The Nobody Hole [A Sci​-​fi Hip​-​Hop Opera]

by Sum

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  • Digital Album

    **Nobody Hole fans like sci-fi, anime, comics and horror flicks**

    Videos:
    "Album Trailer": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CPzqmvJcag

    "Character Illustrations by Jared Rogness": http://vimeo.com/5325988

    Thank you for taking part in The Nobody Hole experience. Further down the page is a more complete description of The Nobody Hole and it's history for those who aren't familiar. Download of this 27-track opera in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire. Feel free to click on individual track titles to take a tour of the artwork. Lyrics and narration have been added for every song, as well as my own personal notes on the creation of most songs to help your experience feel more complete. Keep in mind that buying individual songs from this album would be like buying individual pages out of a book. They won't make sense alone. Enjoy the ride.
    -Sum     ... more

    Free Download

1.
01:11
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2.
03:32
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3.
03:06
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4.
02:00
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5.
02:28
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6.
02:32
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7.
03:59
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8.
02:33
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9.
01:37
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10.
02:47
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11.
00:58
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12.
01:12
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13.
01:15
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14.
00:50
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15.
03:06
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16.
01:55
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17.
03:41
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18.
03:09
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19.
03:34
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20.
02:27
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21.
03:29
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22.
03:05
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23.
03:03
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24.
00:57
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25.
02:57
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26.
02:35
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27.
01:21
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about

The Nobody Hole is a dark hip-hop opera written between 2005 and 2006 with music composed entirely by Brooklyn-based producer Badtouch. It is exactly 60 minutes long. It is not a loose concept album, but rather a literary work set to music. For over four years, it has been an intense labor of love for creator, Sum. The project is constantly evolving musically and visually, taking on new incarnations and directions while reaching a wider audience every year. It is far from a traditional album in many ways. There are no singles; any isolated song would make no sense alone. It is "re-released" every year around Halloween in a new way. The project is just as much about the artwork accompaniment as it is about the music itself. The Nobody Hole is even surrounded by an annual festival of events affectionately called "The Nobody Ball", which has covered everything from animatic screenings and masquerades in Manhattan, to live performances in Los Angeles.

A detailed account of The Nobody Hole's creation and evolution can be found here: thegoodlook.net/members/the-nobody-hole-year-six/

Borrowing themes from Alice in Wonderland, Edgar Allan Poe, Star Wars, ancient mythologies, fables and many other influences, The Nobody Hole is a melting pot of creativity. This album is an all out experiment in songwriting, storytelling and visual art. For years Sum has been advising listeners to "put on headphones, turn out all lights, shut out distractions, close your eyes and let The Nobody Hole take you where it may" when listening, which is alot to ask in today's culture of "download and listen on the run" but never disappoints those who take his advice.

The story follows a boy by the name of Paul Lowenfall (also known as “Pygmy Paul”) who spends much of his lonely life sketching masterful portraits of characters from his imagination. A traumatic run-in with his mentally fragile mother breaks his heart and forces him into an alternate dimension. This alternate dimension is a halfway-world, full of the sad, lonely and broken. Nothing is what it seems, everyone is a figment of their own imagination and nobody is whole. Once he arrives in The Nobody Hole, he runs into a cast of characters he hopes will help him get back home. Among them are a pumpkin-headed sorceress, an old man with a rickety ship, and a mysterious thief with silver eyes. To make it worse, Paul's being stalked by a psychotic killer in a panda mask that he drew with his own hands. As the journey unfolds, Paul discovers a secret deep within his blood and hidden in his drawings...

This is the first album of its kind; a Halloween-esque tale told from the voice of an authentic emcee with a notable catalogue under his belt already (i.e., "The Lil Folk", "Sum and Belief are The Lone Wolf" and The Milky Way's 2010 offering, "Metal Tiger Mixtape"). The Nobody Hole is a universe and playground for those with vivid imaginations. The ultimate goal is to one day animate the tale, hence, the steady collaboration with visual artists and character designers.

A truly collaborative piece, The Nobody Hole features the outstanding music of Badtouch, narration by Sum's wife, Nzinga Kadalie, and the accompanying artwork of Doug Hoffman, Jared Rogness, Jeffrey Hurst and Jerome Lewis.

Enjoy the ride, thanks for supporting, and stay tuned as The Nobody Hole experience continues to become an annual tradition for progressive hip-hop fans and music lovers across the globe.

credits

released 29 October 2010
Produced entirely by Badtouch. Written and Performed by Sum. Narration by Nzinga Kadalie.

tags

tags: hip-hop/rap alternative alternative hip-hop concept album electro experimental halloween opera hip-hop literary sci-fi Los Angeles

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all rights reserved

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Track Name: Act I (The Storm)
LYRICS

AS WE PLACE RARE JEWELS IN A DEEP SETTING TO ENHANCE THEIR BEAUTY, SO NATURE SETS MAN’S MIND IN DARK SURROUNDINGS, THAT IT MAY BETTER TRY HIS FAITH…

This tale is about a boy with a tiny sketchbook ….It begins with a storm.
A small town pounded by rain prepares for night
Chimneys paint poems on the sky
The boy plays games at the arcade
Just after school
The feeling in his gut says “Go Home”
So he -Counts his tokens
The he -Drops them in his raggedy pockets
Walks to the door looking out at the rain
There was never a good time to go to his broken home,
But something calls.
Rolling his pants
Heaving a sigh
Clenching his jaw
And waving goodbye
He pushed his lucky scooter through the rain and the glum
Having no idea the real storm had not yet begun

THE NOBODY HOLE, ACT 1
Track Name: The Most Depressing Song In The World
LYRICS

The Nobody Hole…starring in order of appearance..

