Four short lines sketch a person at peace with himself. The speaker says there’s no one he would rather be—not even half as much—than his own “I or me.” Even though he eats plain, humble food, he wouldn’t swap his identity; he would only improve what life serves him. The mood is light, witty, and a little stubborn. The rhyme makes it feel like a playful personal motto or a toast. The repeated “I or me” gives it an exaggerated, almost comic self-regard, yet the point is tender: poverty or hardship is just the menu, while the self is worth keeping. It leaves a sense of cheerful self-acceptance without making life look easy.
Songs About Life and Brighter Things Yet XVI — Summary
There's no one that I'd like to be One half so much as I or me. And though I sup on meager bran, I'd change the menu, not the man.