What I Carry

[Verse 1]
I took the label off the jar
The ink stayed bright against my thumb
You watched me sort the names I wore
And asked which one I’d become

[Pre-Chorus]
I can pull the frame apart
But every nail remembers where it held

[Chorus]
If I take myself to pieces
Will you still know what to keep?
I can change the words I answer to
But I can’t make your hurt cheap
If I take myself to pieces
Stay beside me while I choose
What I end, and what I carry
What I lose, and what I lose

[Verse 2]
I left the old vows on the page
The ones that made me easy to read
Your hand was warm around my wrist
You said, “Don’t make me pay for what you need”

[Bridge]
So I’ll name the cost out loud
No clean cut leaves us untouched
I can leave the role behind
And still love you just as much

[Final Chorus]
If I take myself to pieces
Will you still know what to keep?
I can change the words I answer to
But I can’t make your hurt cheap
What I end, and what I carry
What I lose, and what I choose