The Things I Never Threw Away

[THE THINGS I NEVER THREW AWAY Birdie Bramble] [Intro – Soft fingerpicked acoustic guitar, distant cello, delicate hurdy-gurdy drone, intimate studio atmosphere] [Spoken – Deep, smoky, weathered elderly female voice, softly amused] Good heavens... I haven't opened this box in years. [Gentle chuckle] Well, old girl... Let's see what you've been hiding. [Verse 1 – Intimate gravelly contralto, almost whispered storytelling] There's a little wooden box Beneath the attic stairs, Full of things I meant to lose But somehow left them there. A ticket from a picture show, A ribbon faded blue, A photograph of summer rain, And someone I once knew. [Verse 2 – Gentle cello enters] A silver earring, all alone, Its sister lost at sea, A postcard from a distant town Addressed to younger me. I held them in my trembling hands, And smiled at what I'd found, Funny how the smallest things Can turn your whole world round. [Pre-Chorus – Warm acoustic guitar, subtle fiddle] The years have taken many things, And given plenty too, But every little memory Still holds a shade of you. [Chorus – Warm, emotional, restrained folk arrangement] Some things fade, some things stay, Some hearts never go away. And all the words I couldn't say Live in things I kept along the way. A little dust, a little grey, A thousand dreams from yesterday. I learned to lose, I learned to stay, With the things I never threw away. [Instrumental – Gentle Welsh-inspired fiddle melody, soft hurdy-gurdy and cello] [Verse 3 – Low, intimate vocal, reflective] There was a letter never sent, The ink had turned to brown, I wrote it on a winter night Before I left that town. I read the words and shook my head, Then laughed at my old pride, Some things we never dare to say Still find a place inside. [Spoken – Quiet, fond amusement] Oh, you stubborn little fool... You should have posted that one. [Welsh Verse – Tender Welsh folk melody, intimate mature female contralto, delicate harp and fiddle] Mae'r blynyddoedd wedi mynd, Ond mae'r atgofion yma o hyd. Yn fy nghalon, mae lle i ti, Fel golau bach yn y nos. [Instrumental – Soft fiddle answering the vocal melody] [Bridge – Nearly whispered, acoustic guitar and cello only] I've loved enough to break my heart, And laughed enough to mend, I've watched the seasons come and go, And buried an old friend. But nothing here is asking me To turn the clocks around, They're just the little pieces Of the life that I have found. [Chorus – Fuller emotional warmth, expressive weathered contralto] Some things fade, some things stay, Some hearts never go away. And all the words I couldn't say Live in things I kept along the way. A little dust, a little grey, A thousand dreams from yesterday. I learned to lose, I learned to stay, With the things I never threw away. [Outro – Gentle acoustic guitar, fading cello, soft hurdy-gurdy drone] [Spoken – Warm, husky, affectionate] Well... I suppose you're staying after all. [Soft chuckle] Now, where's that dreadful cat? [Final delicate guitar notes] [End]