[Tempo: 70 BPM | Time: 4/4 | Key: D minor] [Style: Swamp Glitch Gospel Ballad; intimate → cinematic; digital decay + bayou atmosphere; NO trap hats; NO EDM drops; NO crowd noise] [Length Target: 3:10–3:40 | Do NOT add extra verses; repeat choruses only as written] [Lead Vocal: Belle Mourne (female alto/mezzo) — close-mic breathy verses → wider, aching choruses → whispered bridge → final chorus fragile + fierce] [Backing Vocals: whispered doubles under key words in verses; airy 2–3 part harmony stacks in choruses; low “choir-pad” vocal oohs only in final chorus] [Instruments: reversed felt-piano loop (main pulse), detuned analog synth pad (“lantern glow”), sub-bass tide pulse, lo-fi rim/heartbeat kick (soft), warm gospel organ swells (choruses/final only), subtle Cajun fiddle ghost lines (between phrases), ambient swamp field recording (frogs/thunder/water)] [FX Rules: tape wobble + vinyl crackle subtle throughout; micro-stutter ONLY once per chorus on the word “name” (optional); no other stutters] [Arrangement Arc: Intro ambience → Verse 1 sparse → Chorus 1 blooms → Verse 2 slightly fuller → Chorus 2 bigger → Bridge strips down (whisper) → Final Chorus biggest → Outro returns to ambience] [Intro] [4 bars | Bayou ambience (frogs + distant thunder + water) | vinyl crackle + tape wobble | reversed felt-piano loop fades in | detuned pad barely audible | no drums yet] [Verse 1] [Vocals: close-mic, breathy, intimate; slight tremble allowed | Piano loop + pad only | add very soft sub-bass on line 5] There’s moss in my memory, tangled in trees Whispers in French float down the levee breeze I hear the frogs sing like ghosts at night They know what I saw, they don’t need light [Add lo-fi rim/heartbeat kick very soft on beats 1 & 3 starting here] Grew up in a house with the shutters closed Where silence screamed louder than anyone knows They said the bayou swallows the past But mine still follows me fast [Chorus] [Drums: soft kick + rim; no bright hats | Add warm gospel organ swell on downbeats | Add airy harmony stack on lines 1–2 and last 2 lines | Cajun fiddle ghost answers between lines] I miss the way the thunder rolls The fireflies flare, then lose their glow But there’s a shadow in the sugar cane And it still knows my name [Optional micro-stutter FX ONCE on “name” only, then stop] I want to go back, but I can’t stay Love and grief both flood my brain Louisiane, you feel like home and war You’re the blood beneath my floor [Post-Chorus] [2 bars | drop organ; keep piano loop + pad + ambience | fiddle echo tail] [Verse 2] [Bring bass a touch louder | add subtle static texture | keep vocal intimate; whisper-double under last word of lines 2, 4, 8] Pirogues drift like memories I push away Mama cooked prayers I was scared to pray Swamps don’t lie—they just reflect Even the parts I try to forget [Add soft organ pulse on downbeats, very low] I buried secrets in the silt and sand But roots keep pulling back my hand God knows I tried to break your chain But I still taste your rain [Chorus] [Same as Chorus 1 but slightly bigger: add 2nd harmony above; fiddle more present; kick slightly stronger] I miss the way the thunder rolls The fireflies flare, then lose their glow But there’s a shadow in the sugar cane And it still knows my name [Optional micro-stutter FX ONCE on “name” only, then stop] I want to go back, but I can’t stay Love and grief both flood my brain Louisiane, you feel like home and war You’re the blood beneath my floor [Bridge] [Strip to ambience + reversed piano only | remove drums + bass | vocal whispered, very close | add faint low vocal “ooh” bed under last 2 lines] (whispered) You gave me the song and the silence The praise and the violence You held me down and lifted me high And I still don’t know why [Final Chorus] [Biggest section | full drum kit but still soft (no bright hats) | add fuller gospel organ + choir-pad vocals | add gentle octave lift on lead for line 2 if comfortable | add fiddle sustained countermelody] I miss the way the thunder rolls I ache for sounds that healed my soul But pain still drips from the cypress trees And it never asked to leave me I want to go back, but I can’t stay Love and grief both flood my brain Louisiane, I’ll always love your shore Even if I can’t walk through your door [Outro] [4 bars | drop drums and bass | let organ swell fade | return to ambience + reversed piano tail | end on a minor resolution with tape-wobble decay]
