Sandman was also known as a prominent member of the Boston blues band Treat Her Right and the founder of Hi-n-Dry, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based recording studio and independent record label.
Sandman was born into a Jewish American family in Newton, Massachusetts. He graduated from college but worked a variety of blue-collar jobs, including construction, taxi driving, and commercial fishing. Sandman once noted he would often earn considerable overtime pay, which allowed him to take leave of work and travel outside of New England to places such as rural Colorado -- the setting for a number of Treat Her Right and Morphine songs, including "Thursday", "The Jury", and "I Think She Likes Me".
Along with Morphine, which he formed in 1989, Sandman was also a member of the bands Sandman, Candy Bar, the Hypnosonics, Supergroup (with Chris Ballew), and the Pale Brothers. He also performed as a guest with the Boston jazz band Either/Orchestra.
On July 3, 1999, Sandman collapsed on stage at the Giardini del Principe in Palestrina, Latium, Italy (near Rome) while performing with Morphine. He was soon pronounced dead of a heart attack at the age of 46. Sandman was survived by his girlfriend Sabine Hrechdakian, his parents Bob and Tel Sandman, and his sister Martha Holmes. Morphine immediately disbanded following his death, though the surviving members briefly toured with other musicians, creating Orchestra Morphine as a tribute to Sandman and the band's music.
The Phone
Mark Sandman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Phone booth, South Carolina
Sits, keeps killing time
Rolls her eyes
Roll of dimes
Speak of this sick surrounding sin
Tears me from limb to limb, within
I don't know how to let it go
One word was mistaken
Context that it was taken from
Write it down
Must be sound
Must be true
I hope you can hear me
My only sanctuary asks
The Phone is a song by Mark Sandman that tells the story of a woman in a phone booth in South Carolina, killing time with a roll of dimes as she talks about the sick surrounding sin. The lyrics show the singer's struggle of being far away from home, unsure how to let go of the pain caused by the situation that he's in. The use of the word 'limb' portrays the singer's mental anguish and emphasizes how difficult it is for him to escape from his own thoughts. The song's lyrics suggest that the woman in the phone booth is the singer's only sanctuary, and he hopes that she can understand him.
The song is expertly crafted to convey a sense of melancholy, with the sparse instrumentation implying a sense of isolation. The lyrics are left deliberately vague, allowing the listener to draw their own conclusions about the meaning of the song. However, the use of metaphors like "limb" suggests that the singer is struggling with a sense of isolation and disconnection from his surroundings. The woman in the phone booth seems to symbolize a connection to the rest of the world, providing a much-needed sense of comfort and familiarity.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside of
Located adjacent to
Phone booth, South Carolina
A public telephone booth in the southern state of South Carolina
Sits, keeps killing time
It appears to be waiting, nothing else to do
Rolls her eyes
Shows impatience, annoyance or disbelief by moving her eyes upward
Roll of dimes
A cylinder shaped set of ten-cent coins joined altogether with a central pin
Speak of this sick surrounding sin
Mentions about the unhealthy, immoral environment she is present in
Tears me from limb to limb, within
Hurts me emotionally from the inside out, causing me to feel disconnected from myself
I don't know how to let it go
I'm unable to release the pain this situation brings me
This far away from home
Being a long distance from a comfortable, familiar environment
One word was mistaken
A particular term was misheard, misunderstood or misinterpreted
Context that it was taken from
The situation that the term was said in
Write it down
Record the correct term for future reference
Must be sound
The correct term must be accurate and reliable
Must be true
The correct term must be genuine and factual
I hope you can hear me
I trust that you are listening and understanding what I am saying
My only sanctuary asks
The phone booth is my only source of refuge or protection, seeking aid or comfort
Contributed by Alaina W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
uniteddivision
cause when wisdom speaks, noone ever listens these days
Laura Mizzon
speak to me.