The song "Half As Much" by Waylon Jennings is about unrequited love and the pain that comes from feeling unloved and neglected by someone you deeply care for. The lyrics suggest that the narrator loves the other person more than they love him/her. The narrator expresses the desire for the other person to love him/her at least half as much as he/she loves them. The frustration and sadness are present throughout the song. The lines "If you love me half as much as I love you" and "If you missed me half as much as I miss you" show the longing for reciprocation and attention from the other person. The narrator hints that the other person only shows kindness when no one else is around, indicating a lack of genuine affection. The phrase "You only build me up to let me down" implies that the other person raises the narrator's hopes or expectations only to disappoint and hurt them in the end. This pattern of behavior intensifies the narrator's feeling of being blue or sad. Overall, the song portrays a one-sided love that is causing the narrator heartache and yearning for affection and validation from the person they love.
