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Words from the artist’s archive
Halfway to Okay lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
Read the lyric sheet
Intro
The smoke alarm has excellent timing.
Verse 1
The toast went black, the window stuck, you blamed the kitchen, I blamed luck. The coffee found your clean white shirt. You said, "Well, grief has done worse work." We moved one box, then called it brave, left three more guarding yesterday. The kettle clicked. We both applauded. It was absurd, and somehow honest.
Chorus
We're halfway to okay, which is farther than it sounds. The mess can have a cushion; it cannot have the couch. You laugh before you're ready. I laugh because you do. We're halfway to okay, and halfway's room for two.
Verse 2
You brought an apology in pieces, one part coffee, one part joke. I had my clever answer ready, then your quiet sentence broke. We did not solve the missing years; we made a little room around them. The dog dragged in my left shoe and spared us both from getting solemn.
Chorus
We're halfway to okay, which is farther than it sounds. The mess can have a cushion; it cannot have the couch. You laugh before you're ready. I laugh because you do. We're halfway to okay, and halfway's room for two.
Bridge
I don't need a grand conclusion, just your elbow next to mine. Let the sentence land unfinished. Let the clock misread the time.
Verse 3
On Sunday, you took down the card that said BE STRONG in looping gold. You wrote "buy limes" across the back, a smaller thing we could control. The ache did not request permission. The joke did not betray the ache. We carried both into the kitchen and set tomorrow one more plate.
Chorus
We're halfway to okay, and that is more than it sounds. The mess can have a cushion; it cannot have the couch. You laugh before you're ready. I laugh because you do. We're halfway to okay, and halfway's room for two.
Inside the recording
The smoke alarm has excellent timing.
We're halfway to okay, which is farther than it sounds.
We're halfway to okay, and that is more than it sounds.
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.