Madilyn Mei - Kleptomaniacrow (Official Music Video)

My 'Promise You Won't Scream' (EP) is out now → fanlink.tv/promiseyouwontscream
'Promise You Won't Scream' Merch incl. a Kleptomaniacrow Crew, Tote & Sticker! → www.hellomerch.com/collection...
video by madilyn mei
written and composed by madilyn mei
produced and mixed by scrawny
mastered by joe hutchinson
single artwork by kris putter
Tour Dates (with support from ‪@sparkbirdmusic‬!):
Jul 11 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
Jul 12 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Jul 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge
Jul 14 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
Jul 16 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou's
Jul 17 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Lounge
Jul 19 - Boise, ID @ The Shrine
Jul 21 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Jul 24 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Jul 25 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
Jul 26 - Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
Jul 27 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Jul 28 - Toronto, ON @ Hard Luck Bar
Jul 30 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Jul 31 - New York, NY @ Baby's All Right
Aug 1 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Aug 2 - Washington, DC @ The Atlantis
Aug 3 - Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
Aug 6 - Raleigh, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Aug 7 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Purgatory)
Aug 8 - Nashville, TN @ Row One
Aug 10 - Austin, TX @ The Ballroom
Aug 11 - Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
www.madilynmei.com
/ madilynmei
/ madilynmei
Other links: linktr.ee/madilynmei
Lyrics:
Kleptomaniacrow
Following me wherever I go
Hoping I’ll drop something so
He can add to his collection
He likes the shiniest things
Dangling trinkets
Coins and beads
Offered up some crumbs to eat
But he didn’t seem interested
Kleptomaniacrow
Why follow I?
I’ve not much stowed away
In my pockets today
You have an eye on my necklace
You start a strange charade, a dance,
A’beckon me to follow
So like you always do I follow you this time
You lead me far away
Didn’t take you for a tour guide
You and I, parading by,
Deep into the wood
Oh Kleptomaniacrow
Leading me somewhere I don’t know
And to my horror you led
Me to a body at rest and
There I stood shocked by your side
For to my surprise the body was mine
Did that mean I was a ghost?
I don’t remember dying
And as I stood there crying
Over my own lifeless body
You felt the time was right to snatch
The locket you'd been eyeing
To my demise I realized too late
And with the pull
The corpse had disappeared
And off you flew holding my soul
“Finders Keepers"
Written in chicken scratch
On my tombstone
Nice touch, thanks for that
Guess that grim reaper
Knew I’d never grow old
Awful funny sendin’ birds to do your work though
“Finders Keepers"
Well you finally have my soul
But little do you know
That necklace is
That necklace is
“Finders Keepers"
Written in chicken scratch
On my tombstone
Gonna pay for that
Couldn't know better
Who knew death would come
With feathers
Who knew he'd send a greedy beak
A’peckin at my feet, oh
“Finders Keepers"
Well you finally have my soul
But, word to your crow, though
That necklace is fools gold

[@eliadube3477]

I love how it tells a story. The idea isn’t to rhyme or make it main stream, they’re telling a story from the heart

[@derekpeterson6325]

i was gonna type way too much about things that Dont matter but yeah! funky. There is a rhyme though, though unconventional - it brings it to stand out! the off kilter syncopation of specifically that rhyme scheme gives it a really nice drunken feeling just lurching along, and it's a really excellent vibe. Definitely influenced by aurora to some extent i'd imagine, the intonation is similar as well as the variety of instrumentation and the implimentation thereof and god dammit i said i wasn't gonna talk about things thst didn't fucking matter

[@UtterlyClueless1]

I get your point but trust me there's hooks there (relating that to rhyme). There are melodies, choruses, hooks,any common tropes of music but admittedly this is done in an older genre of music which yes is more about a story. Just remember modern music ultimately is derived from something or is derived from something that derives from something and so on... With all the literal technical shit outta the way... I agree

[@Jazzy._.Jazzy._.]

