I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two
Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember
The people we used to be
It's even harder to picture
That you're not here next to me
You say it's too late to make it
But is it too late to try
And in our time that you wasted
All of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time
When we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two
If Happy Ever Afters did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick
Oh, you turned your back on tomorrow
'Cause you forgot yesterday
I gave you my love to borrow
But you just gave it away
You can't expect me to be fine
I don't expect you to care
I know I've said it before
But all of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time
When we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two?
If Happy Ever Afters did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick
Now I'm at a payphone
Man, fuck that shit
I'll be out spending all this money
While you're sitting round wondering
Why it wasn't you who came up from nothing
Made it from the bottom
Now when you see me I'm stunting
And all of my cars start with a push of a button
Telling me the chances I blew up
Or whatever you call it
Switch the number to my phone
So you never could call it
Don't need my name on my show
You can tell it I'm ballin'
Swish, what a shame could have got picked
Had a really good game but you missed your last shot
So you talk about who you see at the top
Or what you could have saw but sad to say it's over for
Phantom pulled up valet open doors
Wished I'd go away, got what you was looking for
Now it's me who they want, so you can go and take
That little piece of shit with you
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two
If Happy Ever Afters did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick
Now I'm at a payphone
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two
Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember
The people we used to be
It's even harder to picture
That you're not here next to me
You say it's too late to make it
But is it too late to try
And in our time that you wasted
All of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time
When we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two
If Happy Ever Afters did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick
Oh, you turned your back on tomorrow
'Cause you forgot yesterday
I gave you my love to borrow
But you just gave it away
You can't expect me to be fine
I don't expect you to care
I know I've said it before
But all of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time
When we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two?
If Happy Ever Afters did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick
Now I'm at a payphone
Man, fuck that shit
I'll be out spending all this money
While you're sitting round wondering
Why it wasn't you who came up from nothing
Made it from the bottom
Now when you see me I'm stunting
And all of my cars start with a push of a button
Telling me the chances I blew up
Or whatever you call it
Switch the number to my phone
So you never could call it
Don't need my name on my show
You can tell it I'm ballin'
Swish, what a shame could have got picked
Had a really good game but you missed your last shot
So you talk about who you see at the top
Or what you could have saw but sad to say it's over for
Phantom pulled up valet open doors
Wished I'd go away, got what you was looking for
Now it's me who they want, so you can go and take
That little piece of shit with you
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two
If Happy Ever Afters did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairy tales are full of shit
One more fucking love song, I'll be sick
Now I'm at a payphone
Lyrics submitted by thrwmyhrtawy.
Payphone Lyrics as written by Adam Noah Levine Benjamin Levin
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Calling from a payphone also is a signal of distress and emergency in this day and age. Adam has said this about the song. For example if you called a loved one from a payphone, you'd probably be stranded somewhere and not just calling to say "hey". Finding one might be the hardest part though.