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Hold You Dear - A song for my Dad is now here!
Below are some places that you can listen to this song. Simple listening options are also embedded on this webpage here.
Behind the song, About the man
Today is what would have been my Dad’s 75th birthday - December 20, 2025. Happy birthday buddy, this song is for you!
Three years ago in 2022 when I had taken him out to dinner on this same day, I couldn’t have fathomed that just one month after that he would pass away. Life truly is short, and it’s a stark reality to face, and it’s so difficult losing those that we love.
Lyrically, this song touches on all of this. I started writing this song just weeks after my Dad passed away. I was writing as a way to process, grieve, and reflect. To feel closer to him, while trying to fathom and accept that he is now gone from this earth. I played the song at his memorial service in 2023, and out at open mics and in other, small settings.
My parents set me up for and encouraged a pursuit of music from a young age, and I am forever grateful to them for this. 9-year-old me was over the moon to discover Santa had setup a drum kit in our basement :-) complete with a big, red bow on the shiny new cymbals. I spent hours, days, weeks in that home’s basement learning the intracacies of rhythm, further developing the musical gifts from my father. I then shifted to learning guitar at 13, and songwriting followed very closely after.
Writing a song is an interesting thing, perhaps like journaling or poetry. It’s even more interesting and somewhat peculiar releasing that recorded work out to the world. I am proud of this song, and ‘Hold You Dear’ will hold a permanent fixture on top of the mantle of my (somewhat limited) released work of my original songs. It is easily one of the most meaningful things that I have written and worked on to date. I recorded demo versions in 2023, and again in 2024, and in later 2025 here I recorded, worked on, and mixed this version with the intent for it to be released.
‘Hold You Dear’ is rightfully performed and recorded on my Dad’s, now mine, 12-string acoustic guitar from the 1980’s. I grew up hearing him play this at home, at church, and there’s a comforting ring and tone to it that I knew I wanted to have on this. The song is intentionally lightly mixed, letting the words, the take, and the tender accompaniment speak.
I was so fortunate to have my Dad live near me in Missoula for the last handful of years of his life. I miss our weekly catch-ups over games of pool, and us hovering together over my classic truck’s engine tinkering on and fixing it, and something more specific: I miss hearing his voice - speaking, singing, laughing, all of it. I incorporated voicemails and audio of my Dad’s voice from 1990’s home video tapes into an instrumental section of this song.
From verse 2:
Before we go, let’s you and I
Give a little more than we take
Dennis, Denny, Mr. D, or as I knew him Dad was truly one of the most caring, giving, and kind individuals that I have ever known. I am honored to release this song dedicated to and written for him and our relationship. I miss you Dad, we all miss you. Thank you all for checking out this song, and thank you for reading through this! There’s a few photos below this, and the lyrics and credits for this song.
Photos
Dennis, Diane, and Curt Mathson singing
Scott, Mimi, Dennis, and Mark Mathson family photo
Curt, Debra, and Dennis Mathson singing
Hold You Dear by Scott Mathson - Lyrics
Before we know it you and I
Find our own place in the sky
There’s pain inside the rain
And there’s hope for all that came and went too soon
Before we go, let’s you and I
Give a little more than we take
There’s lows within the snow
And there’s love for all who know and hold you dear
Let me hold you dear
Like you held me dear
You know I hold you dear
You always held me dear
Looked to you in good and bad
I wasn’t ready for that to end
There’s loss within the frost
And there’s care from you that will never fade
You always gave me all you had
Precious love and memories
Now your tune's inside the moon
And there’s traits in me from you that I hold so dear
Let me hold you dear
Like you held me dear
I’ll always hold you dear
You always held me dear
All the casts you helped me make
All the times you said you’re proud
Our time together was the highlight for me
All the shots you let me take
All the times you let me share
Our time together was the highlight for me
All the way until the end
You taught me how to live a life
Our time together was the highlight for me
Let me hold you dear
Like you held me dear
I’ll always hold you dear
You always held me dear
Let us hold you dear
Like you held us dear
Dad, I hold you dear
Like you held me dear
Hold You Dear released December 20, 2025 Scott Mathson - Songwriter, Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Engineering, Mixing - Scott Mathson at The Recording Center
Mastering - Anna Frick at Ally Sound
Artwork - Photo by my Mom, Mimi Mathson
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