Mother Lowenfall
Pygmy Paul Lowenfall
Manda
The King of Thieves
Jaquelantern
And…Old Man Geechi

(chorus X2)
You’re always sad and you always cry
You’re always mad, still you always try
Everybody's bad, everybody lies
Everyone’s been had, everybody dies


Narrated by….Nzinga Kadalie
Written by…SumKid Majere
Performed by….. SumKid Majere & Badtouch
Musical Score by…. BadTouch
Illustrated and Designed by….Doug Hoffman

Introducing new artwork by Jared Rogness, Jeff Hurst and Jerome Lewis



His teeth were crooked chunks of caramel
His brown skin was covered in bumps.
His days were all the same to him
Cold oatmeal, sugarless…lumps.


His breakfast was always lonely
His mother was always drunk
He’d thumb thru his sketchbook at the table
Then pack a popsicle for lunch

It always melted by recess
It never did bother him much
He always died at ten o’clock
Anyway, so what’s the rush?

The boys would beat his ass at school
These days he just felt numb
They’d dunk his football-shaped head
Into the toilet after taking a dump

His name was Pygmy Paul
And today’s the same ole day
Go to the mall right after school
Escape’s just an arcade away

But his mother found his secret
When she broke into his room
This would change the course of history
Forever after, I presume

Maybe this is the same ole day Paul. Naaaahhh… it aint.

The Tale of Pygmy Paul
Track Name: The Tale of Pygmy Paul
LYRICS

Verse 1
well, it was rainin cats and dogs and smashin down the hall madder than
a hornet widda flask of haitian rum
his momma throwin curses like a hydrochloric bomb kickin over tables
tearin pictures off the wall
see just a while ago she broke into his room and violated his privacy he
lock it while he gone
the way she actin thought she mighta caught him jackin off widda
catalogue of male models nawwww
she stumbled on his art (his art?) the secret part deep in his heart he
loved to draw

comic book divas with big titties automatic weapons and hentai shapes
when he drew them he drew the drapes
so he wouldnt draw attention to this daily make believe escape

well momma saw them shits flipped and went wild
which leads us to the next ep so don't flip the dial

NARRATOR
Paul stepped out into the storm like damn. He checked his pocket one more time to make sure the tokens wouldn’t fall out, then pushed on his little rusty scooter hard as he could. Something was wrong at home and he had to get there. QUICK!!. Maybe he forgot to give his mom her medicine today, but he’d never rushed home like this!!

Verse 2
welll it was rainin cats and dogs and smashin from the mall was the
center of our story we call him pygmy paul
cus he was smaller than a pygmy
them bullies used to beat him down so often that they softened up his
kidneys
they let him be when he came to school bleedin drenched in whiskey with
shit stains on his dickies
paul would bail to the mall after the bell and play arcade games to
forget about hell
well today was kinda different he felt a ringin in his head his ears
were itchin fidgety scratchin in his cabinet felt a buzzin in his
cupboard so he bounced a lil early to see what's cookin in the kitchen
scootin on his scooter thru the brutalizin weather
clueless to the fact his life was bout to change forever
drippin like a rag he dragged himself in thru the entrance
home sweet home... weed crack and incense
rats on the couch rollin trees like they woodsmen
lookin at pygmy paul like 'n*&!a what you cookin'
his momma strolled out half naked lookin grim
rollers in her hair and a long virginia slim
which wouldna been so strange to paul
cus that was them
him her son mother
but what made his heart really skip a beat
was the paper in her hand and scattered around her feet!

"well sonny" said his momma widda grin "look like you been doodlin just
who you think you is? I'll tell you what since you so damn smart and
better than folk cus you got yo lil art... u can go to class
tomoorow draw u up a chart, and show the whole school how a house fire
start"
spillin haitian rum on his illustrated loves laughin while she lit a
blue flame to each one

he stood frozen crying while the floor opened up
the nobody hole pulled him down and it really.... sucked......

(oh life is so wicked wicked wicked)
Track Name: Falling, Jabbing & Juggling
LYRICS

NARRATOR
A dreamer wasn’t Paul
But he fell through space
Little brown body snapping
Stretching like soft rubber
Unnamed stars streaked past
A tunnel, slick and damp
Smelled of earth
Vines, roots and branches scraped him
Time stops for the broken heart
Twists and turns
The tunnel laughed
Poking, juggling poor Paul

2X
Falling jabbing juggling poking
nudging prodding digging and punching
thrusting digging bouncing
pulling snapping shifting laughing
....sleep

NARRATOR
The tunnel stopped
And he dropped
Falling a short space then hitting the ground with a thud
Moss and mud
The air was thick, moist
Smelling of dying roses
Welcome to The Nobody Hole, Paul
Intoxicating air made him hazy
The sky was a dingy brown
He was in a quiet garden behind a museum
A dozen rows and a family of scarecrows looked down on him
The Cold Moon hung above like a ball of peppered ice
His once bumpy skin was now a drawing
How?
Laying his head on a cabbage in the garden
Curling up as a baby may
His eyes heavy as his heart became
A million voices and sleep’s embrace

The family of scarecrows awakened as Paul fell asleep and circled his body in an eerie song and dance…
Track Name: Sleepy
paul everything okay
was it a long way down
here all the walls are blue
here in the dark deep brown sound

paul can you hear us sing?
we drink blood from your dreams
hang them from a tree and
raindance while they swing

here in the darkest hole
is a castle made of bones
we've been waiting for our king
so sleep well and welcome home

ssssssshhhhhh welcome home paul, shhhhh

paul everything okay?
perhaps you broke your arm
did you hurt your hip, did you bust
your lip
did somebody knife your heart?
here we love the moon
here we have no sky
here dead sparrows fly
we ate out all their eyes

this is where we come
when nobody knows we're gone
and nobody is whole
so sleep well and welcome home

ssshhhh welcome home

NARRATOR
Picking up the little boy’s body, the scarecrows carried him through a door in the garden, into the dark and empty museum. As they left they closed the heavy door softly behind him..



