Wendy Bucklew is an American folk singer/songwriter who became well-known a… Read Full Bio ↴Wendy Bucklew is an American folk singer/songwriter who became well-known as part of the Atlanta folk scene, which she joined in 1988. She subsequently moved to California. Her 2002 album, "After You", was able to achieve distribution after a record label dispute when a fan who became a dot-com millionaire after listening to Bucklew's music during a difficult life period bought her contract and all of her product, and returned them to Bucklew so that she could continue making music.

Halfway Home
Wendy Bucklew Lyrics

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My love is sleeping in your doorway
She can't wait until you come
She'll strum the moonbeams
Pace the mind-sky
Kiss you sprawled across her dreams
She's teasing herself into a smile
Tracing your body on her own
Let me show you what she means

Come on home
Once you get halfway home
C'mon start running
Once you get halfway home
C'mon start running
My love is sleeping in your doorway
She can't wait until you come
I hold that thought
I hold too tightly
I hold her back until she's blue
She's teasing herself into a smile
Tracing your body on her own
Let me show you what she means
Come on home
Let me speak for herself
See for yourself
Let me speak for herself
See for yourself
Once you get halfway home
C'mon start running

Once you get halfway home
C'mon start running

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Wendy Bucklew's song "Halfway Home" describe a woman who is eagerly waiting for her lover to return. She is so impatient that she falls asleep in his doorway, dreaming of him and tracing his body on her own. The singer (presumably the singer) holds her back, afraid to let her show her true feelings for fear of getting hurt. She is teasing herself into a smile, pretending that everything is okay when in reality, she is suffocating in her own feelings. The singer urges the lover to come home and see for himself what his absence is doing to her. The chorus "Once you get halfway home, c'mon start running" suggests that the singer is aware of how much the woman loves her partner and is willing to make a leap of faith to meet him halfway.

The song explores themes of love, longing, and the fear of vulnerability. It paints a vivid picture of a woman who is strumming "moonbeams" in anticipation of her lover's return, yet is held back by her own fear of rejection. The chorus urges the lover to take a chance and run towards her, rather than be held back by his own fears. The song's simple yet poignant lyrics are matched by Bucklew's emotive delivery, making it a powerful ode to the complexities of love.

Line by Line Meaning

My love is sleeping in your doorway
The singer's loved one is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the person the singer is singing to.

She can't wait until you come
The singer's loved one is excited to see the person the singer is singing to.

She'll strum the moonbeams
The singer's loved one is playful and romantic, imagining herself playing music with moonbeams while waiting for the person the singer is singing to.

Pace the mind-sky
The artist's loved one is anxiously waiting for the person the artist is singing to, and is pacing back and forth in her imagination.

Kiss you sprawled across her dreams
The artist's loved one is dreaming about the person the artist is singing to, imagining kissing them in her dreams.

She's teasing herself into a smile
The singer's loved one is daydreaming and imagining what it would be like to be with the person the singer is singing to, making herself smile with anticipation.

Tracing your body on her own
The singer's loved one is imagining touching the body of the person the singer is singing to.

Let me show you what she means
The artist is offering to explain the feelings and intentions of the artist's loved one to the person the artist is singing to.

Come on home
The artist is inviting the person she is singing to to come home and be with her and her loved one.

Once you get halfway home
When the person the artist is singing to gets close to home, they should start running.

C'mon start running
The singer is encouraging the person she is singing to to hurry and come home to be with her and her loved one.

I hold that thought
The artist is holding onto an idea or feeling in her mind.

I hold too tightly
The singer is holding onto that thought or feeling too tightly, perhaps causing problems in her relationship with her loved one.

I hold her back until she's blue
The singer is holding her loved one back from something, causing her loved one to feel sad or defeated.

Let me speak for herself
The singer is offering to explain the thoughts and feelings of her loved one to the person she is singing to.

See for yourself
The artist is encouraging the person she is singing to to witness or experience something firsthand.

Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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