah
I watched horror movie killers and studied comic book villains
For the world done made me sick
so monsters were my penicillin
And I learned everything I could about the circles of hell, what?
The demons and the devils and the secret places they dwell, but...

The REAL scary shit was the kids who lived down the lane
A gang of jocks with a handful rocks
who said they’d bash in my brains
Like a bitch I ran and fell in a ditch,
to a flooded storm drain
the kids laughed and they spat and celebrated my pain
Just a small-town evil, right? just like a stranger thing.
So, I Summoned a Demogorgon...
cast a spell for MY demon king
I will trade my soul, you can have it whole,
just give me vengeance and might
Then I spilled some blood and called his name
til the morning’s first light

But my prayers went unanswered,
yeah, that’s a running joke for me
and that’s what I did, I RAN from that town
to a university.
Into my waiting doom: a concrete room,
a prison under key and lock
and I thought the rules would keep me safe,
but son I was in for a shock
because the inmates smelled my weakness,
like wolves all ready to feed
They howled with joy when I cried out,
placed bets on who’d make me bleed
And I begged for help from friends and even strangers,
but none were forgiving
I had received my life sentence —
and the cell I got was living

But then one day I fell sick, and in the fever I had a vision
It was no mistake, two paths I could take: either worship or derision
And when the fever broke, no joke, I swear
that’s when everything changed
The weak and sad and desperate boy..?
Now a grown man, deranged
I put sugar in your gas tank and seduced all your girls
Put some boom in the oven, man,
then I blew up your world
Found the biggest and the baddest,
and took a home-run swing
Made a hundred wedding vows
but never gave one a ring

And I laughed and sneered and beat my chest
as I watched ‘em all weep
But the rush it turned to terror
every night in my sleep
Because the PAIN was my monster,
upon a throne inside my head
And in this kingdom of fear
the beast would reign until I was dead

But then all these years later
the nightmares finally ceased
‘cause the magic in your eyes,
that was my gateway to peace
You’re an angel of compassion
on a mission to heal
Cuz everyone is suffering, son…
and monsters are REAL.