1000 like!

[@crazysasha1374]

I LOVE songs that tell stories.

[@TheMusicOfTommyHyde]

Madilyn Van Zandt

[@Gothmommywanter]

After the crow snatched the necklace.. She couldn't sing anymore, but whistle with the souls and the wind. Such a small but an amazing detail.

[@V0IDBUNNY]

True

[@-peyat]

this reminds me of a dream i had, where i was playing a game that was priding itself as "mapping out dead people's houses", and after a few levels of going through creepy mansions and derelict townhomes, i was teleported to my own front door

[@Rose-In-Wonderland]

WOW 😳 I wanna turn this into a story

[@-peyat]

@@Rose-In-Wonderland honestly, go ahead, i think it would be fun!

[@mer-soft6943]

Wow

[@avibreak2701]

no way i wanna make this a story too????

[@dadDDD235]

You could make a story IR smt with this it's a very cool dream

[@northwestguy4053]

"Awful funny sending birds to do your work, though" HER VOICE GIVES ME CHILLS I LOVE HER- AND THAT LINE IS JUST CHEFS KISS

[@gordongreen3310]

Despite your soul being taken and dying, still criticising Death themself.

[@GAPIsLove_GAPIsLife]

FRFRFR

[@ch_kip]

I love how this can be interpreted as a helper of the Grim reaper who is very keen on the souls and found that the witch they met was close to death. And so, the crow takes the necklace-her soul-and gives it to the Grim reaper, the Grim reaper lets her move on and the crow gets their little treasure, it may not be gold, but it was still something. Just like how everyone, no mather how pure they are, are worth something.

[@idkanymore8881]

Hm, I hadn't thought of that, I love that theory!!! I thought 'word to the crow though, that necklace (her soul) was fools gold' was like, it wasn't her soul in the necklace, and she fooled the grim reaper and his crow and her soul lives on :)

[@emporium03]

I can't be the only one who thinks this is a great concept for a dnd campaign

[@Raven.ray1]

FR THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT

[@ahoy_m8y]

This is such a bard song too

[@cai53r63]

Literally made a comment about the fact that my RPG DND homebrew world has that exact concept

[@Maria-ml5ol]

i just noticed bcz of you, thx tho, ive been looking 4 an idea

[@cai53r63]

​@@Maria-ml5olit is surprising the things one finds inspiration in but I hope you and your players or readers enjoy what you end up creating from this seed

[@firebirdlogistics6067]

"a word to the crow though, that necklace was fools gold" I LOVE THAT. and your music... wow. your voice... the instrumentals.. just scratches my brain in all the right places. never stop what you're doing!

[@meme_lord0118]

"finders keepers, written in chicken scratch..on my tomb stone... gonna pay for that.." is so satisfying as well 😫

[@firebirdlogistics6067]

@@meme_lord0118 yesssss the whole song and the change in tone and mood is just a MOOD

[@meme_lord0118]

@@firebirdlogistics6067 RIGHT, I adore the story it tells and the animation style is SO COOL

[@godlyhax4172]

I dont get what that lyric means? The crow, deaths puppet, got the soul? Where is the part where death got fooled?

[@dadDDD235]

​@@godlyhax4172no tools gold is fake gold and the crow took the hold necklace but the necklace was fake gold

[@mothbrainedindividual]

I'd love to watch an animated show with this artstyle

[@michaelskurski912]

She hand drew and made this video herself

[@PieNumber4]

My headcanon of "That necklace is fools gold" is that it was a fake. The ghost is still in the cemetery, and is later the same ghost in the last song of the album.

[@littlebitlost547]

i love you

[@covercrazeidk4123]

I love how the crow frequently has strings attached to him, as if he's being puppeted by the grim reaper, while the witch has no strings

[@harveydangerfield]

The part of this song that really reaches my heart is the line "as I stood there crying over my own lifeless body." It's hard to describe why this line grips me so hard. There's something incredibly touching about the idea of mourning your own death. I don't know. It's 5 am and I'm in tears looping this song.

