The song is a duet with The Stereophonics' Kelly Jones, one of a host of guest appearances on the 2002 UK #1 album.
Call Me No. 5
Paul Weller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never woke up
I dreamt of a warning
A yellow buttercup
I dreamt of an old flame
Smoking cigarettes she was
Dancing in a night club
I was holding up a drugstore
My gun was soaking wet
From the barrel I was trapped in
That went tumbling over the edge
You can call me, number 5
Please please my my
Call me number 5
Call me number 5
That's why I'm still alive!
The barrel cracked up open
I was swimming for my breath
I knew I wouldn't make it
She watched me catch my death
So I switched on the T-V
Saw me reading out the news
Another story of a plane crash
Another story of bad news
The TV cracked up open
My baby boy came out
I was looking at my new wife
I ain't writing home about
You can call me, number 5
Please please my my
That's why I am still alive!
I boxed around a sliver ring
With blood stains on my face
I cut the dog with yellow teeth
And drove his car away
You can call me, number 5
Please please my my
Call me number 5
Call me number 5
That's why I'm still alive!
The lyrics to Paul Weller’s song “Call Me No 5” tell a story through a series of dream-like sequences that become more and more surreal as the song progresses. The dream imagery depicted in the lyrics is vivid and haunting, evoking a sense of danger and uncertainty. The song opens with the lines “I dreamt I was falling / I never woke up,” setting the tone for the rest of the song. The singer dreams of a warning, represented by a yellow buttercup, and an old flame smoking cigarettes and dancing with other men. In the second verse, the singer imagines himself holding up a drugstore with a soaking wet gun, and falling over the edge of a barrel.
The surreal nature of the song is heightened in the third verse, where the singer switches on the TV and finds himself reading out the news. Suddenly the TV cracks open, and his “baby boy” emerges from it. The last verse is perhaps the most surreal of all, with the singer boxing in a “sliver ring” with blood stains on his face, cutting a dog with yellow teeth and driving his car away. The song ends with the repeated refrain: “You can call me, number 5 / Please please my my / That’s why I’m still alive!”
The meaning of the song is left ambiguous, but there is a sense of danger and a need for survival in the dreams the singer recounts. It could be interpreted as a commentary on the unpredictable and unstable nature of life, or perhaps as a reflection of the singer’s subconscious fears.
Line by Line Meaning
I dreamt I was falling
In my dream, I experienced falling
I never woke up
I did not wake up from my dream
I dreamt of a warning
In my dream, I received a warning
A yellow buttercup
The warning in my dream was symbolized by a yellow buttercup
I dreamt of an old flame
In my dream, I saw an ex-romantic partner
Smoking cigarettes she was
She was smoking cigarettes in the dream
Dancing in a night club
She was dancing in a night club in the dream
With some other men
She was with other men in the dream
I was holding up a drugstore
In the dream, I robbed a drugstore at gunpoint
My gun was soaking wet
The gun I used in the dream was wet
From the barrel I was trapped in
I was trapped in the barrel of the gun in the dream
That went tumbling over the edge
The barrel of the gun fell over an edge in the dream
You can call me, number 5
I am identifying myself as number 5
Please please my my
This phrase is unclear and may be nonsensical or have personal significance to the singer
Call me number 5
I am asking to be referred to as number 5 again
That's why I'm still alive!
Identifying as number 5 is connected to my survival
The barrel cracked up open
The gun barrel opened up in the dream
I was swimming for my breath
I struggled to breathe while underwater in the dream
I knew I wouldn't make it
I was convinced I was going to die
She watched me catch my death
She saw me die in the dream
So I switched on the T-V
I turned on a television in the dream
Saw me reading out the news
I saw myself reading the news on television in the dream
Another story of a plane crash
A news story on television in the dream was about a plane crash
Another story of bad news
Other news stories on television in the dream were also negative
My baby boy came out
My baby son appeared in the dream
I was looking at my new wife
I saw my new spouse in the dream
I ain't writing home about
I am not sharing this experience with anyone
I boxed around a sliver ring
In the dream, I participated in a boxing match
With blood stains on my face
I had blood stains on my face after the boxing match
I cut the dog with yellow teeth
I injured a dog with yellow teeth in the dream
And drove his car away
I stole the car that belonged to the dog in the dream
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Kelly Jones, Paul John Weller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John linx
Hidden gem.
ted norton
The tradition of number songs should be compiled
rallyboy101
Great song..... anything in Foxton having a song called Number Six?
Kumara The Cat
kelly jones!!