Tell Me What to Keep

We started with the cupboards / You found Mum's old coffee tin / I said, Throw it in the bin / You said, Wait, she kept it for a reason / There were twenty-seven candles / In a drawer beside the sink / A birthday card from someone / Neither one of us could place / You found Dad's old screwdriver / The handle's cracked in two / You said, This one's coming with me / I said, What are you gonna do? / You said, I don't know / And put it in the box / We kept saying, We'll sort it later / Like later was a place / Where all the things we couldn't deal with / Would somehow find their place / Tell me what to keep / Tell me what to throw away / Tell me which things matter / And which ones only take up space / Tell me what to keep / 'Cause I don't know anymore / If we're clearing out a house / Or clearing out the years / I found the box beneath the stairs / With photographs and bills / A ticket from a concert / That Dad said wasn't worth the trip / There was a note in Mum's handwriting / On the back of an old receipt / Don't forget the birthday cake / And underneath it, Love, Mum / You read it twice / Then put it in your pocket / In the bedroom, there's a suitcase / Full of clothes that don't belong / A coat Dad wore on Sundays / And the shoes he had too long / You said, We should donate them / I said, Yeah, probably / Then neither one of us / Put them in the bag / We kept saying, We'll sort it later / But later came too fast / The estate agent's coming Friday / And Friday doesn't care / Tell me what to keep / Tell me what to throw away / Tell me which things matter / And which ones only take up space / Tell me what to keep / 'Cause I don't know anymore / If we're clearing out a house / Or clearing out the years / At six o'clock / You found the old answering machine / We plugged it in for no reason / There were messages from people / Who haven't called in years / One was your father / For seven seconds / The whole house sounded occupied / We didn't say anything / We didn't need to / And maybe that's enough / Maybe that's enough / Tell me what to keep / Tell me what to throw away / Tell me which things matter / And which ones only take up space / Tell me what to keep / I think I finally know / It's not the things we carry / It's the things we can't let go / Tell me what to keep / Before they take the keys / Take the photograph / Take the screwdriver / Leave the rest to me / You take the kitchen / I'll take the hall / We'll meet by the front door / When there's nothing left at all