Painted Man (Let The Devil In) by Oldrottenhead

Oldrottenhead · May 10, 2025, 09:42:36 AM

I had this written pretty quickly on my acoustic but took about 4 hours to actually record. One for the serial killer fest,partly inspired/about John Wayne Gacey.

It is what it is.

In a house by the river
Where the corn don't grow
He'd paint his face
For the Sunday show
With a child in his arms
And a trick up his sleeve
He smiled like Judas
Asked them to believe

The walls knew secrets
That this town forgot
And the furnace sang
With a voice too hot
He buried their laughter
In numbered beds
Each one a prayer
Whispered to the dead

Oh crawlspace Jesus
With your crown of rope
Your children sleep
In graves of hope
No cross to carry
Just a shovel and a grin
The Painted Man
Let the devil in

He danced for the judges
In his blood red tie
Said, "I only meant
To hush their cry."
They call it madness
But madness has rules
Played what he'd learned
At Sunday school

The jury wept
But not for the boys
But for this clown
And his box of toys
And when they hung him
Til his last breath
He grinned like a saint
As he faced his death

Oh crawlspace Jesus
With your crown of rope
Your children sleep
In graves of hope
No cross to carry
Just a shovel and a grin
The Painted Man
Let the devil in
Let the devil in
Let the devil in
Let the devil in

Painted Man (Let The Devil In)

W/M
by
Oldrottenhead
HB Tele Copy
HB Jazz Bass
Cajon and Footstomp on garageband
Vocals

SteveB · May 10, 2025, 02:27:59 PM

That, young sir, is a damned fine song. Well written, played and paced, lyrically rich, beautifully produced, and a wonderful ambience. Well worth a listen and download. Well done.

OdilonGreen · May 10, 2025, 06:45:14 PM

I really like the moody, sorrowful feel here; it's not about the horror of a serial killer, but the crushing, deadening sadness that acts of cruelty (whether motivated by malice or mental illness) create. It's a hard topic to contemplate, but the intimacy of your performance, the gentle sweep of the instrumentation, and the reserved, but still empathetic, tone of your vocals are all stunning. It's a pretty darn special song.