1/2 Full

Climbing on a mountain
Floating out on the sea
Far from lights of a city
The elements they speak to me...

Whispering that life
Existed long before greed...
Balancing the world
On its knee...

Don't see some men as half empty
See them half full of shit
Thinking that we're all but slaves
There's ain't gonna be

No middle anymore
It's been said before
The haves be having more
Yet still bored

Won't someone save?
Won't someone save
The world?

Previous Songs of the Moment
01. In My Tree
02. Red Mosquito
03. Porch
04. I Got Id
05. Release
06. Do The Evolution
07. Breath
08. Corduroy
09. Elderly Woman...
10. Leash
11. Hail Hail
12. Grievance
13. Love Boat Captain
14. Even Flow
15. Black Red Yellow
16. In Hiding
17. Can't Keep
18. Indifference
19. Insignificance
20. Whipping
21. Black
22. Smile
23. Push Me Pull Me
24. Rats
25. God's Dice
26. All or None
27. Yellow Ledbetter
28. Last Exit
29. Who You Are
30. Rearview Mirror
31. Hold On
32. Present Tense
33. Light Years
34. Alive
35. Brain of J
36. Thumbing My Way
37. Hard to Imagine
38. Tremor Christ
39. Rival
40. Animal
41. Lukin
42. You Are
43. betterman
44. Given to Fly
45. Once
46. Low Light
47. Parting Ways
48. Off He Goes
49. Go
50. get right
51. World Wide Suicide
52. Angel
53. MFC
54. Long Road
55. Why Go
56. Nothingman
57. Save You
58. Of A Girl
59. Habit
60. Satan's Bed
61. Faithful
62. Oceans
63. Gone
64. WMA
65. State of Love and Trust
66. Spin The Black Circle
67. Life Wasted
68. Arc
69. Garden
70. All Those Yesterdays
71. Sleight of Hand
72. Other Side
73. Let Me Sleep
74. I'm Open
75. Blood
76. Nothing As It Seems
77. All Night
78. Jeremy
79. No Way
80. Around The Bend
81. Immortality
82. Comatose
83. Daughter
84. Alone
85. I am Mine
86. Down
87. Cropduster
88. Strangest Tribe
89. Inside Job
90. Drifting
91. Wishlist
92. Big Wave
93. Sad
94. Stupid Mop
95. Come Back
96. Glorified G
97. Puzzles and Games (Light Years Demo)
98. Dirty Frank
99. Ghost
100. Marker In the Sand
101. Undone
102. Green Disease
103. Whale Song
104. Fatal
105. Mankind
106. Last Kiss

Musically ½ Full has always reminded me of Red Mosquito (and to a lesser extent Dissident) with Mike just playing leads over the dirty riff that drives the rest of the song. I love it on Red Mosquito but for whatever reason I’m just not as into it on ½ Full, and I’ve never quite been able to place exactly what it is about the studio version of this. But it’s not the song itself, since I LOVE it live. It has a looseness and playfulness to it that it is missing in the studio version.

Lyrically ½ Full is a hybrid of Eddie’s Daniel Quin and Howard Zinn influences—fusing the insights and messages of both into a critique of society that address Zinn’s Marxist criqitiue of power and inequality and Quinn’s warnings about the consequences of our self-emancipation from the laws of nature. However, it is one of those times where the sentiment and what he alludes to is more intelligent and nuanced than what he actually wrote down.

He’s stronger with the first verse, evoking Quinn. The awareness of the totality of nature as a system that we are bound to, despite our best efforts to master it—and the recognition that if we do not acknowledge our connection to it we will be forcibly removed. The balancing the world on its knee image is evocative here—we’re children in the lap of something far greater than ourselves, and like a parent it can keep us bouncing happily on its lap, or drop us off if it is so inclined. But the choice is not ours to make.

