Today’s random SOTD is from The Weight of These Wings, Miranda Lambert’s splendid 2016 double album (which I recently named my favorite of the previous decade).
‘Keeper of the Flame’ is one of the album’s upbeat tracks, and one of the few that isn’t about going through or recovering from a breakup.
This song is about Lambert’s place in a long line of women in both country music and music industry generally.
As Lambert put it, in an interview with The Tennessean:
I want people to understand that it’s not, it’s opposite of, ‘Look at me, I’m carrying a torch.’ It’s like, this has been handed to me, I have a huge responsibility from all these women that have come before me, that have blazed this trail to make way for me to get to live my dream as well, and write the songs I want to write and sing, and be an example in life. And I’m hoping that this song translates to people like that. That I just get to hold the torch for a while and I can’t wait to pass it off to these new singer/songwriters! And ya know, that I’m setting a good example, and, and making the people that made this possible proud.
I’m walking in their footsteps
I’m singing their old songs
Somebody blazed this trail
I’m treadin’ on
I’m bent, but I’m not broken
I’m stronger than I feel
I’m made of flesh and bone
Not made of steel
[Chorus]
I’m the keeper of the flame
The teller of the story
Keeper of the flame
For the ones that came before me
For the little pilot lights waiting to ignite
Like fireflies in the rain
Keeper of the flame
[Verse 2]
I’ve been burned out to ashes
Waiting for a wind
To carry me and start a fire again
Sometimes I’m just a flicker
A candle in your eye
But I swear to God
I’ll never let it die
[Chorus]
I’m the keeper of the flame
The teller of the story
Keeper of the flame
For the ones that came before me
For the little pilot lights waiting to ignite
Like fireflies in the rain
Keeper of the flame
[Bridge]
When I’m drowning
When I’m fighting
When I’m screaming
When I’m hiding
When I’m losing
When I’m winning
I go back to
The beginning
[Chorus]
Keeper of the flame
The teller of the story
Keeper of the flame
I’m not doing it for the glory
But for those little pilot lights waiting to ignite
Like fireflies in the rain
Keeper of the flame
I’m the keeper of the flame
Ooooh, oooh
I’m the keeper of the flame
Ooooh, oooh
Meet Me In Montauk 
Very nice sentiment.
Love this sentiment. Maddie, Daniel and I were recently observing that Olivia Rodrigo is the first of what will likely be many future singer songwriters to have clearly been influenced by Taylor Swift. I think this is the first time I can recall having discovered both the influencer and the influenced as they made their music for the first time (as opposed to artists like Dylan and Mitchell who had written their music at least a decade before I started listening to it). To see Rodrigo’s elated reaction when Swift commended her song was to watch in real time one artist receive the stamp of approval from the artist they most admire… those are the moments when I love social media most.
If you haven’t seen this, it’s great. First of the series I saw, but it makes me want to watch them all.