Things I Don't Need
Letting Go: Navigating Life's Excess Baggage Through Nanci Griffith's 'Things I Don't Need'
Lyrics
This house is full of memories that aren?t mine
This house contains memories that don't belong to the speaker.
Pieces I thought I would clear out over time
The speaker planned to discard items associated with those memories over time.
Life takes over, I get ahead of myself, and I turn around
Life gets busy, and the speaker unintentionally accumulates possessions.
And I?ve filled up the shelf
The speaker realizes the shelves are full with unnecessary items.
With things I don?t need that wear me down
Refers to possessions that the speaker doesn't need, causing a burden.
Things I don?t want but still keep around.
The speaker keeps things around despite not wanting them.
I woke up today and I made up my mind
The speaker decides to make a change today.
From now on I?ll Leave all those things I don?t need behind
Expresses the commitment to leave behind unnecessary things.
The one thing that?s not on the shelf
The heart is not among the unnecessary items on the shelf.
Is my heart since it fell
The speaker's heart has fallen, and picking it up is a challenge.
Picking it up is a thing that I never have done well
Expresses difficulty in recovering from emotional setbacks.
True love always seems to fly by me.
True love always eludes the speaker.
I wonder if it?s one of those things I don?t need
Wondering if true love is an unnecessary thing the speaker doesn't need.
Like a bag you unpack at the end of a trip
Comparing true love to items packed in a bag at the end of a trip.
You?re wondering why did I take all of this?
Questioning the necessity of carrying all the emotional baggage.
These things I don?t need, weigh me down
Reiterates that unnecessary things weigh the speaker down emotionally.
I woke up today and I made up my mind
Similar to line 7, reemphasizing the decision to leave unnecessary things behind.
From now on I?ll Leave all those things I don?t need behind
Reaffirmation of the commitment to discard unnecessary possessions.
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