Shoebox (Demo) Lyrics

Today, I finally found the strength

To gather all of your things

And place them in a shoebox

Like a mummy in a tomb

Wrapped up delicately

Hidden away with dignity

And even though it stinks

There will always be a fragrance of coco mango

In that ugly black and yellow miniature room

It smells like Nashville

And it burns in my memories

Like that odor which burned our nose hairs

That one particular day in my room

It made us laugh, and we nearly puked

You were embarrassed, and I always found that cute

And I find it funny, the cruel irony

That tomb deserves a temple of its own

I've worn those shoes only twice since the day I bought them

Sixty bucks for that non-slip tag that really made a difference

Those two days I just sat at a computer and longed for freedom

I guess now I have it

Be careful what you ask for

And be careful what shoes you buy

For they just might signify the beginning of that next stage of life

The dying, the crying, and now the long-awaited hope for tomorrow

I admit it took some time for it to show

It took some time for that seed to grow to the point

Where it poked its head out of that manure pile

And began to make itself known

But I know He watered that seed in His own time

Even though for my coworkers the timing was too slow

Heck, in a way, it was for me as well

It's not like I enjoyed living in famine

I missed the harvest more than I think some could tell

But now with the change of seasons

The hope inside is beginning to bloom

While life changes colors around me

And the leaves fall with a boom to the ground

And surround me with such a divine contrast

An instant replay of several months past

That catches up to where I am now

Once we see the frost turn to vapor

And the leaves again begin to bud out

Autumn's my echo, your departure my fall

Spring is the cycle He placed in us all

And it's our photo booth picture

Falling from my wallet and into that shoebox

Like ashes from the fire awakening within me

Like the ashes last night as I danced around that pit

And sang of God, flowers, and breathing freely

It's all of its contents and the shoebox itself

The letters, the pictures

The lipstick-sealed box that holds your heart's whispers

It's that jar of reasons you said that you loved me

And that Coke bottle we snagged up in Tennessee

Because we thought it was special

It's our Wizard of Oz travel certificate

It's all of it

Packed gently away

Like a finished dream you can touch

I miss it so much; don't get me wrong

You were my heart, and you'll always be my song

But the album is finished being written

And it's time to move along

Today, I finally found the strength

To place my sorrows in a shoebox

Like a coin in a glass bottle

Earned painstakingly, saved up gradually

Penny by penny, and honey, you were a dime

I know I'll continue to pick up more on the sidewalks of life

And I cannot wait to cash out in time