Keepsake

in this song he's weighing the decision to keep living or commit suicide:

"one gonna keep me warm" (obviously when you're alive you're warm), "one gonna keep me cold" (once you're dead you're never warm again, duh)

also "one gonna help me keep, another gonna help me take" (not tame) ---> keeping his life vs. taking it

it's especially obvious when he's talking about the coleman stove (as in suffocating yourself with the fumes produced from the burning charcoal) and tying his belt to the ceiling pipe (buckling his knees is choosing death, as opposed to "locking them up tight" in which he would still be standing and the belt wouldn't strangle him)

as for the reason, i'm thinking it might be the death of his girlfriend/wife because of the line "one gonna hold my woman, the other gonna hold my job" because in death he would join her.

also "you're gonna keep my soul, it was yours to have long ago" meaning this is definite regardless of what he chooses: if he chooses to stay alive his heart and soul will always belong to the one he loves, or if he chooses death his soul will be eternally with hers

I am quite sure this song is about the struggle between drugs and living a normal life.

One gonna heal my body another gonna heal my pain (no drugs his body will heal- with drugs he will not feel the pain of life)

One gonna settle me down then bring me back up again (no drugs his life will settle down - with drugs he will be back up i.e. high)

One gonna help me talk right, one gonna lay me down to sleep (no drugs he will be cognizant and coherent - with drugs he will be numb to world)

One gonna keep me warm and another gonna keep me cold (no drugs he will find warmth in life - with drugs alone and possibly homeless -cold)

Im gonna buckle my belt around the ceiling pipe (drugs possible suicide or reference to tighting belt around arm for heroin)

Im gonna buckle my knees and Im gonna lock em up tight (no drugs possibly finding religion and praying)

Im gonna hold a pen while you drag my arm across the page (this may be a stretch but I have watched drug addicts sign away their rights in hospitals when dieing and they could barely move their arms to write name)

One gonna leave me restless another wanting more (stop drugs will be restless fighting addicting - with drugs always want more)

not sure how else you could interpret it

Awesome awesome song. So sad but at the same time full of optimism

I love the (humming) part...it's beautiful

Maybe taking all kinds of drugs for various reasons and then getting so messed up by them that suicide is in order? Thoughts?

Drugs? Suicide? I'm sorry I'm gonna go with a big N-O there. It seems to me to be about the things that keep you going through the tougher times I mean... i guess drugs could keep you going but i just dont think they apply here

thsi si such a beautiful song. it kills me

This song is so beautiful. It's the first one I heard by them. I thought it was about pills too until it started talking about his wife/job/religion. Then I thouight it was his memories until he said one's going to hold his memories, so looking at the song title, it might be he's looking through a box of old pictures and keepsakes and how his experiences and all from them holds him together.

It could also be about diaries he's keeping full of his memories.

i can totally see the suicide theme...tying a belt around a ceiling pipe

"One gonna hold my memories another gonna close the door" maybe a refrence to a suicide note

you buckle your knees when you struggle as you would if you were hanging yourself...who knows but its a possibility

i feel like this songs about differant women. like even though he goes through all these women the one hes singing too in the chorus is the one who really gets him.