[@albertopinoblanco]

It remembers me of a dream where I died and then the last part of the dream was narrated in a omniscient narrator and panoramic views...

[@KoiTHB]

I LOVE MADILYN MEI SO MUCH. I wonder how her voice would sound in a spooky song. Probably really beautiful.

[@Pinkywinkykinky]

this one is spooky honestly

[@Nox.caffine]

She said on her tiktok this song is meant to be for spooky season so it is spooky

[@KoiTHB]

SORRY. BAD GRAMMAR LOL. I commented this during the premiere before the song came out. I knew this was a spooky song but it was 20 minutes from being released.

[@ozymondiaskreed8176]

​@@Pinkywinkykinkyoff topic, but W profile pic

[@Pinkywinkykinky]

same like your amity picrews@@ozymondiaskreed8176

[@Paeoniaceae]

I love the fact that her voice sounds like a child and an adult at the same time

[@Ancientwoof]

You should listen to baby bugs.

[@SecretlyScene]

Melanie Martinez

[@pizzanarwhaltemmie]

I tried to explain this song to a friend, I explained it as "so there is this crow and this person is like 'oh the this crow love shiney things and adds then to a collection' and then later becomes 'oh crap that bird just stole my soul and gave it to the grim reaper 😐'"

[@inktheocto6223]

Did anyone else get chills hearing the grave digging for the first time? Wow.

[@StarStruck316]

If you wear headphones, they switch ears

[@Hailey..Angelz]

Omg i always thought it was just static for atmosphere thats so cool

[@5hining_Iris-ofc]

The art, the song, the melody... Everything is just perfect

[@skwidkid25]

Ohh, Kleptomaniacrow slides off the tongue so nicely! This tune is so relaxing and the animation is GORGEOUS! Your lyrical work is so beautiful, everything about your writing style is so smooth! Amazing work! 🧡🍂 Edit: 2:34 the humming here is so ghost-like. Hauntingly beautiful

[@jk55092]

I had to check there 3 while times just to hear the humming Lol

[@camchaunguyen]

The lyrics of this song is so freaking dark along with a melody so pure and lighthearted I love it

[@albertopinoblanco]

remembers me a bit of Yoru ni Kakeru by Yasoabi

[@Dayayam]

Kleptomaniacrow Following me wherever I go Hoping I'll drop something so He can add to his collection He likes the shiniest things Dangling trinkets Coins and beads Offered up some crumbs to eat But he didn't seem interested Kleptomaniacrow Why follow I? I've not much stowed away In my pockets today You have an eye on my necklace You start a strange charade, a dance A'beckon me to follow So like you always do I follow you this time You lead me far away Didn't take you for a tour guide You and I, parading by, Deep into the wood Oh, Kleptomaniacrow Leading me somewhere I don't know And to my horror, you led Me to a body at rest and There I stood shocked by your side For to my surprise, the body was mine Did that mean I was a ghost? I don't remember dying And as I stood there crying Over my own lifeless body You felt the time was right to snatch The locket you'd been eyeing To my demise I realized too late And with the pull The corpse had disappeared And off you flew holding my soul Finders keepers Written in chicken scratch On my tombstone Nice touch, thanks for that Guess that Grim Reaper Knew I'd never grow old Awful funny sendin' birds to do your work though Finders keepers Well you finally have my soul But little do you know That necklace is That necklace is Finders keepers Written in chicken scratch On my tombstone Gonna pay for that Couldn't know better Who knew death would come With feathers Who knew he'd send a greedy beak A'peckin at my feet, oh Finders keepers Well you finally have my soul But, word to your crow, though That necklace is fools gold

[@weirdnerdygoat]

