[Intro - 92 BPM, sparse tape-worn breakbeat, deep sub-bass rumble, reversed guitar swells, muted piano motif] [Verse 1 - Analog synth pulses, ambient dub bass, subtle baritone sax breath] Haulin’ ice past Mars with a busted starboard seal I log the hours in the dark, keep my hands on the wheel Fourteen crates of salt and ore, and a prayer in my tin Then the moonlit cargo shook like something moved within [Pre-Chorus - Baritone sax stabs, wide stereo imaging, spring reverb] Dock lights burned green, then they went blood-red My co-pilot swore he heard his mother in the head I said, “Stay with me now” as the corridor breathed And the whole ship rang like a tooth in the teeth [Chorus - Layered chorus build, driving downtempo breakbeat, plate reverb] Cargo ship captain, I carry my fear Cargo ship captain, out past the clear Cargo ship captain, what follows me here (what follows me here) Cargo ship captain, ain’t human, I fear [Verse 2 - Tape-worn drums, dub delay echoes, treated piano] Found a thing in bay six wearing my dead man’s face Had a hundred black eyes and a slow, wet grace It tapped on the hatch then it started to sing Sounded like my old home from a long-buried spring I threw salt at the glass, it just smiled and grew Split its hands into knives, then it borrowed my view Now every vent in the hull got a language of claws And the map on my screen keeps rewriting the stars [Pre-Chorus - Baritone sax stabs, wide stereo imaging, spring reverb] My hands went cold on the wheel and the rail I heard whispers in crews that were long gone stale I said, “Not today” to the dark in the seams But the dark said my name like it knew my dreams [Chorus - Layered chorus build, driving downtempo breakbeat, plate reverb] Cargo ship captain, I carry my fear Cargo ship captain, out past the clear Cargo ship captain, what follows me here (what follows me here) Cargo ship captain, ain’t human, I fear [Verse 3 - Drums drop out, sub-bass rumble, sparse piano, distant static] Radio chatter in a dialect I never learned Static tastes like copper while the cooling pumps burn I locked down Sector Four, left the co-pilot’s boots Now the bulkhead's bleeding through the hydraulic chutes It didn't break the seal, didn't shatter the pane Just bled through the iron like a leak in the rain Standing in the airlock with a flare in my fist Watching my own body walking out through the mist [Bridge - Cinematic post-rock build, heavy dub bass distortion, rising synth pulses] If I make it home, I won’t sleep for years Got a thousand-mile ghost in my engine ears The void took my boys, but it left me the keys Now I steer this grave through the black and the sleet It’s calling the station using my voice Telling the harbor we made a choice Telling my girl I’ll be home for the spring While it scrapes at the glass with a iron ring... [Instrumental Interlude / Post-Rock Peak - Full layered breakbeat, screaming reversed guitar swells, heavy baritone sax low-end, maximum stereo width, plate reverb wash] [Final Chorus - Maximum narrative & musical tension, crashing cymbals, heavy bass] Cargo ship captain, I carry my fear Cargo ship captain, out past the clear Cargo ship captain, what follows me here (what follows me here) Cargo ship captain, say a prayer for me here (say a prayer for me here) Cargo ship captain, I’m still out here [Outro / Melancholic Nocturnal Drift - Drums dissolve to sparse rimshots, sub-bass rumble, dub delay trailing off] Rewind the tape... Don't ever press stop... We're still standing... At the top... (Captain...) (Cargo ship...) [Spoken/Whispered - Heavily treated with spring reverb and space echo] Signal’s dead on the board. Oxygen at four percent. It’s sitting in my chair now... Wearing my skin. Checking the gauges. Adjusting the trim... (What follows me...) (It's holding the wheel...) [Single muted piano motif on the low keys] [Final sub-bass drop, fading out on a cold vacuum hiss] [End]
