Half of My Heart
John Mayer Lyrics


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I was born in the arms of imaginary friends
Free to roam, made a home out of everywhere I've been
Then you come crashing in, like the realest thing
Trying my best to understand all that your love can bring

Oh half of my heart's got a grip on the situation
Half of my heart takes time
Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you
That I can't keep loving you (can't keep loving you)
Oh, with half of my heart

I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else
I made a plan, stay the man who can only love himself
Lonely was the song I sang, 'till the day you came
Showing me a another way and all that my love can bring

Oh half of my heart's got a grip on the situation
Half of my heart takes time
Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you
That I can't keep loving you (can't keep loving you)
Oh, with half of my heart

With half of my heart

Your faith is strong
But I can only fall short for so long
Down the road, later on
You will hate that I never gave more to you than half of my heart
But I can't stop loving you
(I can't stop loving you)
I can't stop loving you
(I can't stop loving you)
I can't stop loving you with half of my

Half of my heart
Oh, half of my heart
Half of my heart's got a real good imagination
Half of my heart's got you
Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you
That half of my heart won't do

Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding
To a bride with a paper ring
And half of my heart is the part of a man
Who's never truly loved anything

Half of my heart
Oh, half of my heart
Half of my heart
Oh, half of my heart




Half of my heart
Oh, half of my heart

Overall Meaning

In "Half of My Heart" by John Mayer, the singer reflects on how his past experiences have shaped his outlook on love. He compares his past relationships to imaginary friends, indicating that he has always been free to move on and explore new things. However, when he finally falls in love with someone real (the "realest thing"), he is uncertain about how to reconcile his own inner conflicts with the expectations of his partner.


He describes having "half of [his] heart" committed to the relationship while the other half is unsure and fears fully giving in to his feelings. He explains that he was raised to believe that he could only love himself and would never be able to love someone else the way they deserve. He sings that he cannot keep loving her with only half his heart, implying that he is not prepared to give all of himself to the relationship yet.


The verse "Half of my heart's got a real good imagination // Half of my heart's got you" is a clever play on words. Mayer implies that he is only fully invested in the relationship in his imagination, but not in reality. He also acknowledges that his partner deserves more from him than half of his heart - he will hate that he didn't give more to the relationship in the future.


Overall, "Half of My Heart" is about someone who struggles with commitment due to past experiences, but is still willing to try to love and be loved. The lyrics are a reflection of Mayer's personal life, and several of his songs have been inspired by real-life events.


Line by Line Meaning

I was born in the arms of imaginary friends
I grew up in a world of imagination and creativity where anything was possible.


Free to roam, made a home out of everywhere I've been
I traveled and explored the world, finding comfort and a sense of belonging wherever I went.


Then you come crashing in, like the realest thing
You entered my life unexpectedly and changed everything, bringing a sense of reality to my world.


Trying my best to understand all that your love can bring
I'm doing my best to comprehend the depth and meaning of your love and how it can impact my life.


Oh half of my heart's got a grip on the situation
I'm torn between two sides of myself, one part trying to make sense of our relationship, the other uncertain about it.


Half of my heart takes time
One side of me needs time and space to process my feelings and emotions.


Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you that I can't keep loving you (can't keep loving you)
I know deep down that I cannot continue to love you with just half of my heart and I need to be honest about this.


I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else
I had convinced myself that I would never love anyone but myself.


I made a plan, stay the man who can only love himself
I had decided to only focus on myself and not let anyone else in.


Lonely was the song I sang, 'till the day you came
I was living a life of loneliness and isolation until you entered my world.


Showing me another way and all that my love can bring
You opened me up to a new way of loving and being loved, and showed me how much joy it can bring.


Your faith is strong
You have a strong belief in our relationship and in our future together.


But I can only fall short for so long
I know I cannot keep up the charade and pretend to love you fully when I cannot.


Down the road, later on
In the future, when we look back on our relationship.


You will hate that I never gave more to you than half of my heart
You will regret that I held back and did not fully give myself to you and our relationship.


But I can't stop loving you (I can't stop loving you)
Despite my reservations and my inability to love you fully, I still care deeply for you and cannot imagine my life without you.


Half of my heart's got a real good imagination
One half of me is able to imagine all the wonderful things that could be possible in our relationship.


Half of my heart's got you
The other half of me is completely devoted to you and the love we share.


Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you that half of my heart won't do
Even though I am pulled in two different directions, I know that I cannot continue to love you with just half my heart as it will not be enough.


Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding to a bride with a paper ring
One half of me is struggling with the commitment and permanence of our relationship.


And half of my heart is the part of a man who's never truly loved anything
The other half of me is afraid of truly loving someone and being vulnerable.


Half of my heart
I am torn in two and cannot fully commit to our relationship.


Oh, half of my heart
I am struggling to come to terms with my feelings and emotions.


Half of my heart
I am pulled in two different directions and am unsure of how to proceed.


Oh, half of my heart
The struggle between my two sides continues and I am not sure when or if I will be able to resolve it.


Half of my heart
I am only able to love you with half of my heart and that is not enough for either of us.




Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: JOHN MAYER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@justmeonthebeach

I was born in the arms of imaginary friends
Free to roam, made a home out of everywhere I've been
Then you come on crashing in
Like the realest thing
Tried my best to understand
All that your love can bring
Half of my heart's got a grip on the situation
Half of my heart takes time
Half of my heart's got the right mind to tell you
That I can't keep loving you
With half of my heart
I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else
Made a plan, stayed the man who can only love himself
Lonely was the song I sang
'Til the day you came
Showing me another way
And all that my love can bring
Half of my heart's got a grip on the situation
Half of my heart takes time
Half of my heart's got the right mind to tell you
That I can't keep loving you
With half of my heart
With half of my heart
Your faith is strong
But I can only fall short for so long
Down the road later on
You will hate that I never gave more to you
Than half of my heart
But I can't stop loving you
I can't stop loving you
I can't stop loving you
With half of my
Half of my heart
Half of my heart
Half of my heart's got a real good imagination
Half of my heart's got you
Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you
That half of my heart won't do
Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding
To a bride with a paper ring
And half of my heart is the part of a man
Who's never truly loved anything
Half of my heart



All comments from YouTube:

@BrooksHuntley

I genuinely don't think people understand the simplistic brilliance in John Mayer's music. He isn't just a phenomenal guitar player/singer. He's seriously one of the most poetically intricate songwriters in generations. He's up there with the greats. Unfortunately, it'll probably take a long time for people to really appreciate that about him.

@user-eb8mi3xi5f

He is great..

@cosylife4936

Colin Huntley as if all the awards and success isn’t enough appreciation for one man lol

@vivandav67

Colin Huntley, yeeessss! 🎈😉

@deborahannfrederick60

Hot!

@emilyschultz2102

Well put. 100% agree!

119 More Replies...

@user-us7yg6tu9s

It was a problematic relationship but their voice sound SO GOOD together!

@swiftie-13-reputation

i knowww!!

@clauguem

exacto! pienso igual pero es raro a la vez

@JohnnyNada

Why was it?

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