[Intro]
You don't have to play me backwards
To get the meaning of my verse
You don't have to die and go to Hell
To feel the Devil's curse

[Verse 1]
Well, I thought my life was a photograph
On the family Christmas card
Kids all dressed in buttons and bows
And lined up in the yard
Were the golden days of childhood
So lyrical and warm
Or did the picture start to fade
On the day that I was born?

[Chorus]
I've seen them light the candles
And I've heard them bang the drum
And I've cried, "Mama, I'm cold as ice"
And I got no place to run

[Verse 2]
Let the night begin, there's a pop of skin
And the sudden rush of scarlet
There's a little boy riding on a goat's head
And a little girl playing the harlot
There's a sacrifice in an empty church
Of sweet little baby Rose
And a man in a mask from Mexico
Is peeling off my clothes
[Chorus]
I've seen them light the candles
And I've heard them bang the drum
And I've cried, "Mama, I'm cold as ice"
And I got no place to run

[Bridge]
So I'm paying for protection
Smoking out the truth
Chasing recollections
Nailing down the proof

[Verse 3]
Don't have to play me backwards
To get the meaning of my verse
You don't have to die and go to Hell
To feel the Devil's curse
And I'll stand before your altar
And tell everything I know
I've come to claim my childhood
At the chapel of baby Rose

[Outro]
I've seen them light the candles
And I've heard them bang the drum
I've seen them light the candles
And I've heard them bang the drum