Phone Phreaking
Neil Hilborn Lyrics

Phone phreaking is the act of stealing a phone call.
The term 'phone phreaking' refers to the act of illicitly accessing and using someone else's phone service.

In 1968 John draper built his first blue box, out of parts so simple they may as well of been magic.
In 1968, John Draper created the first blue box, which was made of parts that were basic yet powerful in their ability to manipulate phone systems.

He stepped into the California sun shine, found to pay phones one next to the other and he launched his voice around the world to the spot next to him and he answered hello.
Draper went outside in the California sunshine and tried out his blue box on two nearby payphones, which allowed him to transmit his voice around the world and receive a response from an immediate location.

And in the 5 seconds before the sound returned to his ears, His voice unhitched its self from his throat.
While waiting for the delayed response, Draper experienced a brief period when his voice seemed to be separate from his body.

He opened his mouth and all that came out was static and the pacific.
When Draper attempted to speak during this disorienting moment, all he could hear on the other end was static and ocean sounds.

My girlfriend moved to California and now my cell phone is starting to replace her.
After his significant other relocated to California, the singer of the song starts to rely on his cell phone as a substitute for her physical presence.

When it rings, I feel like she's touching me.
The singer experiences a sensation of physical contact when their phone rings, as if the caller is in direct contact with them.

I can feel it vibrating in my pocket even when I know it's off.
Even when the phone is turned off, the artist still feels a phantom vibration from the device in their pocket.

Still standing at the payphone john draper tried to speak he was choking on nothing.
Draper continued to experiment with his blue box at payphones, but encountered difficulties when his voice seemed to be stifled or trapped.

His voice was locked somewhere out there. He sent it away and it did not want to come back.
Draper struggled to get his voice to transmit properly, experiencing moments where it seemed like his voice was lost or unable to return to him.

I'm driving to her and somewhere in the middle of America my car breaks down. My cell phone dies in my hand this country is closing around me there are so many stars.
On a road trip to see his girlfriend, the singer's car breaks down and their cell phone battery dies, leaving them stranded in an unfamiliar place surrounded by darkness.

I call out her name, but it's swallowed by all that distance.
Even when calling out to their partner, the vast physical distance between them prevents the artist from reaching them.

In 1971 AT&T had john draper arrested. The police released him without charge.
In 1971, Draper was arrested by AT&T for his activities with the blue box but was ultimately let go without facing charges.

How do you jail a man just for speaking?
The singer questions the morality of imprisoning someone for their use of technology to communicate.

There are no words for the theft of time and distance.
The singer reflects on the impossibility of truly expressing the profound loss associated with trying to bridge the gap of time and distance between two people.

When we call each other half away across the country we are paying for the allusion that space does not exist.
By using long-distance phone calls, the artist explains that people are essentially paying for the illusion that distance can be overcome and ignored.

We are paying to pretend that one day, if we reach hard enough we will touch each other.
Through their use of phone calls, people are investing money in the idea that they can find a way to be together and physically connected someday, regardless of distance.

That night john draper heard his voice laughing at him, it was in the walls. It was in the phone lines. He took a pick axe and started digging with every swing all he could hear was " HELLO... Hello... *hello*..."
Draper's obsession with his blue box and its impact on his ability to communicate seemed to haunt him even when he was not actively using it, leading him to engage in destructive behavior in an attempt to confront his demons.

When she calls me her laugh crackling over the mid-west. I feel further from her than when we are not speaking. I reach and touch nothing.
When the singer's partner calls them, the distance between them feels even more pronounced, highlighting the futility of trying to bridge the gap with technology alone.

I hear phone lines in the wind they are calling my name.
The artist seems to hear a call for help or companionship through the sound of the wind, which they interpret as the echoes of phone lines.

John draper had the same dream every night. An endless field of robots with his voice. His voice watching him sleep. His voice digging his own grave. His voice building walls and roof out of wire.
Draper's fixation on his blue box and its impact on his identity became consuming, even infiltrating his dreams and leading him to perceive an endless field of robotic figures with his own voice.

I haven't seen her in so long. To me, she is only a ghost in a machine. She is only a memory. Like a broken flash light. Or summer. For her I send away the best parts of me. I have not, come back.
Without the ability to physically be with their partner, the artist begins to see their relationship as intangible and disconnected, leading them to despair about the loss of their connection.