Lyrics for Half Acre as interpreted by tubesocks

Half Acre Lyrics
I am holding half an acre
torn from the map of Michigan
and folded in this scrap of paper
is a land I grew in

Think of every town you've lived in
every room you lay your head
and what is it that you remember?

Do you carry every sadness with you
every hour your heart was broken
every night the fear and darkness
lay down with you

A man is walking on the highway
A woman stares out at the sea
and light is only now just breaking

So we carry every sadness with us
every hour our hearts were broken
every night the fear and darkness
lay down with us

But I am holding half an acre
torn from the map of Michigan
I am carrying this scrap of paper
that can crack the darkest sky wide open
every burden taken from me
every night my heart unfolding
my home

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  • 18 Comments
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HeyNiceGets
06-05-2006

Rated 0 
such an amazingly beautiful song...

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kaleidoscopeeyes8
06-24-2006

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This song is quite pretty. Am I correct that it is the one for the Liberty Mutual commercial where the people are doing nice things for others in a perpetuating circle?

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wokeupinacar
07-08-2006

Rated 0 
yes :)

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karensmiling
08-02-2006

Rated 0 
i love this song and the artist. the singer has such a simple yet beautiful voice.

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MidC80
03-11-2007

Rated 0 
Anyone have thoughts on what this song is about? It seems a little like she is saying that she always has a piece of her home with her, and that makes her feel better. Most of the song talks about thinking/dwelling on all the pain in our lives, but at the end, she brings up the map of Michigan (her home) and how it can open up a dark sky and take away burdens. I might be way off, but either way, I LOVE this song.

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StephanieHoye
04-07-2007

Rated 0 
I love the progression of the verses and how the order of the subjects tells a part of the story.
I like that she starts out describing herself and her own growth. And by the fifth verse, the subject changes from "I" to a collective "we", and everyone she's met along the way influences each subsequent verse.
I think that each group of people in each verse relate to one another in sort of the same way that the commercial depicts how people connect.

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NinaNinja
04-29-2007

Rated 0 
i think shes saying that people always seem to look far away for guidance and comfort, when thats never the right place to get them. its like the people in the song are looking outward for answers or happiness, looking to other places. but no matter where you go, your troubles will still be with you. and i think she says that its not some faraway place or thing that can comfort you when you go to sleep every night, it can only come from your home, from within.
anyway, extremely powerful song. makes me all teary-eyed sometimes.

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thewhitepony33
04-29-2007

Rated 0 
Beautiful. I like the faster version from Rabbit Songs more than the version from Birds, Beasts, and Flowers.

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evelynadelle
05-05-2007

Rated 0 
Is this the original version of these lyrics? There are a couple of other versions of this song mentioned in this thread, are the lyrics the same in those versions? I remember reading it as a poem in a news letter quite awhile ago and liked it so much I copied it down in a notebook. I heard it sung on the TV commercial and subsequently looked it up on the internet, but half the words that I copied from the poem version were missing, and what is really weird is that the idea that seems to be intended in the TV ad is more along the lines of the poem I copied down years ago. Does anyone know anything about this song and writer beyond what is already posted, specifically are the lyrics derived from a longer work. I still have the notebook but would like to wait to see if I can find any corroboration first, before posting the version that I have, as it is hand copied and from a very unofficial source to begin with. Thank you for any information.

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OpinionHead
08-10-2007

Rated 0 
This is awesome poetry.

This is one of the best songs I've ever heard by a female singer.

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Joeprah
10-01-2007

Rated 0 
The song was written by the guys who started this group, I agree that the singer has a great voice, but she simply sings the wonderful songs they write for her. They needed a female singer, she auditioned and got the part. So what seems like a female and her poetry is more the genius of these three song writers who collaborated to make this awesome group.

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MayaMoo
10-29-2008

Rated 0 
I adore this song.
Listening to it and looking at the lyrics, makes me think that it's about moving and moving on. There's talk about places you've grown up, the memories that they hold, but how we'll move on somewhere else and get new memories from this process.
Well, that's my take on it anyway.

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DestinyOnToast
03-16-2009

Rated 0 
i've been mad obsessed with this song lately. it's so darn beautiful. thanks liberty mutual :)

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musicismyimaginaryfriend
02-15-2010

Rated 0 
I think this song says we always think of the bad things that have happened to us. We carry those moments of saddness and heartache with us, when we should be remembering the good things like our home. We should carry with us the strength of our home and family and friends. With that we can over come anything even the "darkness".

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futurpro2
02-18-2010

Rated 0 
then moderate understanding of the song starts with emotional recalling of events in your/the artist life. "what is it the you remember" The man who walks on the highway is the lover she left behind and "staring to the sea" is a form of emotional distress. The scrap of paper denotes the Plane Ticket back to Michigan. "the half an acre" is the home in Michigan.

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outlawgw
03-20-2010

Rated 0 
Musical/Vocal/Lyrical (((Hypnotics))) in perfect harmony. The only other recent piece of music that comes close is also background to a commercial about animal abuse done by Sarah McLachlan "I Will Remember You"...each one designed and chosen to evoke strong emotions. I say "Bravo" to Hem, and double "Bravo" to the exceptional female vocalist.


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dackycat
04-04-2010

Rated 0 
This is a pretty song, but it sounds like they were trying to copy the sound of Joni Mitchell. Anyone who likes this song should really check out Joni, especially the songs "Ladies of the Canyon" "For the Roses" and "Hejira." Joni is incredible.

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roanokevlp
06-01-2010

Rated 0 
I think its about home... how, sometimes, we may resent our touchstones for the hurt they've caused us along the way, but in the end they bring us the most comfort and THAT is "what we remember".

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