After long, he awoke in a hallway lined with a thousand cases.
Paul began the long trek through the wax museum.
We’ll soon find out what he discovered in the tall glass cases.
But first, lets get a better idea of the world he’s fallen into. Not far away a city buzzed with strange life…
It’s like no other world we’ve seen…
Track Name: The Wax Museum
LYRICS

it was a beautiful day when paul arrived the nobody hole was like a hive
and buzzing with all the lonely hybrid people who called it home
a city lit by rivers of lava the air was cooled by hella humungous pipes
suspended in the sky or jutting from winding roads

hills and lakes of tears with weird appearances trains and sheer
disgusting smells the wails of folk long forgotten and lost, shared the
air like they were raised by strangers, loved by murderers, or they died
alone in flower beds
but were never given a rose....

kind of cold kinda chilly
women with half their bones chilled on creaking porches knitting
sitting with half a hope waiting for husbands deader than dirt that
never survived that fateful day at work
but patience it never did hurt...

did it?
imagine a world where all the trees are white
there is a source of light but the sky is always night
the grass is auburn red the dirt looks like chalk while a coat of
rust and frost covers all the homes in sight

now hold a piece of negative film up to a candle and you get the gist of
what this misty inbetween is like
a thriving city where boys were made of socks
dogs have legs of glass and little girls have empty eye sockets of solid
rock
see everybodys missing something crucial or unusual and despair grips
them tight to drag them under its spell
so we call it the nobody hole NOT because its hell but because nobody is
whole in this world beneath the well

now back to paul... who just retched on himself, and woke up by a wax
museum as a sketch of himself
and instead of regular replicas he’s surrounded by wax figures of characters he drew at the edge of the felt...
the action heroines... all in glass dioramas.... hundreds of em
holding loaded hammers, gats, hand cannons, pistols, tommy guns and
roscoes
a violent imagination makes anything possible
wiping tears away from his eyes with a dirty shirt sleeve allowing
himself to breathe
walking by the cases looking deep into their faces he knew each one of
them by name
cus he could draw them in his sleep
oshun, queen ransom, and doctor shrewd
stared back as he passed them all looking for a clue
even manda was there with his knife in hand the only dude
that paul ever drew and gave a weapon to that was not a gun
he saw him and he shrugged
kept it movin as he found a door to exit thru
it shut behind him with a boom.... the hallways began to moan as the wax figures inside moved….



NARRATOR
Paul walked onto a path lined with willows, shrooms and elms
The Nobody City loomed before him, an eerie glow far below
A shadowy figure left the museum behind him, o pray tell
I’ll do my best to tell you its tale, but I’m not sure you want to know…
Track Name: The Tale of Manda
LYRICS

Verse 1
Somewhere in the future far far from here
there once lived a man in a shanty made of brass
who would laugh when he killed which he did for many years
with a knife from behind a panda mask
gather round for the tale of the man known as manda pandemonium sadness
and hate swirled around in his soul hurricaining and boiling what a
wretchedly miserable fate
for a chap who was hapless as this on his wall hung newspaper clips
and a list
now I can't say that I’ve entertained the mind of a murderer but it might
be like this
he was sent here by gods in a basket abandoned on a doorstep october
thirty-first
with a mask in the likeness of a panda attached to his head since an
unholy birth
raised by a lonely autistic man who thought this child was as an
imaginary friend
he stabbed him viciously in the face over his birthday cake when he
turned only ten

NARRATOR
and so Paul walked down the shadowy road with toadstools as high as trees on both sides. He shuddered thinking about the wax statues of the characters he drew. The huge museum loomed on the hill behind him, and little did he know, a living, breathing Manda followed him silently, hidden by shadows….

Verse 2
The evil that men do aint the evil that manda
in his bloodstained jeans and leather sandals
he would stand under streetlamps at 4 in the morning on brisk winter
nights in plain view
mute as a corpse while the heat from his breath churned out in a thick
heavy plume
eyes with no pupils stared thru the mask at his prey in a grim
solitude
his killings were gruesome and quick sometimes babies were hung
from a pole
and he would draw portraits of his victims in vivid detail from the
basement of his home
pipes dripped from the ceiling as his hand ran across chronicling life
that was lost
signed with a kiss from his bloody manda lips then he'd stab with his
knife each portrait to the wall

NARRATOR
Questions raced through Pauls mind. How did those statues get there? Where was he?
Fighting tears, this place was scary
He came to a bustling street
Where people with shoes for faces and pig noses went about their daily business
Being Nobodies.
Movies playing across their foreheads and hands made of yarn.
Though he was the only one who looked like a drawing, he was one of them
Poor children were everywhere.
Suddenly, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.
A tall pale, strong looking bald man with silver eyes and silver teeth stood before him, smiling thru a long fu man chu. The stranger took a deep bow.
“Greetings Boy. Ransom, King of Thieves, at your service. Best you step with me here into the shadows, away from the eyes of your stalker. We’ll walk through The Nobody City for a while, there is much you need to know.”
Track Name: The King of Thieves
LYRICS

hey boy
welcome to the scene
I got a few tricks up my sleeve
things goin on that you won't believe
I got some info thatchya prolly gonna need
hey boy
you think you in a dream?
you aint so here's the skinny on the lean
everything is changing and you in the middle
if you want my help I need some (cough) ching ching

paul gave him a token, reserved for the games
they were gold and only worked in arcades

well, obviously paul, you arent at home
the place where you are is called the nobody hole
the people that you see aren't really here
see this is just a spiritual sphere
they've experienced a trauma, or some other kind drama
get they hearts crushed and wanna disappear
like clothes on their backs they wear losses
that's why your flesh and skin became comic
as people on earth they turn invisible, forgotten
I got more you gotta pay up if you want it..