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A METAPHORICAL MEANING BEHIND THIS SINCE IT CAME OUT AND I THINK I'VE GOT IT Mightn't be intended feeling but it works kind of :3 It's about a bad relationship. They start of with the witch giving the crown only trinkets, giving away small bits of herself. It declined crumbs, maybe meaning a proper healthy relationship? Something like that Then the crow took her on a journey, idk starting a relationship together. At first it's fine and just travel, but then it took her to her dead body, so making her be in a very bad mental health state? Metaphorically killing her, ya know Then it took her necklace with her soul, destroying her for its own benefit. However that turns out to not actually gain the crow anything- the necklace is fools gold. This is still very vague, any thoughts please tell me!!!

[@Moonesper]

I think it might be about the crow more, it took her necklace but it was “fools gold” which kleptomania means the intense urge to steal even if you regret it or know it is wrong, even stealing useless things, it wanted to steal her soul for the reaper when it had no meaning behind it. It was a kleptomaniacrow. Just my idea

[@RubyWcue123]

She confirmed it’s basically just about a crow leading someone to a lifeless body and stealing their soul

[@weirdnerdygoat]

@@RubyWcue123 tough luck I'm keeping my reading-too-much-into-it meaning TT^TT /lh /nm

[@faithscircus1556]

This song scratches my brain in the best way possible will have this on repeat for a full week if not longer

[@halfblood_on_paws]

On repeat rn 😊

[@CairnOwl]

Where have you and your music been all my life??? Forever grateful to KZbin recommendations for leading me to you!

[@anabellabobcatz8142]

Well this was just delightful to find during a 1.30am trip down a youtube rabbithole

[@sailorsunsoldier]

Kleptomaniacrow has stolen my heart. Such a beautiful song

[@oakberry14]

Same

[@Theonewhoslaysss]

This song is amazing it gives me goosebumps not in a bad way I love it

[@faedr4wz]

same

[@ShishSings]

dude, that was such a beautiful story you told with the crow, 1:45 had me absolutely reeling from the shock, my mouth just dropped and never closed through the rest of the song...

[@Ray_TheRatt]

LITTLERLY IM SO EXCITED TO PUT THIS ON MY PLAYLIST 😭 RAAGH

[@Jazzy._.Jazzy._.]

1:58 this is my favorite part The voice in the background well she’s singing oooo oooo ooo aye aye aye aye is MWAH

[@unclepeanut82]

The melody in the first half gave me shivers mate, love your work! Well done 😊

[@moranguinho4054]

the music video is very cute! The animation is beautiful and the music is perfect You made another perfect song Madilyn!

[@michaelskurski912]

She drew and made this video herself

[@cronosvandust313]

A wonderful piece of music and a thought-provoking tale! My sister brought me here (thanks, Susie!). One of your best songs, I think. And the end - truly, like a Buddhist koan! Makes you reconsider what a "soul" means. Warm greetings from Poland!

[@lynnchildress7081]

I will be playing this on repeat ❤️ This is the perfect song for spooky season!

[@Perry_iirc]

I love the idea that the crow is death’s bird Like the idea of the assumption that this crow was death’s way to collect some sort of soul that lied within possessions much rather the body itself I have seen many depictions of death itself having some crown but I love the idea or the interpretation that the very same crow is focused on this like it is in here 2:12 And I like how it’s worded that way here 2:53

[@gh0styfr13nd]

In a world where souls live in jewelry the better the material the stronger the tie to the soul. Hence why the crow wanted the 'gold' for the soul. But... word to the crow though? The necklace was fools gold. Her soul is still able to break free.

[@Blue_Oceanic]

I have never been this excited for a song in my life! Perfect way to kick off spooky season 🥀👻🍬🌘🧡💜 Question for Madilyn: will you be adding the chords for this song on your website? I really want to learn how to play it!

[@user-vn8kn6we1x]

congratulations! you are he first person to coment in this amazing video, hehe

[@Lope9]

The story and the song are both amazing and eerie!! Great way to start off the spooky season!