As is usually the case, Eddie falls apart a little bit once class and inequality come into play. The ½ full of shit lyric is clever, but Eddie, as is often the case, gets overwhelmed by what is so self-evident to him. His instincts are often correct—yes the system is exploitative and unfair, but the problem is either so obvious or so enormous to him that he just can’t get his mind around it and say something insightful about it—instead he just repeats slogans. It’s too bad, since he can obviously do better. And the call back reference to porch is just lazy

The weary, plaintive question at the end—won’t someone save the world--is delivered really well and captures perfectly just how dark and desperate and powerless a time 2002-2003 was for progressives---before the rest of the public finally began to acknowledge even the smallest amount of how much a disaster Bush and co have been (note that Eddie is asking for someone to come and rescue all of us when in almost all other cases freedom and emancipation is something we do for ourselves, or as a group—never something passive we have to wait for like it is here), and all you could do was howl in the darkness for people to wake up, like he does during the outro jam. However, I would have liked to have that be even higher up in the mix. It gets buried in the music, which may have been an artistic choice (Riot Act is an album about exhaustion as a state of mind) but not one that I enjoy as much as I could

And as with the music, ½ full doesn’t really shine until its live, where Eddie’s vocals have the energy that they’re missing here. This is probably a 2.5/3 star song in the studio but it is closer to 4 live, so I’ll split the difference and give it a 3.

Predict the number of times Red Mosquito will be mentioned in this thread. Entries for 1$, winner takes it all.

here's #1

this is the neutered version of red mosquito

this could have been a fantastic song if it weren't for the lyrics. they're not even THAT bad, but not good either. a shame really.

***

Yup, 2 stars from me.

Even as a Riot Act supporter I can not defend this song. Weak lyrics and the music does not make up for it. It always bothered me that a lyric from Porch was used again in this song. 2 stars from me.

I absolutely love this song. 4 stars on Riot Act. 5 live. I voted 4.

3 stars. I think it's the Live At Easy Street version where Ed yells "What the fuck!?!?" right in the middle of the song. Great moment. Not in love with this song though, and I think it should officially be titled "Half Full" not "1/2 Full"

My $0.02

Edit: This song is about 1/2 as good as Even Flow.

I've always loved this song live... On record...Not so much.

Riot Act is very fustrating for me because the band just sounds so flat and bored. The Riot Act songs come off great live because the band has so much energy which is a million times greater than the recorded effort.

Two Live versions of 1/2 Full that come to mind are:

1) Easy Street.
2) Chop Suey (Riot Act Promo Video)

I'll never listen to the Riot Act version because of the above versions.

They are far superior to what made it on the record.
T
he band just nails 1/2 Full live; especially on the above versions. I love the "What the Fuck"? part from Easy Street. Ed's intensity live is what really drives this song home and makes it a welcome concert addition.

Matt, Mike, and Stone really shine on this song live as well.

I absoloutly love the 3/4 time signature on this. It really gives Matt a chance to show off his chomps on the drums

Stone's guitar tone during the "Won't someone Save the World"? part is just amazing.

Mike's solos are always good...but what seperates the live version from the recorded version is the absence of reverb.

It's always a good idea when recording a "Dirty Song" to keep it dirty and leave the reverb behind.

Anyways...

Good Song

5 stars because it's such a kick ass version live.

5 fucking stars baby.

i think this song is brilliant.

one of my favorites on live at the garden. it's one of the better ones on riot act (it's in my top 3 next to save you and all or none) but that's not really saying much. 3.5 but closer to a 3.

pretty mediocre. I bet its alot of fun to play live. as far as I am concerned thats important for a band to have. that being said, not really that interesting of a song to listen to. kinda a cheesy political statement. not as well articulated as the statements on S/T

hasnt there already been a sotm on this song?

Heh, I pretty much had the exact same thoughts as I was voting.

2 stars in the studio but the live it can be the highlight of the set, it has the Zeppelin-esque mammoth swing that the more restrained studio version lacks.

I can't even listen to it on record...it's just not the same song. It's a pity as it would've improved Riot Act immeasurably to have this song performed as it could've been...a missed opportunity.

This song is rather good IMO 5 stars from me!

This song is probably at the bottom of the 5 Star PJ songs list.

I love it, especially live. It probably has the most flaws in an 5-star PJ song too. Namely the lyrics...when Ed sings "no middle anymore, it's been said before"...I groan

Although, the Showbox version brings me to chills and tears...I wish it'd go one forever. The last chaotic minute of the song, melts me. So, it might be because of the Showbox version, but this is a 5 star song for me.

The high lights, the solo. I love the breakdown/bridge part into the outro part. (During the "won't someone save...")







Red Mosquito

Hm .... it's much, much better than Get Right.

I've never seen it live in person, so while I know it gets better on the bootlegs, I can't really say it's ever grabbed me.

One of my favorite PJ songs this decade. On Riot Act, it seems kinda flat, but still good compared to most of the other songs on there.

Live, I think it's way better. I especially loved the version from Boston III 2003.

4.5 stars.