Elizabeth & The Catapult is American singer-songwriter Elizabeth Ziman. Read Full Bio ↴Elizabeth & The Catapult is American singer-songwriter Elizabeth Ziman.

Combining elements of jazz, pop and funk, this New York City-based group creates a singular sound with memorable melodies and unique, sophisticated harmonies. Fronted by the clear sultry voice of singer songwriter Elizabeth Ziman, they are attracting a buzz from the music press.

Ziman wrote her first song at age six, banging out melodies on an old upright in a Greenwich Village laundry room. A born romantic, Ziman transformed the music of Debussy, molding it to the driving rhythms of the washer and dryer. With Debussy and Bach on her left and the Beatles just to her right, Elizabeth quickly developed a sound all her own. Her “Baroque” pop songs have frequently been compared to those of Rufus Wainright, Fiona Apple and Laura Nyro. Elizabeth received the ASCAP Leiber and Stoller award in 2001 for her song “Like Water is to Sand”. From two years, she toured across the U.S. with soul queen Patti Austin, who kicked off her tour at Lincoln Center in 2003. Ziman has also performed with Enya, singing with her on Regis and Kelly as well as the CBS Morning Show. Comprised of Elizabeth Ziman (vocals, keys), Danny Molad (drums), and Peter Lalish (guitar), Elizabeth and the Catapult came into existence in 2004.

Ziman has performed extensively in New York City and Boston (The Knitting Factory, The Living Room, Rockwood Music Hall, The Cutting Room, The Middle East, T.T. The Bears). They completed their S-T EP and promoted the album on ‘soundcheck’ with John Shaefer(WNYC) in April. They have opened for national headliners like Jessie Harris, Kirk Kirkwood (of Meat Puppets fame), The Wood Brothers (featuring Chris Wood of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), and Amanda Palmer. They were spotlighted in the fall issue of Northeast Performer and the featured Billboard Underground Artist in October 2006.

The Hang Up
Elizabeth & The Catapult Lyrics

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I'd rather be doin' just about anything
Than what I am doin' at this moment
I'd rather be foolin' just about anyone
Than who I am foolin' at this moment

Like a preacher who lost his faith
I just cant find the heart to say
I'd rather be anywhere, anyway

Than to give up another day puttin' up with you (you)
At this moment (you)

I'd rather be hearin' just about anything
Than what you are feeling at this moment
I'd rather be thinkin' just about anything
Than how to be leaving you at this moment

Out with the girls on first avenue
Drinkin' away our imaginary blues
I'd rather be anywhere, anyway
Than to give up another day puttin' up with you (you)
Oh at this moment (you)
Oh at this moment (you)

And don't you know
True love comes and goes
But, oh, how to break the news
When you've lost it
At this moment

Cause I'd rather be doin just about anything
At this moment
I'd rather be foolin' just about anyone

La la-la la la la la-la la-la la-la la la (x2)
Oh oh-oh oh oh oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh oh

Oh at this moment
And from this moment on

Overall Meaning

The song "The Hang Up" by Elizabeth & The Catapult is about the struggle of facing the truth and admitting to oneself that a relationship is not working out. The singer would rather be doing anything than be with the person they are with at the moment. They find themselves fooling the other person and themselves by pretending everything is alright, but they can't find it in themselves to be honest and say that they'd rather be anywhere else than staying for another day in this relationship. They wish they could be anywhere, hang out with anyone else, and listen to anything instead of being with the person they are with at the moment.

The song also highlights the dilemma of having to break the news to someone when the feeling of love is lost. The singer is aware that true love comes and goes and seems to accept that it is time to move on, but they struggle with finding the right way to break the news to the other person. The song ends with an unresolved tension as the singer hints that they are ready to move on.

Overall, "The Hang Up" is a melancholic song that captures the complexity of human relationships and the difficulty of being honest and true to oneself and to others. It's a song that speaks to anyone who has faced the challenge of letting go of someone they once loved.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd rather be doin' just about anything
I would prefer to engage in almost any other activity

Than what I am doin' at this moment
Than what I am doing right now

I'd rather be foolin' just about anyone
I would prefer to deceive almost anyone

Than who I am foolin' at this moment
Than deceive the person I am deceiving right now

Like a preacher who lost his faith
Similar to a clergyman who's belief in God has been shaken

I just cant find the heart to say
I am at a loss for the courage to express

I'd rather be anywhere, anyway
I would prefer to be at any other location

Than to give up another day puttin' up with you (you)
Instead of enduring your presence for another day

At this moment (you)
Right now in your presence

I'd rather be hearin' just about anything
I would prefer to listen to anything else

Than what you are feeling at this moment
Than hear about what you are experiencing right now