paul gave him a token, reserved for the games
and asked the strange man how he knew his name

well, I'm the only soul ever born on this soil
so I know everyone from the sad to disloyal
they can all see reflections in my eyes when I smile
I got a name dossier locked away in my brain in a file
while I hold all the keys
Nice to meet you, I’m Ransom the king of the thieves

hey boy you think you in a dream?
you arent so here's the skinny on the lean
everything is changin and you in the middle
if you want my help I need some (cough) ching ching

paul gave him a tokens, reserved for the games
they were gold and only worked in arcades

you're being followed by a killer for a starter
and several other characters you scribbled with a marker
one of em don't wanna see you go
oh wait the money in my cup is running low

paul gave him tokens reserved for the games
and asked why somebody wanted him in a grave
well paul, you're a special little brother
the museum curator and key to the color
once you free yourself by bringing paint to this place
eyes open up and escapes they get discovered
that's why you're being shadowed by an evil serpent
because without the hole then that person has no purpose
you’re the grand artist, and beacon of our bliss
the bringer of change (ahem) speakin of which

paul gave him the last token for the games
and asked the king of thieves the way he could escape

I'll walk you to the next stage of the game
where jaquelantern holds the key revealing your fate
but in the castle made of bones, your final answer waits
and legend says in the throne room’s a grenade
ah, here we are the mansion full of ghosts
my tour ends here, god speed I'll stay close
Track Name: The Haunted Mansion
NARRATOR
and with that the king of thieves vanished without a trace, leaving paul
standing at the door of Jaquelantern’s Mansion.

In these haunted mists and shadows
a manor lonely stands
the gate between lost youth and death
the home where they hold hands

Tattered shutters hanging
There’s no where else to go
Each step carries whisperings
The windows draped in souls

The porch gave way in anguish
As he topped the muddy hill
The door swung open readily
Releasing a musty chill

Turning around behind him
To catch one final glance
Thinking he saw someone back there
But not up here, no chance

Stepping in with vacant eyes
Red carpet and chandeliers
Decaying and rotted in condition
The bitter twilight years

Dozens of rooms he searched through
Empty and hollow at sight
Shoulders heavy with resignation
Until reaching the third flight

The largest room he entered
And watched her move entranced
The pumpkin headed sorceress
In front of a mirror danced

He humbly asked for guidance
Please help me get home
She just continued dancing
As if she were alone….
Track Name: The Tale of Jaquelantern
LYRICS

The Tale of Jaquelantern

she danced in the mirror
with a tattered blue dress made of material hung from her shoulders
wrinkled and withered
don't get the jitters
her head was a pumpkin smiling and empty it simply would echo when he
would hit her
touch her her father would, comin home late from the factory horny
lifting his daughters skirt he would kiss her
stick her with his stinger and when he came inside her, in her baby
pumpkin ears softly he would whisper
oh jaquelantern you're a whore just like your mother was and even though
the puss is gone, I don't miss her
her head was a pumpkin but the candle blown out before she even turned
11 aint that a sad somethin
now in this haunted mansion,
empty abandoned wearin costume jewelry in a dirty dress she was dancin
dancin in the mirror, paul found her and she turned around to see him
thru her pumpkin eyes a lil clearer

hearing her name
jaquelantern around
carved in her face
a smile she could never turn around

she took the boy by the hand
her fingers were little delicate frightened fragile agile shimmering
slivers of icicles
she showed him every room
there had to be thousands and all of em were empty except for the
mirrors
the whole house was gray
a bay window on the top floor viewed the city she gazed from it
every day
blue curtains flapped in the wind
they matched her gown, standing by the window in a tragic smile that she
could never turn around
so paul asked again
she turned around, stooped down and answered thru her broken smile (“of
course”)
Track Name: Paul & Jackie
LYRICS

She turned away from the window when she spoke and knelt down to look him in the eye. Her face was a nightmare… a bruised rotting pumpkin with a dim glow inside. He should have been terrified but something about her was the most comfortable thing he had encountered in this twisted world. There was something in her he could relate to.

They looked through the window at the Nobody City below them for a long while holding hands.

She asked him what he needed and he told her he needed to go home. Without so much as another word she stepped up to the windowsill with Paul in tow… and jumped from the top window of her haunted mansion. Casting a spell on the way down, her dress multiplied a thousand times over, becoming an enchanted parachute and breaking their fall. As they fell, she told him he had nothing to be scared of anymore. His way home was in the throne room ….
Track Name: The Nobody Wood
LYRICS

Floating down to earth
Like petals on brisk autumn days
Skirt billowing beneath them both
Phantom parachutes black magic made

Landing in the gloomy forest
Firmly gripping his hand
Unspeakable evil stalked them
Through the fog and mist they ran

On winding paths they hurried
While tales of old she told
Regarding Paul’s return to home
And the Castle Made of Bones

No one had ever been
It wasn’t a wonder how
For surrounding it was a moat of souls
Simply known as “The Howl”

Covered by a bed of dead leaves
Floating on thin air
All common folk in The Nobody Hole
Called it the entrance to Hell

The Pumpkin Witch knew how to cross it
Though it wouldn’t be easy
Through The Nobody Wood they fled
Towards the Old Man Geechi

