"Keepsake" written by Devin Gackle, November 2017

I think the point of a keepsake is to have something tangible that reminds you something else.

Since it's the start of a new year, it seems like a logical time to go through those keepsakes and decide which ones you'll, you know, keep. And for me anyway, the thing about keepsakes is you don't have to keep them in sight. Maybe you've got a box, or a shelf, or a drawer.

You might forget about it sometimes, but then every once in a while you spot it on your shelf with other knick-knacks, or in the back of your closet, and it might remind you of a good memory.

You've moved on from that memory, but you keep a tangible reminder anyway - maybe because you're sentimental, and sometimes you just like to feel some nostalgia. Maybe it makes you sad and happy at the same time, but you don't mind a bittersweet reminder; you're where and who you are today because of the bitter and the sweet.

I guess this little song is one big metaphor for a person. Someone you loved and lost - a family member, a romance, a friend, or even a pet. For me, the song is sort of a keepsake in and of itself.

So here's to moving on, and remembering what matters most.

Lyrics:

I'll pack you in a box

An old keepsake to gather dust

If I have any tears left for you

They can go in the box too

I'll place you on a shelf

Behind old versions of myself

Way up high where I cannot reach

But not as far as it seems

And every once in a while

I'll take you down

Open it all up again

Just to remind myself

That there was something good inside

And even though that love has died

I still remember all the times

We never had a doubt

Then I'll put you back

Close you up where you belong

Sometimes I'll forget you were ever here

And there will be moments when it all becomes clear

I can't lock too much of myself away

Cuz there'll be new memories to make

There are new memories to make