Taylor’s Swift’s “cardigan,” But About an Archivist Collecting Records

Taylor Swift’s new song “cardigan,” but I changed the words to be about an archivist who collects some records that no one sees the value in until many years later. There are times when newer records might not seem important to preserve, but they’ll be valuable resources many years from now, maybe even after we’re gone.

Last year’s blog, new word doc
Inkjet on printer stock
When you are new, they assume you’re worth nothing

Twitter post, short fan fic
Ephemeral politics
When you are new, they assume you’re worth nothing

But I saw you
Greenhorn at the archives
Seeking new perspectives, I
I knew you
Eyes between all my lines
Seeing my potential, you

And when I felt like I was old scrap paper then
In a back storeroom
You looked at me and said I was historic

Collect it all and you curate none
But left to time, you loose the sum
When you are new, they assume you’re worth nothing

But you knew me
Fixing rips and scars and
Putting me in mylar, you
You knew me
Your passion for each folder
Protected when they’re older, you

And when I felt like I was old scrap paper then
In a back storeroom
You looked at me and said I was historic

A place inside and shelf that’s wide
Was all you asked for
You wrote the guide, my worth implied
Still I was ignored

And in time you,
Another occupation
Left me in this station, I
I knew you
Couldn’t stay for always
Now who will see me these days? I
I knew you
Stored me with the others
Orphans lost mothers, and
And when you are new, they assume you’re worth nothing

But who knew your words were like a neon sign
Who knew you’d make of all my stories shine
The smell of history brought the scholars through
Cause you knew all my worth when I was new
You knew they’d need me after all these years
Thought those stories all had disappeared
You knew they’d missed me in my misread youth
But they’d be desperate for my unique lens
And you knew they’d come back for me
They’d come back for me
And they’d come back for me
And they’d come back

And when I felt like I was old scrap paper then
In a back storeroom
You looked at me and said I was historic

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