3 Boxes
Fastbacks Lyrics
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I know what's in them all
They're right there on my wall
Three boxes packed with care
What I put inside is supposed to stay in there
And there's these boxes on my shelf, three
One of them you'll never get to see
One is white and one is grey
The one you'll never see
Sometimes when I'm alone
I'll look inside to see what all I've put in there, there
And in these boxes that I have
I put inside all that I want to keep but not to share
I leave them home you'll never see me take them anywhere
They're not for everyone to see
You can look at all these things
But you can't take them out
Once they're there they'll stay
I try hard to keep things out
Out of the box that's black
Once something's put in there
You'll never get it back
The song "3 Boxes" by Fastbacks is a poignant reflection on the concept of privacy and the importance of keeping certain aspects of one's life and self hidden from others. The lyrics describe three boxes on the singer's shelf, each one containing a carefully selected collection of personal items that they wish to keep hidden from the prying eyes of the world. The boxes are described as being "packed with care", a nod to the importance the singer places on the safety and sanctity of the items contained within.
The song speaks to the idea that some parts of ourselves are simply not meant for public consumption. The black box, in particular, represents the singer's most guarded and private thoughts and experiences, those things that they feel they can never share with others. The line "Once something's put in there, you'll never get it back" serves as a warning to listeners that once you reveal too much of yourself to others, you can never truly take it back.
Overall, "3 Boxes" is a thoughtful exploration of the complex relationship between public and private personas, and the treasured items that we keep hidden away from the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Three boxes on my shelf
I have three boxes that are placed on my shelf
I know what's in them all
I know exactly what I have stored in these boxes
They're right there on my wall
The boxes are in plain sight, mounted on my wall
Three boxes packed with care
I have carefully packed these three boxes
What I put inside is supposed to stay in there
I have stored things in these boxes with the intention of not sharing them with anyone else
And there's these boxes on my shelf, three
I have three boxes on my shelf that I treasure
One of them you'll never get to see
Out of the three boxes that I have, one of them is not for public display
One is white and one is grey
Two out of the three boxes are colored white and grey
The black one's put away
The third box is black and is securely kept away
The one you'll never see
The box that's not for public display will not be seen by anyone
Sometimes when I'm alone
At times when I am by myself
I'll look inside to see what all I've put in there, there
I take a peek inside to remind myself of the stored items
And in these boxes that I have
The boxes that I have contain certain items
I put inside all that I want to keep but not to share
I have intentionally put items inside these boxes with the desire to keep them private
I leave them home you'll never see me take them anywhere
I keep these boxes at home and never take them elsewhere in public
They're not for everyone to see
These boxes are not for public display, only for me to see
You can look at all these things
You can take a look at these boxes
But you can't take them out
However, you cannot take anything out of these boxes
Once they're there they'll stay
Whatever I have stored in these boxes will remain there
I try hard to keep things out
I'm cautious in choosing what to store in these boxes
Out of the box that's black
Specifically, I'm very cautious with the black box
Once something's put in there
Once anything is stored in the black box
You'll never get it back
It can never be retrieved from the box again
Contributed by Jack H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.