Who will take care of the old gray house
Now that the family has moved away
Underneath the weight of its history
Underneath the limb of the favorite shade tree
What shall we preserve?
Who will record the lived-in years
Who will unearth all the memories there
Shrinking in the rain and cracking in the sun
One by one the bricks of a chimney undone
What shall we preserve?
What should we keep?
What should we keep?
What should we keep?
What shall we keep?
What should we keep?
And for how long?
And for whom?
Let the moss roll in let the vines grow wild
Let the earth reclaim its exhausted child
'Til all that remains is the outline of the stones
A memory of itself in the woods all alone
What shall we preserve?
What should we keep?
What should we keep?
What should we keep?
What shall we keep?
What should we keep?
And for how long?
And for whom?
What should we keep?
What should we keep?
What should we keep?
What shall we keep?
What should we keep?
And for how long?
And for whom?