Memphis
Buck Owens Lyrics
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Help me find the party, try to get in touch with me
She could not leave her number but I know who placed the call
'Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall.
Help me operator, get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd call me here from Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the southside, high up on a ridge
--- Instrumental ---
The last time I saw Marie she was a waving me goodbye
With hurry home drops on her cheeks that trickled from her eyes
We were torn apart because her mom would not agree
And tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee.
Help me operator, more than this I cannot add
Only that I miss her so and all the fun we had
Marie is only six years old, information please
Help to put me through to her, in Memphis Tennessee...
The lyrics to Buck Owens’s “Memphis” serve as a prayerful plea from the singer to the operator at the phone company to connect him to Marie, a woman he knows by name, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Owens is frantic and anxious as he seeks the location of a party, and he relies on the operator to act as his mediator to reconnect him to Marie. Despite her inability to leave her number, Owens knows without a doubt who placed the call. Owens goes on to describe Marie’s location, her southern roots living on a ridge on the south side of Memphis, only half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge. Owens laments the time when he last saw Marie, when she tearfully said goodbye to him, as her mother did not approve of their relationship and tore them apart. Owens asks the operator to help him get through to Marie, a six-year-old girl he misses terribly and the fun they had together.
The lyrics to “Memphis” can be interpreted as a metaphor for the power of communication and connection, as Owens speaks about the distance he will go to find his lost love interest. He asks the operator for help, who navigates the message to connect two people, despite not having a direct line to the person he is trying to reach. It is also possible to interpret the song as a nostalgic and bittersweet reflection on the past, as Owens is mired in the memory of his former relationship and the joy they shared.
Line by Line Meaning
Long distance information give me Memphis Tennessee
I am requesting help from the operator for long distance information in finding Memphis, Tennessee.
Help me find the party, try to get in touch with me
Assist me in finding the party and contacting me through the help of the operator.
She could not leave her number but I know who placed the call
The caller did not leave their number, but the singer can identify who called through their uncle's message written on the wall.
'Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall.
The artist's uncle had taken the message and written it on the wall for the artist to see and to recognize who had made the call.
Help me operator, get in touch with my Marie
A request made to the operator by helping the artist to get in touch with someone named Marie.
She's the only one who'd call me here from Memphis Tennessee
Marie is the only person the singer is expecting to get call from upon his arrival in Memphis, Tennessee.
Her home is on the southside, high up on a ridge
Marie's residence is situated on a prominent ridge on the south side of Memphis, Tennessee.
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge.
Marie's home is located within close proximity to the Mississippi Bridge, with a distance of half a mile away only.
The last time I saw Marie she was a waving me goodbye
The artist remembers the last time he saw Marie where she was waving him goodbye.
With hurry home drops on her cheeks that trickled from her eyes
Marie had tears running down her face as she was urging the artist to come back home soon.
We were torn apart because her mom would not agree
The singer and Marie were separated as they could not agree with Marie's mother's decision.
And tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee.
Marie's mother's decision caused their happy home in Memphis, Tennessee to break apart.
Help me operator, more than this I cannot add
The singer requests the operator's assistance but is unable to provide more information than this.
Only that I miss her so and all the fun we had
The singer is only able to convey that he misses Marie a lot and the enjoyable moments they had together.
Marie is only six years old, information please
The singer informs the operator that Marie is only six years old and requests for more information.
Help to put me through to her, in Memphis Tennessee...
The artist hopes that the operator will be able to connect him to Marie in Memphis, Tennessee.
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
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