Hello operator
Can you give me number nine?
Can I see you later?
Will you give me back my dime?
Turn the oscillator
Twist it with a dollar bill
Mail man bring the paper
Leave it on my window sill

Find a canary
A bird to bring my message home
Carry my obituary
My coffin doesn't have a phone
How you gonna get the money?
Send papers to an empty home?
How you gonna get the money?
Nobody to answer the phone


Lyrics submitted by maidenhazer

Hello Operator Lyrics as written by Jack White

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Hello Operator song meanings
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32 Comments

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  • +1
    My Interpretation

    there are a lot of ways to look at this song but this is how i see it

    Okay. The first verse tells me that we are starting from childhood as shown in the reference to that skip rope rhyme, this is the beginigs of a tycoon i think or a man/woman desitned for power and weath because obviously the child is asking money back from a person as they have obviously done a favour to somoneone recently. the oscillatior of course generates power and once that starts up gives the growing person (becoming a man) status. " twist it with a dollar bill" mix power and money. " mail man bring the paper" have people respect you and do what you require of them " leave it on my window sill" you see even though the mail man is bringing you the paper ( doing what u need of him) he is still alienated from you because of your power and weath shown through him leaving it on the window sill and not directly giving him the paper.

    the second verse tells us that the wealth and stress of his obligations has lead to his death and that because he alienated himself not many people are too affected by his death " my coffin doesnt have a phone". the next few lines tell me that before his death he was in debt and that he has no heir to worry about such things " nobody to answer the phone"

    the song is about the over whealming effect of power and money on people.

    thats just my idea on it anyway

    petchyon April 12, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Isaac Brock's 3rd favorite track of the decade (De Stijl being his 16th favorite album of the decade).

    A_Raging_Bullon December 26, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm fairy certain that the awesome opening guitar riff (which also appears again later) is taken from Freddie King's 'The Stumble', which appears twice throughout that song as well and sounds basically the same.

    terrycraigon March 30, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ah, i love this song..it's so wonderfully different and it makes me feel frisky.

    weezerific:cutleryon January 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    do you remember that song from elementary school that we would sing while jumping rope? There was a part that went "Hello operator, please give me number 9 and if you disconnect me I will chop off your bees are in the courtyard....."

    jlynnon March 11, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    no no it went "ms mary had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell toot toot the steamboat went to heaven, ms mary went to hello operator, please give me number nine, and if you disconnect me, i'll kick your behind the refridgerator there was a piece of glass, ms mary sat upon it, and broke her little ask me no more questions, tell me no more lies, the boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their flies are in the field" uhh... the birds are in the meadow? i don't remember, heh. but yeah. at least, that's the one i knew. i don't know how i remembered that much..

    not_blondeon April 14, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    hmm thats the one i knew too! and i love the guitar in this song! Especially the first part... ~~Sigh~~

    lumosnox90on June 08, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    does anyone know what the name of that song not blonde is talking about?

    Master Vivion June 17, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    no no no.... it's ms. suzy, and it's a hand game chant thingy... :D

    "ms. suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a horn toot toot ms. suzy went to heavan and the steamboa went to hello oerator, please give me number 9, and if you disconnect mei will chop off your behind the frigerator, there was a piece of glass, ms. suzy sat upon it and she cut herlittle assk me no more questions, please tell me no more lies, the boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their flie are in the city, the bees are in the dark, ms. suzy and her boyfriend are kissing in the D-A-R-K, D-A-R-K dark dark dark.

    the dark is at the movies, the movie's like a show, a show is on a tv set and that is all i know.

    i know i know my paaa. i know i know my maaa. i know i know my sister wit the 40acre bra.

    i know my paaa i king kong, i know my maaa is queen kong, i know my sistes the stupid one who made me sing this song!"

    irate hippi chicon June 21, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    all of you got the miss suzy thing wrong. but i dont care enough to have to write the correct version.

    nerdypunkchickon August 25, 2002   Link

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