THE NOBODY HOLE, ACT II …….
Track Name: Act II (The Hunter and The Hunted)
LYRICS

the hunter and the hunted, the hungry and the running
the boy and broken sorcerress, a king who thieves for money
a garden missing color and a never ending wind armed women from his
fantasies in a museum
how does all this stop and where did it begin
when you wake up in as a drawing with imaginary skin
and you find yourself running thru forests and haunted mansions
with a pumpkin headed witch who mourns behind a grin
well, death mourns too and he isn't right with self
he can't wait to dig his knife deep into your chest
stalking thru the elms, in the panda mask breathing
they're always just in sight and out of reach they'll never see him
another pair of eyes though not behind a mask
follow wily manda silent as a cloud of gas
another pair of eyes though not behind a mask
follow pygmy paul thru the hollow forest path
a vaporlike assassin or maybe an apparition
listened to the pumpkin lady tellin paul the mission
one eye on the killer and another on the child
which eye saw an ally, your guess as good as mine

for now suffice to say that nobodys alone
as we begin our journey to the castle made of bones
for now suffice to say that nobodys alone
but back to paul and jackie in the nobody hole
Track Name: The Clearing
The forest finally thinned out into a wide clearing and the open sky greeted them again with its starry gloom. The other side of the clearing dropped into the infinite nothingness of The Howl. On a hill in the center of the clearing, sat an old hulk of a man dressed in carpenter’s overalls. He was hunched over in thought, smoking a corn cob pipe muttering to himself, and it looked like his muscular frame may have been permanently bent in that shape from years of pondering. His skin was black as coal and hair as white as The Cold Moon. The hill was surrounded by tools, pieces of metal and what looked like half a spaceship. Jaquelantern finally let go of the boys hand and urged him to walk to the confused looking man and his wreck.
Track Name: The Tale of Old Man Geechi & The Fallship
LYRICS

old man geechi, sat on a hill head in his palm tobacco pipe was full
pullin at his beard scratchin his chin
the cottonpickin ship done fallen again
how many times it fell? how many times it failed...
paul asked and the old man told him the tale

my twin brother aji he always been my heart
I was a carpenter and he studied the stars
we had a game we would play when we was lil kids
we was both determined to find out where heaven is
so he would draw the map, and I would chop the twigs
and by the end of the day we would have a lil ship
we made a promise then, forever to the end
to build a ship to heaven when we grew into men
(chorus)

my twin brother aji, he always been my heart
we grew into men, but never grew apart
I mastered carpentry, and he was scholarly
poetry, philosophy and astronomy
I fell in love with June, we had a family
we had son looked kinda like you with straighter teeth
but I aint forget, and neither did my twin
when we turned 33 we started on the ship
(chorus)

my twin brother Aji, he always been my heart
we started on the ship, to take us to the stars
June would bring us tea, and keep us company
and blush a lil when Aji would read her poetry
sharin all his thoughts, they started takin walks
while I was workin with the nail hammer and the saw
when the ship was done, they got in it one day
and said they was comin back but they never came


old man geechi, sat on a hill head in his palm tobacco pipe was full
pullin at his beard scratchin his chin
the cottonpickin ship done fallen again
how many times it fell? how many times it failed...
paul asked and the old man told him the tale
Track Name: The Gift
LYRICS

Seems like Old Man Geechi couldn’t finish his ship without his brother, huh?
Might be a lil hitch in Paul’s get-along, wouldn’t you say?
Well, Paul aint your run of the mill kid, so naturally, he offered to help Old Man Geechi build his ship in exchange for a ride across that scary Howl. With a smile wide as the day, the old hulk stood up to his fully bent stature, and hugged the little raggedy boy Paul. Jaquelantern kept watch at the edge of the forest, still sensin that troublesome evil in the Nobody Wood.

By and large, the old man and the boy started workin’, and that’s when lil’ Paul first discovered his gift in The Nobody Hole. See, Old Man Geechi was missin parts, cus nobody’s whole, right? But he was hopin those parts were lost somewhere in that big ole pile of wreckage next to his ship. Sure enough Paul would draw up a lil sketch of the part Old Man Geechi described, just so he knew what to look for in that there pile. As Paul drew the part, it began to materialize before them, shiny and brand spankin new. That mighta made em happy as two bullfrogs in the rain. Jaquelantern nodded, cus she knew. But she didn’t budge from her starin match with the shadows. Nope, not one inch.

Eventually, they signaled her to come over and help put the ship together. Reluctantly she went, cus an extra pair of hands would help them leave them creepy woods behind once and for all. She lifted things with spells and lit hard to see corners with a flame from her finger tips…Old Man Geechi had a trick up his sleeve too, it seemed…his corn cob pipe grew into a huge hammer…and they built…and they worked…and they sawed…and they hammered…and they cut…
Track Name: The Tale of The Carpenter's Tools (feat. Hotep Thom)
LYRICS

Dream me a nail
Draw me a screw
This is the tale
Of the carpenters tools

Draw me a saw
Dream me a screw
No time to stall
We’re waiting on you

Dream me a nail
Draw me a screw
Make it to scale
And a step ladder too

Draw me a saw
Dream me a screw
That pine wood is raw
Sandpaper it smooth

(break)


Dream me a nail
Draw me a screw
Measure that rail
Is it too short to use


Draw me a saw
Dream me a screw
Don’t give up Paul
There’s still much to do

Dream me a nail
Draw me a screw
We’ll throw on a sail
Maybe a few

Draw me a saw
Dream me a screw
We’ll widen this door
So three can walk through

NARRATOR
The huge ship could probably fit a small army. It was a weird contraption with sails, sharp angles, oddly placed wings and propellers. It looked more like a huge weapon than anything that could fly gracefully. But Old Man Geechi steady muttered it would be the best trip of their lives.

We’ll widen this door
So three can walk through

NARRATOR
The control panel hummed back to life with a whirr of whistles and beeps. Soon enough, it was ready to fly, and he told them to come in and buckle up, because take off would be rough.

