[Verse 1] I found my name In the ashtray of a train Half-burned, still legible Like a promise that forgot its mouth The janitor’s keys Sang against a belt loop And the whole hallway Looked briefly forgiven [Pre-Chorus] I used to think A life must explain itself But the pear on the counter Never once defended its sweetness And still It fed the room [Chorus] Hold the small thing Hold it close The world is built From what we lose Hold the small thing Hold it close A broken cup Still holds the moon [Verse 2] My mother’s hands Knew seven kinds of weather Even in July They carried winter under the nails My father laughed At a joke no one made Then stared at the yard Like he had buried a letter there The dog slept With one ear open As if God might come back For better manners [Pre-Chorus] And I have learned The deepest door in a person Is not the one that opens It is the one that waits [Chorus] Hold the small thing Hold it close The world is built From what we lose Hold the small thing Hold it close A broken cup Still holds the moon [Bridge] The oak tree kept Its speech in rings Not all at once Only season by season So let me be A little unfinished A scratched bowl A window with rain in it Let me matter Without proving [Final Chorus] Hold the small thing Hold it close The world is built From what we lose Hold the small thing Hold it close A broken cup Still holds the moon Hold the small thing Hold it close Even now It holds you too
