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Cover art for Operators Are Standing By lyrics by They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

Operators Are Standing By

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Operators Are Standing By Lyrics

Operators are standing by
Smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee
Bounce their shoes at the end of their feet
And wish they could go home

Operators are standing by
Poking holes in the ceiling tiles
Making jokes about their old boyfriends
And days gone by

Operators are standing by
Talking about their portrayal
On the TV when an actress sits
with a headset in outer space

That's enough talking, ladies

Operators are standing by
Smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee
Pass around a picture of a mobius strip
And wish they could go home

Submitted by

irrational On Mar 22, 2001

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Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

Irrational

Submitter

2001-03-22 17:41:17

1 Meaning

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Cover art for Operators Are Standing By lyrics by They Might Be Giants

by Nigel

21y ago

This is a very literal song. And one of the best.

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