The Castle of Bones emerged in the distance from the front window of The Fallship while Paul and Jaquie buckled in. Old Man Geechi closed the back hatch with the push of a button and it shut with a deafening grunt. No one saw the shadowy figure slip on board just before they sealed themselves in.
Track Name: Outside The Window
LYRICS

Narration

They braced as the lumbering giant began it’s ascent into the dingy Nobody Sky. Paul looked from the window next to his seat at the haunted world they were leaving below. The Nobody Hole unfolded before him as they zoomed above it…



Outside of the window
It’s a whole other world
I wonder what it’s like
I wonder what it’s like
When did the people
Burn their wings
I wonder what it’s like
I wonder what it’s like

Outside of the window
It’s a whole other world
I wonder what it’s like
I wonder what it’s like
When will the people,
Earn their wings
I wonder what it’s like
I wonder what it’s like

Fly away, avatar
Kite today, gone tomarrah
Zombies wave, from below
Harmonicas and guitars
Dirt roads, mountain peaks
Stardust, atchya feet
Clouds pass by the window
With the moon just in reach

So far up in the air
Hard to feel all the weight
Red rivers are small veins
Strange beasts drink from the banks
And the lakes over there, pitch black ice cold
Host dark witches raves, where they dance shriek and moan

Fly away, avatar
Here today, gone tomarrah
Ghosts wave, from below
And strum their guitars
Long roads, mountain peaks
Stardust, atchya feet
Clouds fog up the window
With the moon just in reach

So far up in the air
Hard to feel all the weight
Red rivers are small veins
Hellhounds drink from lakes
It’s a beautiful sight, and it brought to his mind
A tune he used to whistle while sketching designs
Track Name: Fight or Flight
LYRICS

The Bone Castle nears
The Fallship Flies
A Killer smells fear
For now all is quiet
A battle comes forth
Black magic and knives
The beginning of war
And a Nobody dies


hunched over the wheel the old man steered
smokin on his pipe a sweet aroma filled the air (bu-bump)
his blood raced with the excitement of flight
born to be a pilot, or what's the point of life
(right?)

jaquelanterned danced in a corner hummin
somethin of a spectre, light raven feather
she almost felt her pulse again thumpin but any sign of life from her is closer to a supernatural gesture (bump-bump)

paul smiled for the first time teeth uneven as
dyin blades of grass
wondrin if its all a dream and if he'll wake up to a bell ringing sleepin in his class

chin propped up on elbows, whistlin at the window, breath steamed on the glass
the bone castle loomed ahead like a giant among gods, frightened by no gods,

so high in the dark fog, .......
the titan dwarfed geechi's tiny fallship like a mountain next to a dragonfly it was so large
that pauls heart skipped a beat when they flew into its shadow
that's when he heard a rattle
(bump) he turned around baffled
(bump) a sliver of a silver glimmer sent a shiver in his spine to the center of his gut
(bump) his heart (bump)
skipped (bump) a beat (bump-bump)

manda ran into the room expressionless the mask
threw the jagged dagger jaquelantern acted fast
right before the knife stabbed paul in his place
she teleported inbetween and caught it in her face

thump!
the handle vibrated as it stuck
smilin while she pulled it out like apple stems pluck!
geechi turned around astonished widda scowl as The Howl rolled beneath em like the hellish version of a rug

manda didn't miss a beat he saw the witch and swung
the witch became mist
the panda man missed
she popped up behind him tryna creep
but he peeped just in time and caught her with a savage fist

bam!
landed to the deck, the knife skitters close
manda picked it up maybe pygmy paul is toast
geechi tryna concentrate on landin cus they at the foot of bone castle now and if he leave the wheel its over...

wham! the killer slashed paul across the chest
a little off his mark cus all these pieces of a dress
wrapped around his throat at the last second a thousand magic strands choked and yanked him by his neck

pow!! the ship landed widda crash, old man geechi screamed loud and opened up the hatch
handed paul the sketchbook, told him get out while can, jaquelantern looked into his eyes and screamed "fast!"

paul ran into the cold evening while the tall
castle made of bones stood above him and he bawled
after climbin a high hill of human skulls he finally felt safe enough to look back at the brawl

ice knives flew from the pumpin witch's fingers
manda took em all like he never even felt em
old man geechis corn pipe grew into a hammer yellin to the heavens like a grizzly when he swing it

thunder clapped boom! lightnin bolts flashed above
manda stabbed geechi in his chest, his body slumped
ripped off his arm like a flimsy piece of paper faced the witch while geechis blood gushed from the stump

exhausted from the magic spells, swayin in the wind
rain started pourin and she looked up at the kid
too tired to fight what a pitiful sight, drenched and sad the little candle in her face went dim

manda grabbed her head she said "run paul NOW!!!"
frozen in place he couldn't move one inch
the killer held her limp body over the howl
chopped her head off widda growl and threw it deep in the abyss
Track Name: Act III (The Beauty Queen)
LYRICS

She was a dancer the Sycamore Fair beauty queen
I found her alone in a pumpkin patch last Halloween
She cried in the mist, I smiled and we kissed holding hands
She told me everything knowing that I’d understand

Why did I have to fall
We could have had it all
I should have walked away
Before that autumn day

The thunder was rolling and she was asleep in her bed
Her father came in unaware of the knife by her head
He started to kiss her but then with a swing of her arm
She ended his life then climbed to the roof of the barn

Why did she have to fall
We could have had it all
She never made a sound
Just fell right through the ground…


Without further ado, we bring you Act III, the conclusion of The Nobody Hole
Track Name: Bloody Hands
LYRICS

NARRATOR
When we last left Paul he had just seen his friends brutally murdered by a killer he drew with his own hands and he was left to climb the hill of skulls and the Castle of Bones alone…with the Panda Man behind him, moving quickly.


whatchya gone do with the blood on yo hands
can't wash it off try hard as you can....
its all yo fault, ooooo
you might get caught ooooo

guilt is the heaviest companion to carry
paul slung it over his shoulder
climbed up a tall hilla skulls, strewn among bones and boulders
the howl screamed wind behind him it got colder

while the
right hand grabs, left foot lifts
right arm pulls, heart beat skips...

