Memories

The song is about remembering people who are no longer present, while appreciating those who are still around. The speaker moves between sadness for someone they cannot call and comfort in the thought that pain is a shared part of life. Raising a glass becomes a way to honor both kinds of relationships.

The repeated toast is a small ritual for holding on to memories. The phrase “wish you were here, but you’re not” expresses absence directly, without explaining why the person is gone. The speaker’s heart feeling “like December” suggests emotional coldness, while an “ember” lighting the dark suggests that warmth and hope have begun to return. Carrying torches “for” someone implies keeping their memory or influence alive.

The lyrics leave the loss open: the person may have died, moved away, or become unreachable for another reason. Drinks are presented as bringing memories back, but the song does not suggest that they solve grief. Instead, remembering seems both painful and comforting. The reassurance that “everything gon’ be alright” sounds hopeful, though it does not promise that the speaker will stop missing the absent person.