[@dina_soup]

All of your songs transport me to a whole other universe, I hope more people get the chance to find you

[@beepboopstrawberry]

I think that the singer is an immortal witch who put her soul into the most valuable thing she had on her person so she could keep it. I feel like the line "I guess that grim reaper knew I'd never grow old" shows that the reaper was aware of this and sent the crow to fetch the shiniest thing on her when in reality the necklace that the bird took was fools gold/not the most valuable thing.

[@anti_nyx]

I felt the scream in my soul. Beautiful job!

[@grimmstales8296]

I love this so much it feels like a fairy tale

[@KandyCantDraw]

WHY DOES THIS SONG CALM ME DOWN???

[@butterfish6785]

That was amazing! Great way to begin the spooky season ❤

[@Autumn-er9ph]

madilyn mei has become my fav artist in less then 2 days

[@scatterrealms5166]

One of my all time favourites

[@fufoxoverdrive3422]

this is genuinely one of my favorite songs of all time. It's absolutely beautiful and I just love it so much when songwriters actually use their songs to tell a unique story

[@Hiimjen]

Clicked because I thought it was a song about crows, stayed because the story stole my soul away

[@BrielleLong-kt4rp]

I love the parts where you go aye hi yi yi yi

[@BrielleLong-kt4rp]

Wow that looks cringy

[@jakephelps3860]

Love this so much!! Instant add to my Halloween playlist, and the video is so cool! The singing at 1:10 has to be my favorite part

[@RaryRow]

I CANT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW WELL THIS FITS MY CHARACTERS. THANK YOU LORD MEI. (my god of death has a little pet magpie who helps him gather souls, and someone was a little mad when the bird took their childs soul :))

[@dadDDD235]

Oohhh that sounds like really cool character

[@T0ASTIITV]

that sounds so badass Man!

[@notnate4403]

This is so beautiful, I wanna sing this song to my kids to fall asleep too

[@FierySerge]

I'm so exited can't wait, I'm really interested how the song got it's name, but I think I'll find out soon!

[@firesd7306]

Madilyn: CROW IS NOT FRIEND Entire community: Friend!!! 😃😃😃

[@funfettifroggy]

Madilyn ilysm you're music genre is just perfect and you have a gorgeous voice, your songs speak to me in such a beautiful way❤

[@ke1kk0]

The way her soul was in her necklace kind of reminds me of madoka magica

[@jj-by6rs]

i’ve had this song stuck in my head for weeks now. so unique and creative and i love the whole aesthetic and vibe. keep up the amazing work on your music! 😊

[@Thevegetablebutmoreofit]

This song is such a twisted story and i love it so muchhhh!!!! the video is so intriguing too!!!!

[@bird997]

The way you pronounce Kleptomaniacrow is so nice to me lmao Awesome song btw

[@isabelwisnes1609]

the last line about the fools gold reminded me there is a mineral in Norwegian called kråkesølv (crow-silver) that I think would suit this song if it was ever translated (^^)

[@alt269_]

I wish I could listen to this song for the first time again

[@Livehuntersdocumentaries]

Im just listening to this for the first time and i get it.

[@IAmSneak]

Ooooo, im excited!

[@IAmSneak]

Wasn't disappointed! Nice start to fall :)

[@lamenting-losers-laughter]

This, things like this.. Finding an artist through stumbling upon a random song and falling in love with the stories they tell No matter how many times it happens it always feels the same. This is what living is for

[@skilletthescarletspaghet]

I actually cannot express how much I love this song. It's so catchy and pretty and your voice is so PRETTY! kdjafhljnvafdfhae I just love this so much, the story is amazing. I've had this on repeat for the last week

[@FluffyRadio374]

"He likes the shiniest things Dangling trinkets Coins and beads Offered up some crumbs to eat But he didn’t seem interested" The Crow kept the fake gold necklace that represented the witch's soul, but didnt touch her corpse.... I find that connection weirdly poetic, even if we say that the crow doesn't need to eat cause he belongs to the grim reaper and all.