fear is a motivating friend at best
paul listened to its calm steady advice
as he reached the top, and never looked back
the castle of bones front gate, already cracked
so the
right hand reached, the left hand pushed
head peeps thru, the boy runs in

whatchya gone do with the blood on yo hands
can't wash it off try hard as you can....
its all yo fault, ooooo
you might' get caught ooooo

the tears ran hot, as he rushed to the stairs
slow footsteps behind
stairs made of bones
walls made of bone
what was gonna kill him first would it be the heartbreak, or the knife

Right foot steps, left foot trips
picks himself up, heartbeat skips

shame is the quietest comrade
torchlight flickers, blood runs quicker
steep staircase winds, gut gets sicker
picturing the death of friends, sobs and shivers
dim lit halls, long shadows stretch
throat shuts tight, gags short breaths

the panda man behind...maybe two flights
better run quick, or more death tonight
almost there, almost where
water drops ice cold fall on his hair

right eye cries, the left arm wipes
energy runs low, right leg steps

left leg steps, right leg go
come on feet, no time to move slow
right foot drags, left foot leads
the killer don't tire no, he just gains speed

his right foot stalks, left leg haunts
right hand grips knife, left hand taunts

whatchya gone do with the blood on yo hands
can't wash it off try hard as you can....
its all yo fault,
you might' get caught ooooo

salvation is a door at the top of the stairs
ready as it seems, metal at the seams
thick ancient oakwood heavy as it swings
sorta like his heart was heavy at the strings
hand pulls door, sho wasn't his
warm hand pulls him in, silver teeth grin

Relief is a familiar face come to your aid
then your shoulders let loose the exhaustion and pain
and you collapse on the ground, curlin up in a ball
while the thief king comforts you cradlin' arms

door slams shut
tears run foul
paul's safe now
theif king bows
Track Name: The Throne Room
LYRICS

Paul lifted himself up, feeling stronger.
Ransom, the thief king smiled and patted him on his shoulder.
“Well done, Lord Paul. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the throne which is rightfully yours.” He threw back the hood of his plush cloak.

The vast, round throne room was deathly still. The lofty ceiling was enveloped in shadow, and dozens of gigantic sleeping bats hung above in a perfect circle high above the boy and the thief. They were larger than Paul, but slept like the dead with wings folded around their black bodies. Directly beneath each sleeping bat, standing proudly against the wall, were stone statues of kings, all with their arms crossed like the bats above them. The statues were tombs, and the dead kings were all looking at Pygmy Paul.

Paul clutched the sketchbook in his back pocket, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He didn’t want to be here.

A long, dirty red carpet ran to the other side of the room, up a small rising of steps. At the top of the steps sat a sad throne before a colossal window overlooking all of The Nobody Hole. It reminded Paul of the view from Jaqeulantern’s Mansion. His heart sagged at the thought of her.

The throne was old decrepit wood, decaying and wet with rot. Once upon a time, it looked like it may have been strong oak. From its seat rose a strong, proud Sunflower with a thick, bristling, ropy stem. The Sunflower faced the window, bowing forward, like an old cheerless ruler overlooking his realm. But it had great power. That power lit The Throne Room.

It lit the entire Nobody Hole.

The thief king’s padded boots made no sound as he walked up behind the dumbfounded boy. “You don’t remember any of this, do you?” Paul shook his head.

“When you cry, it rains here… When you laugh the ground shakes. You dream life into this place, and it lives in your dreams, through your blood. Well then, as The King of Thieves and Advisor to The King, it’s my duty to tell you who you are and why we’re here. More importantly, you must know how The Nobody Hole came about. Pay attention boy, we don’t have all day. Your Manda creation will arrive soon.”

As the steady, heavy footsteps of the killer came closer, he bent low and whispered in the boy’s ears, “Welcome home, Paul.”
Track Name: The Tale of The Nobody Hole
LYRICS

Once upon a time, the devil beat his wife because he lost a bet, it aint what you expect
Far off in the west, the sun began to set
He stumbled in a bar, disguised as a drunk
Mischief for measure, Chaos for fun, he challenged anybody with the wits to match him up
“I bet you all my money I can draw a perfect jewel”
Everybody turned away on they barstools
But not one fella, he played it kinda cool
He carried simple tools, a pencil and a book
And by the way he looked, his life was pretty cruel
People looked away but loved to look at what he drew
The devil went first, and finished quick smiling
Held up the sketch, behold a perfect diamond
In the setting sun, ooos aaaahs sighing
It was just a drawing but it sparkled and it shined
The fella scribbled next, The Devil smiled wide, but he gambled with the wrong customer tonight
Cus dancing on the sketchpad was the most beautiful jewel brought to life
It was The Devil’s Wife
The Devil dropped his jaw, so did all the men cus the woman that they saw was fine as all sin
What followed was applause for the clever fellas wits
What started as a draw, ended in a win
A bet’s still a bet, whether gambler or priest
So the strange young fella made a deal with the beast
He said listen here, I know ya wife well
She lays down with me when you off raisin hell
All you gotta do, since I earned the winnings, is give me the gift to make all my art living
Real flesh and bone, give me a throne pass on my gift to all who got my blood in em
Well the devil did oblige, grant the gift he did
But he got tricks way up his sleeve hid
The fella got his throne, but nobody was home
His kingdom was an empty place and so he ruled alone
Just above hell, just below earth… he took it all in stride somebody had to be first
He battled stray demons and fallen gods strong
Never lost a fight and built a castle from they bones
The Devil beat his wife, because he lost a bet
Or maybe cus she broke the heart inside that he forgets
She cried a thunderstorm, a howling wind moaned
It opened up the ground around the Castle made of Bones
The first time it rained in the lonely kingdom, the lonely king looked up from his lonely throne
And heard his love cry, tears fell from the sky, leaked through the roof and dampened up his clothes
The water brought life, his pain brought light, his soul took root in his old bone throne
He became a flower that shed sunlight and gave gloom a glow in this limbo hole
When the sun is still bright but it’s rain fallin down, you can hear her cry, just stick a needle in the ground
Now broken hearts come from the whole world round, when they lose that part that never gets found
And the old king knew when he won that bet, he and the devil’s wife had sons on earth
So a long line of kings have to come to the hole, keep the demons out and reinstill the hope
The only way to do it is by choppin off the bulb, throw it far below and watch the colors spread
Then sit on the throne like ya ancestors did, till you become the flower then the cycle starts again
Track Name: The Cycle Starts Again
“So you see Paul, I couldn’t bring you directly to the Castle of Bones with me. Of course, I had a quicker and easier way to get here but every king must have a heavy heart before taking the throne, and you had to journey through your realm and endure the loss of your friends in order to cut the Sunflower. So sad, but so necessary. Once he takes the throne, the king can only leave this castle to battle wayward demons and fallen angels. The good people of The Nobody Hole must be allowed to mourn and heal in peace. This is your destiny Paul. As for me, I was born to be the king’s eyes and ears in the Hole….I am your Knight, and I was born to serve you. So tonight, I will serve you for the last time, Lord Paul.”

