Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British… Read Full Bio ↴Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist. Highly regarded for his guitar techniques, Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991. Similarly, his songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio. Thompson made his debut as a recording artist as a member of Fairport Convention in September 1967. He left the group in 1971 and began recording with his wife as Richard & Linda Thompson, before their marriage dissolved in 1983. Since then, Thompson has maintained a critically-acclaimed solo career.

He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.

She May Call You Up Tonight
Richard Thompson Lyrics

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Martin Caro-Brown

I've been telling lines
I never knew
All to keep that girl
Away from you
But she may call you up tonight
Then what could I say

That would sound right
Thoughts that raised my mind
Just pushed aside
All the chances there
That we once had
But she may call you up tonight
Then what could I say
That would sound right
And when I'm crying
Yes I know my mind is flying
To a place where there's no trying
But she may call you up tonight
I've been telling lines
I never knew
All to keep that girl
Away from you
But she may call you up tonight
Then what could I say
That would sound right
But she may call you up tonight
Then what could I say
That would sound right

Then what could I say
That would sound right

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Richard Thompson's song "She May Call You Up Tonight" tell the story of a man who has been lying to a girl in order to keep her away from his love interest. The lyrics suggest that the singer is willing to deceive in order to secure the affections of his love interest, but also acknowledges that the girl may call his love interest up at any moment, and he would be unable to explain his deception in a way that would make it sound right. The singer's thoughts are in disarray, as he acknowledges that the girl might disrupt his plan, and that he might be undone by his own lies.

The repetition of the verse "But she may call you up tonight / Then what could I say / That would sound right" underscores the singer's anxiety about the potential revelation of his lies. The chorus, "And when I'm crying / Yes I know my mind is flying / To a place where there's no trying / But she may call you up tonight", suggests that the singer is fully aware of the stakes of his deception, but also admits that he is powerless to change the outcome if his lies are discovered.

Overall, the lyrics of "She May Call You Up Tonight" reveal the singer's complex emotions and motivations as he tries to manipulate the situation to his advantage, only to find himself at the mercy of unforeseen circumstances.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been telling lines
I've been lying

I never knew
I made up stories that I didn't have any knowledge of

All to keep that girl
I did it to keep the girl away from you

Away from you
To prevent her from being with you

But she may call you up tonight
However, she might call you tonight

Then what could I say
I wonder what I could say

That would sound right
That would be convincing and truthful

Thoughts that raised my mind
Ideas that bothered me

Just pushed aside
I chose to ignore

All the chances there
Opportunities we had

That we once had
Opportunities that we used to have

And when I'm crying
When I'm sad

Yes I know my mind is flying
I know that my thoughts are erratic

To a place where there's no trying
To a place where I don't have to make an effort

But she may call you up tonight
But she might call you tonight

Then what could I say
I still wonder what I could say

But she may call you up tonight
But she might call you tonight

Then what could I say
I'm still wondering what I could say

That would sound right
That would sound convincing and truthful

Contributed by Katherine H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Tom Finn

7y↑12

Love it - Tom Finn The Left Banke

heinrichvon

4y↑3

R.I.P. Tom.

heinrichvon

7y↑6

If the great Richard Thompson had covered a song of mine (I know Michael and Steve actually wrote it, but you were on the record), I would die happy. Love The Left Banke and Richard Thompson!