He has toured extensively since 2008 and has opened for alt-country pioneer Steve Earle, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter and folk rocker M. Ward among others. Pug released his first full-length album, Messenger, in February 2010. In 2010 he also went to the United Kingdom and played the main-stage of the Cambridge Folk Festival. Since that time, he has released two further full-length albums: 'The Great Despiser' in April 2012, and 'Windfall' in March 2015.
Pug released The Flood in Color in July 2019.
www.joepugmusic.com
In The Meantime
Joe Pug Lyrics
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And half of every dime
I'm washin' all the blankets
God knows that I'm tryin'
I fixed the gate
We will find each other so they say
In the meantime
I'm lyin' to my family
Of who I'm thinkin' about
I had another woman
Somehow she found out
She always knew
We'll be honest with each other, me and you
In the meantime
I'll break a heart or two
Now I'm sellin' saws and hammers
For half of what they're worth
I'm dreamin' for a living
I got no time for work
It's gettin' hard
One day we will never be apart
In the meantime
I'm wonderin' where you are
Now I'm burnin' sheets of plywood
I pried up off the floor
The house is out of lumber
At least for now I'm warm
For now I'm warm
We'll be warm beneath the Carolina moon
In the meantime
I should find another room
I'm drinkin' from the faucet
I'm lucky when I sleep
I'm sleepin' in the closet
I'm scared of the police
What should I do?
One day you will be my reason too
In the meantime
I'll just be passing through
In Joe Pug's song "In The Meantime," the singer appears to be in a state of waiting. He is saving his nickels and half of his dimes, washing blankets, fixing gates, and dreaming of a future where he and his loved one will be together. Though he is keeping himself busy, he is lonesome while he waits. The singer is also hiding the truth from his family about whom he is thinking of, and he admits to breaking a heart or two along the way. He is currently selling saws and hammers, dreaming for a living, and burning sheets of plywood to stay warm during this difficult phase in his life.
Despite the hardships that the singer faces, there is a sense of hopefulness and perseverance in the song. The lyric "one day we will never be apart" suggests that he believes that his waiting will eventually be over and that things will work out. The Carolina moon is also mentioned, creating an image of a peaceful and comforting future. However, the final lyric – "I'll just be passing through" – implies that the singer knows that his current situation is only temporary and that he must continue to push through until he reaches his ultimate goal.
Overall, "In The Meantime" is a reflection on the emotional turmoil that can come with waiting for something or someone, but it also emphasizes the importance of holding onto hope and persevering through tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm savin' all my nickels
I'm trying to save every bit of money I can
And half of every dime
I'm even putting aside half of every dime
I'm washin' all the blankets
I'm doing everything I can to keep the house tidy
God knows that I'm tryin'
I'm giving it my all
I fixed the gate
I'm doing chores around the house to keep things together
We will find each other so they say
They say someday we'll be together
In the meantime
Until then
I'm lonesome while I wait
But I'm lonely in the meantime
I'm lyin' to my family
I'm keeping secrets from my family
Of who I'm thinkin' about
About who I'm really thinking of
I had another woman
I was seeing someone else
Somehow she found out
But she found out about it anyway
She always knew
She always had a sense of it
We'll be honest with each other, me and you
But we'll be truthful with each other, you and I
In the meantime
Until then
I'll break a heart or two
But I might hurt someone else in the process
Now I'm sellin' saws and hammers
Now I'm doing whatever I can to make a living
For half of what they're worth
Even if it means selling things cheaply
I'm dreamin' for a living
I'm still holding onto my hopes and dreams
I got no time for work
Even though I'm struggling, I still have to find time for my aspirations
It's gettin' hard
Things are definitely tough right now
One day we will never be apart
But someday we'll be together and never be apart again
In the meantime
Until then
I'm wonderin' where you are
I'm wondering where you are right now
Now I'm burnin' sheets of plywood
Now I'm using anything I can to keep the house warm
I pried up off the floor
Even if that means tearing up the floorboards
The house is out of lumber
Because we can't afford more wood for the fire
At least for now I'm warm
But at least I'm warm for now
We'll be warm beneath the Carolina moon
Once we're together, we'll be happy and warm in the Carolina moonlight
In the meantime
Until then
I should find another room
I should find somewhere else to go, at least for a little while
I'm drinkin' from the faucet
I'm getting by with what I have
I'm lucky when I sleep
Even when things are tough, at least I'm grateful for the few moments of peace I can find
I'm sleepin' in the closet
Sometimes I have to take refuge where I can find it
I'm scared of the police
Sometimes I feel like I can't just rest peacefully anywhere
What should I do?
I'm lost and don't know what to do next
One day you will be my reason too
But someday when we're together, you'll be part of the reason I keep going
In the meantime
Until then
I'll just be passing through
I'm just trying to get by until we can be together
Contributed by Victoria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.