Once Upon A Nightmare
Tempo: 58 BPM — Key: D minor — Mood: haunted lullaby nightmare Beat: detuned toy piano, bowed saw, heartbeat-like sub-bass, distant organ. Add glitches, tape-stops, reversed notes, vinyl crackle, random stutters, echo drop-offs. Vocals: fragile male lead (cracking vibrato). Layers: whispers (stereo), detuned child choir (heavy reverb), gravel baritone (distorted), faint hysterical laugh. Add panting breaths panned left/right in verses and chorus, increasing speed and desperation. Echoes misaligned, words stutter/glitch, sudden drop-offs. End in silence after one long exhale.
Once Upon A Nightmare
Tempo: 58 BPM — Key: D minor — Mood: haunted lullaby nightmare Beat: detuned toy piano, bowed saw, heartbeat-like sub-bass, distant organ. Add glitches, tape-stops, reversed notes, vinyl crackle, random stutters, echo drop-offs. Vocals: fragile male lead (cracking vibrato). Layers: whispers (stereo), detuned child choir (heavy reverb), gravel baritone (distorted), faint hysterical laugh. Add panting breaths panned left/right in verses and chorus, increasing speed and desperation. Echoes misaligned, words stutter/glitch, sudden drop-offs. End in silence after one long exhale.
Lyrics
Verse 1 – fragile lead, whispers underneath
I know you— y-you— (glitch stutter)
I walked with you once… once… upon a n-nightmare—
I know you… (you… you…)
the gleam in your eyes— fam-fam-familiar— too familiar—
*(panting L: “hah… hah… hah…”)
(panting R: “huh… huh… huh…”)
Chorus – overlapping voices, echoes misaligned
If I know you— I know— (know… know…) what you’ll do—
You’ll love me at— at once… (drop-off, silence)
the way you did once— once— once upon a n-nightmare.
(panting shifts L → R in rhythm with the bass)
Verse 2 – fractured, distorted
Visions— vi-visions— li-lie— (lie— lie—)
they tear— tear— b-burn— scream— (glitch echo)
N-nightmare whispers— whis… pers… pers…
nothing is ever… ev-ev-ever what it seems— (drop-off)
(panting R: faster, pan heavy right, fading out)
Chorus – ghost choir + glitches
If I kn-kn-know you— (you— you—)
I know— know— what you’ll do— do— do—
You’ll l-l-love me at once— (stutter, echo, silence)
the way you did once upon a— n-n-nightmare— nightmare— (night… mare…)
(panting L+R layered, out of sync, more desperate)
Outro – childlike voice, tape-stop fade
…once— upon— a— n-night… (glitch stutter, drop into silence)
(final pant: one slow exhale, panned hard left, held until silence)