The band originated with vocalist Stephen Holt (vocals) and guitarist Graham Lambert. Another uncredited founding member, was basist Glenn Chesworth. His partnership with the band lasted only a couple of years. The band emerged alongside The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays from the indie scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bassist, Martyn Walsh, and drummer, Craig Gill, joined in 1984. Playing garage rock, they were joined by keyboardist, Clint Boon, who changed their sound based around harmonic (and often psychedelic) keyboards and jangly guitars.
After a couple of singles on a local indie label, Holt left the group and was replaced by Tom Hingley. The band were propelled to fame after being 'discovered' by the Radio 1 DJ John Peel and had their greatest chart success in the UK with a single entitled This is How it Feels, which is a song about loneliness and unemployment.
At the time of their initial success, the band earned some notoriety for their squiggly-eyed cow 'Cool as Fuck' T-shirts; a student at Oxford Polytechnic was prosecuted on obscenity charges for wearing one. One of their roadies, Noel Gallagher, went on to great success with the band Oasis. The band is named after an Inspiral Carpets tour poster which included the venue Swindon Oasis.
They reworked their single Find Out Why as the theme tune to early 90's kids TV show 'The 8:15 From Manchester'. Another release I Want You was used by Sony to advertise their in-car entertainment systems on this advert ; an early example of advertising agencies co-opting and promoting non-mainstream music to add kudos to mainstream brands (a trend that has increased significantly).
After the release of their 4th studio album, Devil Hopping, they started to record new, more darker-sounding demos in 1995 which their label, Mute Records rejected. An amicable split followed but they re-formed in 2003 for a tour and new compilation. For the next several years, they played gigs on and off, until Hingley could no longer give his 100% commitment so original vocalist, Stephen Holt, rejoined in March 2011.
Half Way There
Inspiral Carpets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you're never gonna gather no moss
Though I'll never see you again
It only makes me wanna do it some more
Knowing I'm just a cloud on your blue sky
But I'm never gonna bring you no rain
Though you'll never see me again
It only makes me wanna say it some more
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Yes, I probably would
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Oh, could you take the truth?
Knowing you're at the end of the rainbow
And I've already taken your gold
I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel
But my conscience is so easily sold
You know the truth is a funny thing
And each of us must carry our load
You close your eyes to another lie
I'll see you further down the road
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Yes, I probably would
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Oh, could you take the truth?
We are half way there
I can't stop myself
We are half way there
Couldn't if we tried
We are half way there
We are half way there
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Yes, I probably would
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Oh, could you take the truth?
The song "Half Way There" by Inspiral Carpets portrays a story of two individuals who are at different points in their lives, separated by a distance, and both acknowledging that they have different goals that may not align with each other. In the opening lines, the lyrics "Knowing you're just a rolling stone, And you're never gonna gather no moss, Though I'll never see you again, It only makes me wanna do it some more" reveal that one of the individuals is constantly on the move and has no intention of staying in one place for long. Even though they may not see each other again, it does not stop the other person from wanting to pursue their journey even further.
The other person in the song is aware of their partner's desire to constantly move and knows that they cannot bring them back. The lyrics "Knowing I'm just a cloud on your blue sky, But I'm never gonna bring you no rain, Though you'll never see me again, It only makes me wanna say it some more" express their feelings of being insignificant in the grand scheme of things. They are aware that their partner's life will go on without them and even though it may not make a difference, it only makes them want to express their love even more.
The song ends with the lyrics "We are half way there, I can't stop myself, We are half way there, Couldn't if we tried, We are half way there, We are half way there" suggesting that even though both individuals may have different destinations in mind, they are both halfway through their journeys. The chorus "Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?) Yes, I probably would, Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?) Oh, could you take the truth?" highlights the theme of honesty in a relationship and the consequences that come along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Knowing you're just a rolling stone
Knowing that you're someone who constantly moves and doesn't make a permanent mark in life
And you're never gonna gather no moss
And you're never going to settle down in one place for long
Though I'll never see you again
Even though I'll never see you again in the future
It only makes me wanna do it some more
It only makes me wanna keep moving and trying new things
Knowing I'm just a cloud on your blue sky
Knowing that I'm just a small part of your life and not important
But I'm never gonna bring you no rain
But I'm not going to bring any negativity or problems to you
Though you'll never see me again
Even though you won't see me again in the future
It only makes me wanna say it some more
It only makes me want to speak my mind and express myself more
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Questioning if I would deceive you or not
Yes, I probably would
Yes, I might not always tell you the truth
Oh, could you take the truth?
Are you able to handle the reality of the situation?
Knowing you're at the end of the rainbow
Knowing that you've reached the end of a difficult journey
And I've already taken your gold
And I've already taken what I wanted from you
I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel
I've seen a positive future as a possibility
But my conscience is so easily sold
But I can be easily persuaded to do something against my better judgment
You know the truth is a funny thing
The reality of a situation can be complicated
And each of us must carry our load
And each of us must face our own challenges
You close your eyes to another lie
You ignore the fact that I might be deceiving you again
I'll see you further down the road
I might see you again in the future
We are half way there
We have made some progress towards our goal, but still have a long way to go
I can't stop myself
I can't stop myself from doing what I want
Couldn't if we tried
Even if we tried, we couldn't stop ourselves
We are half way there
We have made some progress towards our goal, but still have a long way to go
We are half way there
We have made some progress towards our goal, but still have a long way to go
Would I lie to you? (would I lie to you?)
Questioning if I would deceive you or not
Yes, I probably would
Yes, I might not always tell you the truth
Oh, could you take the truth?
Are you able to handle the reality of the situation?
Writer(s): inspiral carpets
Contributed by Adeline S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.