With that, he handed Paul a dagger and took a bow. Like clockwork, Manda tore through the door of the Throne Room in a beastly frenzy…
Track Name: Lord Paul
LYRICS

Well it was raining cats and dogs, and standing in the hall was the center of our story
We call him Lord Paul
But he was smaller than a pygmy, when Manda busted down the door the King of Thieves whipped out a sword quickly
Brawlin, stabbin, wrestling, poking
Fallin, jabbin, divin and punchin
Weavin, sparrin, growlin, screamin
The dance of death was on and poppin baby best believe it
Paul everything okay, was it a long way down
Perhaps you’ll take that dagger and cut the sunflower down?
Maybe you better run? Get the hell out the way?
Ransom stabbed Manda in the stomach he was enraged
Bit him in the neck, the king of thieves was quick, quick
Kick swift jab, Manda’s lookin bad
Well back to Paul, who’s a sketch of himself
To dodge the reckless fight, he leapt on a shelf
And jumped to the throne with no breath in his chest
Starin at the flower, majestic it slept
But somewhere in the throne room not far from here,
There once was a panda man who started whoopin ass
And laughed as he slashed at the thief king and head butted him with a hard panda mask
Manda drooled cus the boy was close enough to eat
Ransom turned to Paul face bleedin and he screamed
Hey boy, you think you in a dream? You aint so cut the bulb off the thing!
What you waitin on? When he moved loose change jingled in his robe ching ching
He bear hugged the killer Manda fought mad thrashed
A hundred head butts and stabs to the back
But the thief king smiled and wouldn’t let go
Looked Paul in the grill and said time for me to roll
Made it to the window with the Panda man in tow, all stabbed up and bleedin at the throat
They crashed thru the glass widda cold wind blast, Lord Paul watched em fall into the Howl far below

Fallin, stabbin, slashin, choking, grappling flailin, scrappin, brawlin, scratchin….

The load of many losses
Weighed upon his heart
A lonely wind blew through the window
Scattering glass shards
The boy became a king
No rituals or crowns
Just sadness through his perseverance
The flower must come down

Chopping off the head
He held it in his hand
It bled and pulsed like living flesh
And started to expand

He used his pain the throw it far
The sunflower took flight
Lord Paul sat down on his throne
And watched it spreading light
Track Name: Sunflower Grenade
LYRICS

I don’t know sunflower grenade
What are you
War to you
I don’t know sunflower grenade
What are you
Water you

Airborne color bomb, krylon flyin with a python tail of smoke
Icon meaning hope
Light falls from petals different colors spinning spokes, Wheel of Ezekiel
Feels so ethereal
Lands widda bang boom, strange hues, grays blues, teals
People bathe in the rays of the spherical
Sunflower hit like ten thousand powder kegs
Grass turned green tree trunks turned brown again
Lord Paul sat, heart heavy as a pound of yen
His kingdom celebrated rejoicing voicing they thanks
A mighty cheer went up for the arrival of the king, the color he brings inspires escape
He smiled at they love, and sighed at his loss
Melancholy beauty way below spread across
His mother needed him, but so did the Hole
So he drew a final sketch of himself back home and asked…

I don’t know sunflower grenade
What are you
War to you
I don’t know sunflower grenade
What are you
Water you



So Paul took out his notebook and drew himself back home.
Knowing he couldn’t leave the people of The Nobody Hole alone.

He drew the same Paul, but something inside had changed.
A quiet strength, a brave smirk…. He knew how to beat pain.

Same ole street. Same ole house. But the storm had left his town.
Pygmy Paul materialized while Lord Paul was underground.

Pygmy Paul walked back home while leaves heavy with water drooped. The sun was coming back out. He didn’t know how long he’d been gone. He followed a fallen leaf as it floated on a small water current heading for a drain. His scooter was still outside, right where he’d left it.

Before he walked inside to check on his poor mother, he patted his pocket and found that it was full of tokens. A parting gift from the pen of Lord Paul and today would be a perfect day to go to the arcade.
Track Name: Weight of the World
LYRICS

The weight of the world is not enough to beat me
I know that my pain the night the rain complete me
The weight of the world is not enough to beat me
I know that my pain the night the rain complete me

Saturday’s downpour… Is nothing more than shallow reservoirs
By Sunday afternoon


Paul…. Help me!!!!
LIFE IS SO WICKED WICKED, AAAAHHHH!!!!