Call me morbid, call me pale
I've spent six years on your trail
Six long years on your trail

Call me morbid, call me pale
I've spent six years on your trail
Six full years of my life on your trail

And if you have five seconds to spare
Then I'll tell you the story of my life
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
I went to London and I
I booked myself in at the why W.C.A.
I said I like it here, can I stay?
I like it here, can I stay?
Do you have a vacancy for a back-scrubber?

She was left behind, and sour
And she wrote to me equally dour
She said in the days when you were hopelessly poor
I just liked you more

And if you have five seconds to spare
Then I'll tell you the story of my life
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
I went to London and I
I booked myself in at the why W.C.A.
I said I like it here, can I stay?
I like it here, can I stay?
And do you have a vacancy for a back-scrubber?

Call me morbid, call me pale
I've spent too long on your trail
Far too long chasing your tail, oh

And if you have five seconds to spare
Then I'll tell you the story of my life
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
That's the story of my life
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
The story of my life
That's the story of my life
That's the story of my life
That's the story of my life
The story of my life

That's the story of my life
That's the story of my life
That's the story of my life
That's the story of my life
That's the story of my life


Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery, edited by Mellow_Harsher, cyrilsneer

Half A Person Lyrics as written by Johnny Marr Steven Morrissey

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Half a Person song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

44 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +13
    General Comment

    One of the most fantastic verses in this song:

    I've spent six years on your trail Six full years of my life on your trail And if you have five seconds to spare Then I'll tell you the story of my life:

    He spends 6 full years obsessed with a person and asks back only 5 seconds from her! This is fantastic! This is Morrissey!!!!

    Acesgirlon March 07, 2006   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    I concur with most of the above suggestions. HALF A PERSON is one of Morrissey's finest moments -- a Smithian treasure tucked away on a B-Side aimed at unfurling a circular relationship between himself the pop star and the young boy who like us is on a journey of discovery from small town to the big city, from a position of despair and strangeness to one of metaphorical prostitution to become what we want, SOMEBODY. And in our glory we are told that we are missed for our adolescent endearing troubles selves and we yearn again for those make belive days and the full circle continues. Morrissey lived this as do many a clumsy, shy teenager with a dream. Will you fall into the circle? I am and I hope only that I am soon promoted from back scrubber.

    davidbeauyon September 11, 2005   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    this is my FAVORITE smiths song by far...

    clumsy and shyon April 16, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I think it's him realising that no matter how famous and rich he is going to get it's not actually going to change his life. He'll always be 16, clumsy and shy.

    In fact, his success has managed to alienate him from people who might have liked him in the past. It's increased his isolation when he thought it would make his life better.

    Aurora2on October 26, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    One of the most fantastic verses in this song:

    I've spent six years on your trail Six full years of my life on your trail And if you have five seconds to spare Then I'll tell you the story of my life:

    He spends 6 full years obsessed with a person and asks back only 5 seconds from her! This is fantastic! This is Morrissey!!!!

    Acesgirlon March 07, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    i especially like the repetition of certain phrases within the lyrics - e.g. "six long years on your trail." The repetition gives the phrase a feeling of almost an indictment of the other person.

    DPR4444on June 15, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I can relate completely to the lyric, "I've spent six years on your trail". I recently got in contact with a guy I sort of lost touch with a few years ago...and I realize that all these years I've sort of held him up to a perfect standard. And now, years later, I realize that I've just been looking for him when he was there all along. I spent years thinking about him, and now that I'm talking to him again, it's like I did spend six long years of my life on his trail, trying to find him again.

    It's about dreaming of someone, searching for that person you think is going to complete you.

    And that is my strangely vague and personal message for songmeanings today that did not contribute anything to the post discussion haha. Everyone has to do one eventually!

    AlamoBasementon September 16, 2008   Link
  • +2
    My Opinion

    Goodness, Morrissey knows me. The Smiths know me. From <i>Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me</i>, to <i>I Know It's Over</i>, it feels like everything just gets me. The lyrics, the way the music goes, everything is just amazing. Everything is painful, but so beautifully, a love so desired, so sought after, but it's not equal. It's tragic, and impossible to handle. When I feel like I'm going to breakdown, listening to the Smiths helps me realize how much I'm not alone.

    PoodleTootson February 05, 2010   Link
  • +2
    Memory

    this song just made me cry. I dated a girl when i was 15, we were perfect for each other, we met we had the same shirt on, her birthday is 360 days away from mine. Girl seduced me, got me to break up with her, was okay at first, then she talked to me again, fell again for her, but it was awkward. She came over, then there was that fight, she was crying and sobbing, and i got into a fight with my family, over her, she was the sweetest girl i ever met. Every year we talked, when i would see her, it was more awkward one time, i saw her and broke down in front of her, and all of her friends, when i met her i was also crying. Hung out again, like once per year, haha, then we go to college, low and behold she is there again, fall for her again, feelings are so tumultuous, a girl has a crush on me, but i am still focused on her, i date this new girl, but i dated her to get her to focus on me i know it sounds weird but it didnt work. We hung again, she worked at the pvc pharmacy, ironically the one that is a BLOCK away from my house now. We got stoned together, hung out again, then after that, in 2011 i had a dream of her, 2 weeks later she messages me on aim. im like what the flipping fuck, recently, i decided i wanna see korn live i never seen korn once, so i get tickets for this show. right after i get the tickets, i went to my buddies page who is playing a show the same fucking day. And HER NAME is at the top, i never seen that name besides once before. she has a unique name. now i shuffled the ipod song number 5 is this 2 songs later is KoRn, and now my sister won tickets for the concert, and it will be the first time me going with my sis to a concert, AND HER LAST NAME IS MORRISSEY, PLEASE GOD JUST GIVE ME HER and let us be soul mates.

    grungegrungeon February 08, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i love this song. i tried looking for some hidden meaning but all i could come up with was that it's this guy who chased this girl and that they were both poor but when he came back from the "YWCA" he was better off and he had changed. maybe it has nothing to do with money. but i love this song.

    socialdisease89on September 28, 2004   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in "There was a time you opened up every doorway you didn't mind if everything wasn't your way" then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else, "Don't pull away that goes against what you told me I look in your eyes I realize what you've sold me is love in a vacuum" so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it, "I think you've changed but you insist that that's not true" quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum", "You look so strange, so distant that you're hardly you Now I can see how you have been acting different You say it's me but I know that it isn't it's love in a vacuum" but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines "You will be lonely if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have, "Love in a vacuum and that's not enough love in a vacuum You will be lonely you'll be the only one who feels this way You will be lonely if you leave me alone You will be lonely you'll be the only one who feels this way it's just not enough" you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment, "You will be lonely you'll be the only one who feels this way it's just not enough and just wait you will be lonely Love in a vacuum Love in a vacuum and that's not enough Love in a vacuum". 'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song. Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Album art
The Spy
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.