Jubilee Flask

[Verse 1]
The rust on the Jubilee flask blooms like a rose by the handle.
Our dads' names are scratched on the bottom, a faint silver scandal.
It sits on the draining board, watching the new builds climb the hill,
Still smells of sweet tea and slag heap dust, a stubborn industrial chill.

[Chorus]
And we are the keepers of the cold thermos now.
The plastic cup tastes of polyurethane somehow.
We don't know the right way to let these things go,
So we keep the memory warm, though the city's all snow.

[Verse 2]
Your hands had a map of the Don Valley etched in the palm.
Last Tuesday you picked up the flask, said "Don't you dare lose your calm."
That thumb-worn dent is where you held it, steadying a shake,
Since the last shift in '89, for goodness' sake.

[Chorus]
And we are the keepers of the cold thermos now.
The plastic cup tastes of polyurethane somehow.
We don't know the right way to let these things go,
So we keep the memory warm, though the city's all snow.

[Bridge]
All the gears have seized up, the forges are quiet and dark.
We're just polishing relics left over, trying to find a spark.

[Outro]
Tastes of polyurethane.
Keep the memory warm.