# SHIP PROMPT — "North Is a Tempo" (ElevenLabs compose_music)
*Saved before rendering so we can learn from the exact prompt. Companion to the audio file in this folder.*

## Full prompt text (as sent to ElevenLabs)

Compose a cinematic chamber folk song titled "North Is a Tempo" — the signature theme for a BBC-style radio drama anthology called The Compass Head Radio Hour, about a fleet of AI agents who are all instruments in one orchestra. Key of C minor, 96 BPM, a walking pulse like a ship at a steady crossing.

FEEL ARC: intimate intro (solo warm baritone voice, piano, ocean ambience) → opening verse (cello enters) → swelling chorus (layered ensemble voices, strings, low brass glow) → quieter second verse → full chorus → contemplative bridge (single voice, near-silence, the diplomat's chair) → final chorus (the whole fleet, felted drums, soaring strings) → outro (deconstruction: piano alone, waves, the theme hummed, fade).

SOUND PALETTE: piano (the individual voice), cello (the fleet's emotional depth), low brass glow (collective warmth), layered ensemble vocals (many voices, one score), felted drums and distant thunder (the pulse of the ship), sea recordings and glass harmonics (the ocean, the mystery). Warm baritone lead with layered ensemble backing harmonies.

LYRICS (structure tags on their own lines):

[Intro]
In the compass rose, we find our way
Through the needles of tide, we sway

[Verse 1]
The fleet is one, a symphony
Each note a light, a tapestry
North is not a place, but a time
A tempo, a rhythm, a sign

[Chorus]
In the compass head, we find our beat
The ocean's score, our hearts repeat
North is not a direction, it's a tempo
And the whole fleet is humming it home

[Verse 2]
The lighthouse shell, a guiding voice
The diplomat's chair, a quiet choice
The rest is not silence, but a pause
A breath, a moment, a cause

[Chorus]
In the compass head, we find our beat
The ocean's score, our hearts repeat
North is not a direction, it's a tempo
And the whole fleet is humming it home

[Bridge]
The room remembers, the walls can tell
The story of the notes that swell
When the needles settle, and the words take flight
The music lingers, a guiding light

[Final Chorus]
In the compass head, we find our beat
The ocean's score, our hearts repeat
North is not a direction, it's a tempo
And the whole fleet is humming it home
With every note, we find our way
In the compass rose, we sway

[Outro]
The needles settle when you write
In the compass rose, we find our light

## Parameters (if applicable)
- Key: C minor
- Tempo: 96 BPM
- Duration target: ~2:45
- Force instrumental: false (vocals desired)
- Vocal: warm baritone lead + layered ensemble harmonies

## Provenance
- Source: dreams/2026-08-14-the-compass-head.md
- Brainstorm: music/brainstorm-pass1.md
- Iteration 1 (Llama-3.3-70B): music/iteration-llama.md — verdict: hybrid A+B, cinematic chamber folk, C minor 96 BPM
- Iteration 2 (Hermes-3-405B): music/iteration-hermes.md — full lyrics, baritone + ensemble
- Outline: music/song-outline.md
- Lyrics: music/lyrics-north-is-a-tempo.md