Halfway Down (poem) facts for kids
"Halfway Down" is a famous poem by A. A. Milne, who also wrote the Winnie the Pooh stories. It was first published in his 1924 book called When We Were Very Young. The poem is like a short, thoughtful moment from a child's point of view. It talks about that special spot on the stairs where kids often stop. Zena Sutherland, an expert on children's books, said that both the poem and the drawing by E. H. Shepard perfectly capture how children often pause on stairs. Many people think the poem is narrated by Christopher Robin, the child character from Milne's Winnie the Pooh tales.
The Song "Halfway Down the Stairs"
A musician named Harold Fraser-Simson turned many of A. A. Milne's poems into songs. "Halfway Down the Stairs" was one of them.
This song became quite popular when it was used in the first season of The Muppet Show. The Muppets performed it right in the middle of a staircase. It was a very important performance for Robin the Frog, who is Kermit the Frog's nephew. This scene was even filmed again for different countries, sometimes with guest star Harvey Korman.
The song was put on The Muppet Show album. Later, it was released as a single song and reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1977. The Muppets even refilmed the performance for the TV show Top of the Pops. You can also find the song on the CD The Best of The Muppets and the VHS tape Playhouse Video: Children's Songs and Stories.
Other artists have also sung this song. Rowlf the Dog sang a version on his album, Ol' Brown Ears is Back. The American singer Amy Lee from the band Evanescence also sang a cover. Her version was included on the 2011 album Muppets: The Green Album.
The song was even featured in an episode of the TV show Family Guy called You Can't Handle the Booth!. In that episode, Peter Griffin gets stuck in his staircase and sings the song to pass the time.
The Poem's Words
Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
It.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.
Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head:
"It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"
