Vocalist Aidan Moffat and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Middleton met in Falkirk, bonded over their mutual love for Drag City recording artists such as Smog and Will Oldham, and began a collaboration in 1995. The band is completed by violinist Jenny Reeve and cellist Stacey Sievewright. Arab Strap's marked characteristics include frank and forthright lyrics delivered in a Scottish brogue.
Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton confirmed the rumours about the end of Arab Strap on 8th September 2006. They celebrated their Ten Years of Tears with a tour through the UK and the rest of Europe. After UK/Europe, they made a short secret tour in Japan as the last of Arab Strap. In 2016, however, they have reunited a decade after their breakup and will be touring throughout the year 2017.
Phone Me Tonight
Arab Strap Lyrics
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Just to tell me that I'm missed.
Tell me you want me in your cunt.
Tell me you're not sure what you want.
I tried to tell you, I made it clear.
Nothing could make me not want you here.
Phone me tomorrow when you're sober.
Tell me I'm not wanted in your bed.
Remember one thing you haven't said.
I tried to tell you, I tried to say.
I never wanted it to end this way
Arab Strap's song 'Phone Me Tonight' is a hauntingly beautiful yet emotionally heavy song. The lyrics are self-explanatory, as they describe a troubled relationship that has seemingly ended. The opening lines, "Phone me tonight when you're pissed. Just tell me that I'm missed" depicts a dysfunctional and unhealthy relationship. The singer sings about his partner calling him when drunk and expressing feelings of loneliness and missing him. In the next lines “Tell me you want me in your cunt. Tell me you're not sure what you want," the singer demands physical gratification and emotional clarity in the relationship from his partner. The lyrics hint that the behavior of both partners is self-destructive, yet they are unable to break free from this toxic cycle.
The chorus, "I tried to tell you, I made it clear, nothing could make me not want you here," shows that the singer is honest about his emotions, while simultaneously acknowledging that his partner's behavior creates an unhealthy dynamic. The second verse introduces a new element, where the singer is asking his partner to call him the next day when they are sober, just to tell him it's over. The song takes a darker turn when he begs his partner to "tell me I'm not wanted in your bed," and "remember one thing you haven't said." These lines imply that the singer's partner may have cheated on him or lost interest in the relationship.
Overall, 'Phone Me Tonight' is a heart-wrenching song that captures a distressing chapter of a relationship. It portrays the agony that arises when one is desperately trying to keep what is falling apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Phone me tonight when you're pissed.
Call me tonight when you're drunk or upset.
Just to tell me that I'm missed.
Tell me that you miss me, despite any problems we may have had.
Tell me you want me in your cunt.
Be explicit in expressing your sexual desire for me.
Tell me you're not sure what you want.
Admit your confusion about your own feelings towards me.
I tried to tell you, I made it clear.
I have communicated my feelings to you before.
Nothing could make me not want you here.
Despite any issues we've had, I still want to be with you.
Phone me tomorrow when you're sober.
Call me tomorrow when you're no longer under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Just to tell me it's all over.
To break up with me over the phone.
Tell me I'm not wanted in your bed.
Inform me that you no longer want to be intimate with me.
Remember one thing you haven't said.
There may be something important that you haven't told me yet.
I tried to tell you, I tried to say.
I've expressed my thoughts and feelings about our relationship before.
I never wanted it to end this way.
It's unfortunate that our relationship is ending and not in the way that I had hoped.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aidan Moffat, Malcolm Middleton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind