A long distance directory assistance, area code 212
And say, hey, A&R, this is Mister Rhythm and Blues
You said, "Hello" and put me on hold
To say the least, the cat was cold
He said, "Don't call us, child, we'll call you"

I said, "You got my number?"
He said, "Yeah, I got it when you walked in the door"
Don't call us, we'll call you
Don't call us, we'll call you

(Oh yeah, he said wait a minute though, he said)
I got your name from a friend of a friend
Who said he used to work with you
You remember the all night creature from Stereo Ninety Two?
Yeah, I said, "Could you relate to our quarter track tape
You know the band performs in the nude"
He said, "Uh-huh, don't call us, child, we'll call you"

Woo

Well, listen, kid, you paid for the call
You ain't bad but we've heard it all before
And it sounds like John, Paul and George

Child, anyway
Anyway, we cut a hit and we toured a bit
With a song he said he couldn't use
And now he calls and begs and crawls
It's telephone déjà vu
We got percentage points and lousy joints
And all the glitter we can use, mama
So, ha, don't call us now, we'll call you

Woo

You may hear this one too before I said, you know
I said, listen, kid, you paid for the call
Hell, well you ain't bad but I've heard it all before, uh
Don't call us, we'll call you
Don't call us
Don't call us, we'll call you
Don't call us, we'll call you


Lyrics submitted by peacewarrior21

Don't Call Us, We'll Call You Lyrics as written by John Carter Jerry Corbetta

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Don't Call Us, We'll Call You song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

6 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think the lyric might be "all night preacher on Stereo 92." Radio preachers were a slam dunk for advertising sales back in the day, and not every radio preacher was actually a legit clergyman. Some were just DJs doing overnight religious broadcasting as a gig to get them through to the next job.

    The "all night preacher" was just a DJ doing a preacher gig. That's how he "used to work" with the A&R man the singer is speaking to.

    D. Dodge Silveron January 29, 2020   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Siberian Kiss
Glassjaw
its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Album art
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Album art
Show Me a Little Shame
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
He certainly did earn that reputation.
Album art
Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone). And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."