TERRIBLE THINGS

TERRIBLE THINGS serves as a profound psychological exploration of one of modern gaming's most infamous villains: William Afton from the Five Nights at Freddy's series. The song delves into the horrific paradox of his existence as Springtrap, juxtaposing his notorious resilience with the sheer agony of his punishment. At its core, the song is a narrative about karmic retribution and the consequences of playing god. Afton, who spent his life manipulating machinery and taking innocent lives, is ironically fused with his own creation, forced to endure the very torment he inflicted on others.

The lyrical themes heavily explore the concept of immortality as a curse rather than a blessing. While Afton originally sought to conquer death—reflected in his arrogant acknowledgment that he can 'come back again, and again'—this survival has merely trapped him in a decaying body. The song highlights the loss of control; the 'puppeteer strings' metaphor illustrates that he is no longer the mastermind, but a prisoner to the vengeful spirits of his victims. The progression of the song tracks a distinct psychological unraveling. It begins with Afton desperately fearing hell ('Please don't let me die') and ends with him begging for it ('I just want to die'), signaling that his personalized purgatory is far worse than any death he could have imagined.

The narrative of the song plunges listeners directly into the twisted, agonizing perspective of William Afton, the central antagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise, during his horrific confinement within the Springtrap suit. The story opens with a grim recollection of the past, introducing a 'healthy man' who dedicated his life to 'workshopping robots' with what initially seemed like no ill intent. However, this facade of innocence is quickly shattered as the song shifts to the narrator's current, gruesome reality. He refers to himself as 'Old Mr. Corpse,' highlighting his physical decay as he rots away in a sealed room, having barely survived unimaginable torture and metaphorically crawling out of purgatory.

As the lyrics progress, the narrator confronts his own monstrous nature. He admits to having committed 'terrible' and 'unbearable' things, a direct acknowledgement of his history as a serial child murderer. Despite these admissions, he displays a pathetic, desperate clinging to life. He cries out, begging not to be allowed to die, terrified of the hellish forces—described as 'coming from below'—that are actively trying to drag him down to face ultimate justice. To cope with his suffering, he attempts to rationalize his cyclical agony, boasting that while being killed is painful, the silver lining is that he gets to 'come back again, and again, and again.'

The later sections of the song emphasize the sheer scale of his temporal and psychological torment. The narrator reflects on the decades of isolation and agony—30, 40, and 50 years—and the agonizing irony of his situation. He, the mastermind, is now attached to 'puppeteer strings,' entirely controlled by the restless spirits of the children he murdered. These children channel their powers with a singular, relentless goal: to 'S-A-V-E T-H-E-M,' trapping him in a perpetual state of punishment. Ultimately, the relentless, suffocating horror of this existence breaks him. The initial, cowardly plea for survival evaporates, replaced by a desperate, exhausted begging for the sweet, final release of true death, concluding the narrative on a note of complete psychological destruction.

TERRIBLE THINGS was written, produced, and performed by Axel Flåten, a Norwegian musician and content creator who operates under the name AXIE. The song was officially released on October 30, 2023, strategically timed to coincide with both the Halloween season and the highly anticipated release of the Five Nights at Freddy's live-action film. AXIE, known for creating intricate, lore-heavy video game fan songs (often referred to as 'nerdcore'), crafted this track to specifically capture the chaotic and agonizing energy of William Afton's time trapped as Springtrap.

Upon its release, the song quickly went viral, largely propelled by the YouTube animation community. A highly popular animated music video by the animator ani_TELdy (which took five months to create and was based on an earlier short by bunnycatevil) helped the track amass tens of millions of views. During its development and subsequent release, many listeners pointed out that the instrumental arrangement, specific rhythmic cadence, and dark cabaret style were heavily inspired by the song 'Charlie's Inferno' by the band That Handsome Devil. AXIE openly embraced this theatrical, jazz-infused rockabilly sound, utilizing it to perfectly contrast the upbeat tempo with the gruesome reality of the lyrics.

The rhythmic structure of the song is designed to feel mechanical and inescapable, mirroring the animatronic suit trapping the narrator. The song is set at a driving, moderately fast tempo (around 114 BPM) that creates a relentless, marching momentum, symbolizing the unending passage of time ('30 years... 40 years... 50 years') that Afton is forced to endure.

