Hou Hunts Back

[Verse 1] Hou peevishly hunted it down Through the alley and the grain bin yard It wore the town like a stolen coat And left cold marks in the dark One by one, they vanished At the edge of the creek and fence Hou saw the shape in the broken glass And clenched his jaw again [Chorus] Shadow monster, come on Shadow monster, come on You take one, then another But Hou won't back down Shadow monster, come on Shadow monster, come on You hide in the black Then you bleed the whole town [Verse 2] It killed the porch light at Miller's place Scratched a hole in the screen Hou found muddy prints by the feed-store door And a claw mark on the beam He heard it laugh in the busted pipes He heard it scrape the wall So he took his lantern, took his name And went where night could crawl [Pre-Chorus] If it wants a body It can try mine first If it wants a heart Then let it feel the worst [Chorus] Shadow monster, come on Shadow monster, come on You take one, then another But Hou won't back down Shadow monster, come on Shadow monster, come on You hide in the black Then you bleed the whole town [Bridge] By the creek, Hou stood alone With mud on his boots and fire in his eyes The thing came out in a ragged grin All teeth and stolen lives Hou drove it back through the fence line thorns Through the grain bin dust And when it turned, he met its face With one hard step and a shout of trust [Final Chorus] Shadow monster, come on Shadow monster, come on You take one, then another But Hou won't back down Shadow monster, come on Shadow monster, come on You hide in the black Then you bleed the whole town Shadow monster, come on Shadow monster, come on Hou lights the dark And he hunts you down