[@moonlightnymph7975]

that is such a wonderful detail oh my gosh

[@outblucks6724]

AHHHHH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH YOUR HONESTLY PROBABLY MY FAVORITE ARTIST EVER

[@JasperEnder]

So this is my favorite song ever since it came out. Soooo. At my school we are having a talent show and I'm singing this. YAY!

[@Checkmate___]

God, I'm so glad I found your music

[@Foxbian]

Best song, number 1 of all time, I cry if happiness when I listen to it. I cannot express how much I love this song

[@ApollosHottestDaughter]

My Spotify playlist earlier went from guns and ships to this and honestly it was such a vibe

[@dinolikesattention]

The video is so cool oml I love the little crow

[@trewturnbull]

The scream sounds sick as hell this song is awesome

[@allyxox0]

I've been listening to this on loop for two hours 😛

[@sophiaeli2195]

this song is a masterpiece, I really hope it goes viral

[@pintergabor5404]

Another banger! Love your music! Keep it up and good luck!

[@bubblegumcookie_]

This song called to me like a siren and now I love it

[@cck5707]

I love this artist and the art, so glad I found it

[@alexs_music_tavern]

The great song. The magical voice. Good luck!

[@a_cool.person4683]

I have NEVER cried to one of Madilyns songs til last night, this is such a work of art and I love it so much

[@willowvlahakes1564]

YESSS i was hoping you'd post this song on KZbin since that's the only way I can access your music this will get stuck in my head

[@groceryreceipt]

the story of the song itself as well as the video are all just absolutely spot on! absolutely amazing work, cant wait to see u and addison in november

[@drosana]

I've been obsessed with this song for months

[@marasmusshowdown8638]

This is lovely. A dream... sewn into my mind. ❤❤❤

[@TheCrimsonSpi]

My favorite part is the scream in the background. Supper chilling ^^

[@crrunchybagel]

EEEE IM SO EXCITED I LOVE YOUR MUSIC

[@vazak11]

Wow!

[@AshlynGrisham-dk1qn]

omg i love this so much😭😭🫶

[@DakotaMillie]

This is the most wonderful thing I've ever seen/heard/experienced. What a thrill

[@Neon_MWT]

This is also one of my fav songs too

[@zoeymfuzzbeanz7649]

Omggggg I already know I am going to love this!!

[@IAmSneak]

Madilyn mei AND spooky time??? I can hardly wait, it's too much!

[@zoeymfuzzbeanz7649]

@@IAmSneak fr😭😭

[@Blue_Oceanic]

@@IAmSneakI can’t wait either!

[@seedrose_roseseed]

you need to have a concert

[@theangemon4155]

It resonates with me so hard, I can't. Great work

[@Elarcane]

This song is pure magic. It's rare to find such a unique and captivating sound that leaves you wanting more. ✨

[@LeeAreum-nb2ct]

She’s literally so underrated like omgggg

[@lululolsfoodeep2993]

OMGGG IM SO EXCITEDDJSJBSUBD

[@knownasraptor7733]

The guitar sounds so beutiful.I really want to learn the tabs or cords like the way you play is just something else

[@Violette.....]

I literally LOVE this song! You are so talented and I love your work. It's always amazing! Your voice is so beautiful Madilyn!

[@Wolfieonpaws]

I love this

[@tharzanne]

I just came back from watching Hunger Games: Songbirds and Snakes, i shuffeled my playlist and this song came on. It pretty much sums up the entire movie lol

[@tharzanne]

I had my sister listen to this song and we both agree that it is criminal that they didn't reach out to you to have this song in the movie

[@wolf_therian3039]

Omg you finally realesed it omg!!!!

[@TotallyNot_Damien7]

My new favorite song

[@ioankou]

I've been listening to this song all day and I'm positively addicted.