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Ghost Fleet
(Piano Intro - Sparse, moody, like raindrops on a cold window)
(Verse 1)
Used to have a harbor light
Safe passage guaranteed at night
We had a pact against the squalls
Solid ground and seaworthy walls
Then the policy expired, a single pen stroke, fine-print fire
You tore your name right off the deed
And planted a mutiny's seed
(Pre-Chorus)
And now I’m steering by the ache in my bones
On a compass built of stepping stones
Trying to bargain with the rising tide...
While you’re already safe on the other side
(Chorus - EXPLODES with huge drums, distorted guitars, layered vocals)
WE'RE A GHOST FLEET, DARLING, OUT ON THE BLACK!
NO INSURANCE AND THERE'S NO TURNING BACK!
I’M YELLING MAYDAY BUT THE RADIO'S BLED
JUST THE ROAR OF THE WATER INSIDE MY HEAD!
WE'RE A GHOST FLEET, HONEY, RUNNING ON FUMES
HAUNTING THE CHANNELS AND THE EMPTY ROOMS
I FIGHT THESE CURRENTS THAT YOU'LL NEVER SEE
OUT HERE ALONE, JUST THE WRECKAGE AND ME
(Verse 2)
You’re safe in dock, you're high and dry
You watch the storm-clouds rolling by
Behind a wall of ‘I don’t know’
You paid the price and let me go
And I hear you tell our friends that I chose this course
No, I just refused to let the storm win by force
You're breathing clean and managed air
While I’m gasping in the salt-stung prayer
(Pre-Chorus)
Yeah, I’m steering by the ache in my bones!
Treating memories like precious stones!
But they're not heavy enough to anchor down...
The loneliness in this broken town...
(Chorus - Even bigger, more desperate)
WE'RE A GHOST FLEET, DARLING, OUT ON THE BLACK!
NO INSURANCE AND THERE'S NO TURNING BACK!
I’M YELLING MAYDAY BUT THE RADIO'S BLED
JUST THE ROAR OF THE WATER INSIDE MY HEAD!
WE'RE A GHOST FLEET, HONEY, RUNNING ON FUMES
HAUNTING THE CHANNELS AND THE EMPTY ROOMS
I FIGHT THESE CURRENTS THAT YOU'LL NEVER SEE
OUT HERE ALONE, JUST THE WRECKAGE AND ME
(Bridge - Music drops to just a pulsating piano chord and a distant synth pad. Vocals become intimate, close-mic'd, almost cracking)
I patched the hull with promises I knew would break
For every goddamn wave I take...
I burn a photograph just to get some heat
A ritual for this slow defeat...
Just one flare...
Just one little flare...
Look up from your harbor... tell me you still care...
(Breakdown/Outro - Vocals scream, then break into quiet exhaustion over a final, building crescendo)
JUST TELL ME YOU SEE IT!
TELL ME YOU SEE IT!
THIS GHOST FLEET...
(Music crashes, then fades to a single piano note and the sound of distant, crackling static)
...and me.
About The Song
"Ghost Fleet" translates the global news story of a sudden maritime insurance collapse into a powerful metaphor for a relationship that has lost its fundamental security. The "ghost fleets"—uninsured ships navigating treacherous waters—become the symbol for a person trying to single-handedly pilot a broken relationship. The core of the song is the Active Agency Mandate in action: the narrator isn't passively sad; they are actively "steering by the ache in their bones," "fighting currents," and "patching the hull with promises." This active struggle against inevitable disaster, contrasted with the former partner's safety in the "harbor," creates a narrative of desperate, raw, and resilient heartbreak. The musical influence of raw, anthemic artists like Benson Boone is reflected in the song's extreme dynamic shifts, from quiet, intimate verses to explosive, scream-along choruses that embody the internal emotional chaos.
Production Notes
Concept: A dynamic power ballad that feels like a storm building, breaking, and receding.
Vocals: The performance is everything. Use a warm, present tube microphone (like a Neumann U 47) through a character-rich preamp (Neve 1073) and light compression (Tube-Tech CL 1B). The verses should be close-mic'd and intimate, while the choruses must sound like they're being belted out in a huge, reverberant space. Don't tune it perfectly; the strain and cracks sell the emotion. Harmonies in the chorus should be wide and powerful, but slightly behind the lead vocal in the mix.
Instrumentation: The song is built on a piano foundation. Start with a felt-damped or sparsely-played piano. In the pre-chorus, introduce a deep, four-on-the-floor kick drum pulse. The chorus should erupt with a full rock band: massive, live-sounding drums with a huge snare reverb, deep sub-bass, and heavily distorted electric guitars that double the main piano/vocal melody. The bridge should strip back to just the pulsating piano and an atmospheric synth pad, creating maximum dynamic contrast before the final chorus hits.
Mix Automation: This track lives and dies by automation. The vocal level must be ridden constantly. In the choruses, automate a long, dark plate reverb and subtle stereo delays on the lead vocal to create a sense of scale and chaos. Use parallel compression on the drum bus and automate the send level to make the drums feel explosive in the chorus. In the final outro, filter out the high end of the final piano note and automate a slow fade, leaving only the sound of vinyl crackle or faint radio static.
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