The rhyme scheme frequently utilizes an AABB or ABAB pattern (such as 'useless / with us' and 'purgatory / wrong with me'), heavily relying on slant rhymes to maintain a slightly off-kilter, unsettling atmosphere. The interplay between the lyrical rhythm and the musical beat is most prominent during the spelling of 'S-A-V-E T-H-E-M,' where the staccato delivery creates a punchy, robotic feel. This rigid, punctuated rhythm sharply contrasts with the more drawn-out, melodic pleas in the chorus ('Please don't let me die'), emphasizing the conflict between the mechanical prison and the suffering human inside.

TERRIBLE THINGS employs a striking use of musical dissonance, a stylistic hallmark of dark cabaret. AXIE pairs a bouncy, upbeat, and theatrical instrumental—complete with jazzy piano riffs, punchy brass synths, and an energetic, marching rhythm—with lyrics that graphically detail torture and rotting flesh. This deliberate contrast highlights Afton's madness, painting him as a narcissist who views his horrific circumstances through a twisted, theatrical lens.

Vocally, AXIE utilizes a highly dynamic, almost manic delivery. The performance shifts rapidly from smooth, arrogant crooning to strained, desperate shouting, perfectly encapsulating the character's internal war between a god complex and unbearable physical agony. From a literary standpoint, the song makes excellent use of irony (e.g., finding the 'silver lining' in being repeatedly killed) and rhetorical questions ('Who would do such terrible things?'), which mock the listener and showcase the narrator's complete lack of true remorse until the pain breaks him.

Since its release in late 2023, TERRIBLE THINGS has cemented itself as a modern standout within the massive Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF) fan community. The song arrived during a major resurgence in the franchise's popularity, coinciding with the release of the FNAF feature film, which helped propel the track to tens of millions of streams across platforms like YouTube and Spotify.

The song had a massive impact on the internet animation and 'animation meme' communities. It became the soundtrack for thousands of fan-made 2D animatics and 3D Blender shorts, with animators drawn to its theatrical energy and dark storytelling. Furthermore, the track sparked widespread discussions and appreciation for the 'dark cabaret' genre within internet nerdcore, introducing many younger listeners to the stylistic nuances of bands like That Handsome Devil, to which the song pays heavy homage. Its success has solidified AXIE as one of the premier musical creators in the contemporary indie gaming fandom space.

The song is densely packed with symbolism that draws directly from the lore of its source material, using it to convey deeper themes of decay and entrapment.

• Old Mr. Corpse: This moniker serves as a literal description of Afton's physical state inside the Springtrap suit, but it also symbolizes the complete rot of his humanity and morality. He is no longer a man; he is the decaying embodiment of his own sins.
• Puppeteer Strings: The lyric '50 years attached onto puppeteer strings' is a multifaceted metaphor. Literally, it refers to the animatronic endoskeleton that has impaled and controls his body. Metaphorically, it represents his loss of autonomy, subtly nodding to the 'Marionette' (The Puppet) character who orchestrates the children's vengeance against him.
• Coming from Below: The recurring fear of what is 'coming from below' symbolizes ultimate judgment. It represents the literal depths of hell waiting to claim him, as well as the buried, suppressed guilt and the spirits of the children pulling him down into his personalized purgatory (a reference to Ultimate Custom Night).
• S-A-V-E T-H-E-M: Spelling out this phrase is a direct callback to the 8-bit death minigames in FNAF 2. Symbolically, it represents the collective, restless willpower of his victims, which acts as the very force keeping him alive to suffer.

The song is anchored by several key recurring motifs that track the narrator's psychological descent:

• 'I have done some terrible things': This titular phrase acts as a twisted confession. Repeated throughout, it showcases Afton's self-awareness of his monstrosity, delivered initially with a sense of morbid pride, but later swallowed by the weight of his consequences.
• 'Again, and again, and again': This repetition is a crucial narrative device emphasizing the cyclical, unending nature of his torment. It serves as a grim subversion of his iconic gaming catchphrase, 'I always come back,' turning what was once a threat into a lament of his own eternal suffering.
• The Plea for Death: The most significant motif is the subverted plea. In the beginning, the chorus features the desperate cry, 'Please don't let me die,' stemming from a cowardly fear of hell. By the song's climax, after enduring decades of torture, the motif flips to 'I just want to die, yeah / So please just let me die!' This shift is the crux of the song, illustrating his complete and total psychological defeat.