Cash released her first single in 1979, a duet with Bobby Bare called "We Don't Need No Memories Hangin' 'Round". Two years later, she had her first country No. 1 (and the biggest commercial hit of her career), "Seven Year Ache". Although Cash was a prominent country star throughout the '80s, alongside fellow decade-defining artists Emmylou Harris, Juice Newton, and Dolly Parton, her music was anything but traditional: She topped the charts with songs written not only by herself, but by her father ("Tennessee Flat Top Box"), John Hiatt ("The Way We Make a Broken Heart"), Tom Petty ("Never Be You") and the Beatles ("I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"), "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", which won her a Grammy in 1985, and "It's Such a Small World", a 1987 duet with Rodney Crowell on his album Diamonds & Dirt, provided further hits. A sampling of these songs and more are included on the compilation Hits 1979-1989. In 1979, she married Rodney Crowell, who was to produce most of her hit records. Their stormy marriage lasted until 1992; its break-up is chronicled in Cash's Interiors and in Crowell's album Life Is Messy. Cash later married John Leventhal, who produced her albums The Wheel, 10 Song Demo, Rules of Travel, and Black Cadillac.
To date, Cash has had more than twenty top 40 country singles, including eleven chart-toppers, but none since 1990, and she has left Nashville in both spirit and body to pursue her artistic vision. Although she had recorded all of her hits for Columbia Records' Nashville division, she released 10 Song Demo for the pop division of Capitol. Cash resurfaced in 2003 with Rules of Travel. The album features guest appearances by Sheryl Crow and Steve Earle, as well as a tune penned by Joe Henry and the Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan. Cash's latest album, entitled Black Cadillac, was released by Capitol Records in January 2006 to critical acclaim. Many of the songs were written by Cash and address the losses (within a 24-month span) of her step-mother, her father, her step-sister (Rosey Nix Adams) and then finally her mother on Cash's fiftieth birthday.
Radio Operator
Rosanne Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can hear you now and later
Calling out and coming through
Radio operator, you're a voice so far from home
With a signal like a heartbeat
Not afraid but so alone
The secret codes for parts unknown
I'll ride the signal to the world
And to the girl in San Antone
Radio operator, do you ever think of me
Cause I'm a gleam on some horizon
Just too far away to see
Radio operator, there are still messages to send
From the future, from the present
And it never has to end
Where are the messages for me
The secret codes for parts unknown
I'll ride the signal to the world
And to the girl in San Antone
Radio operator, I am calling like a friend
From my future, from your memory
And it never has to end
This message will not end
The lyrics to Rosanne Cash's song "Radio Operator" highlight the loneliness and isolation experienced by a radio operator in a faraway location. The song creates a vivid image of a tiny foreign room with a radio operator calling out to the world through their signal, which is likened to a heartbeat. Despite being far away, the radio operator's voice is heard clearly, and the singer wonders if they ever think of her.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of secret codes and messages for parts unknown, which the radio operator rides out into the world. There is a sense of longing and connection present throughout the song, as though the singer sees the radio operator as a link to a world beyond their reach. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the connection between the two will never truly end, as the message will continue to be sent out into the world.
The song's melancholic tone is enhanced by Cash's haunting vocals, backed by a simple yet effective instrumentation that slowly builds throughout the track. The overall effect is one of poignant beauty, as the song lingers in the mind long after it has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Radio operator, in a tiny foreign room
Addressing the person on the other side of the radio, who's in a faraway place in a small room.
We can hear you now and later
Assuring that the radio signal is strong and will be heard both in real-time and recorded for later.
Calling out and coming through
Making a request to the radio operator to call out and transmit the message.
Radio operator, you're a voice so far from home
Acknowledging that the radio operator's voice is coming from far away and is a long way from home.
With a signal like a heartbeat
Comparing the strength and regularity of the radio signal to a heartbeat.
Not afraid but so alone
Not having fear, but still feeling lonely.
Where are the messages for me
Asking the radio operator if there are any messages that are meant for the singer.
The secret codes for parts unknown
Inquiring about any encrypted messages that are yet to decode.
I'll ride the signal to the world
Promising to transmit the message to the world using the available signal strength.
And to the girl in San Antone
Ensuring to deliver the message to someone special who is likely in San Antonio.
Radio operator, do you ever think of me
Asking if the radio operator ever thinks about the singer.
Cause I'm a gleam on some horizon
Referring to the singer as a distant image, a desirable goal or target.
Just too far away to see
Highlighting that the singer may be too far away and difficult to notice.
Radio operator, there are still messages to send
Encouraging the radio operator to continue transmitting messages.
From the future, from the present
Reminding that there are messages from both the future and the present that need to be conveyed.
And it never has to end
Assuring the indefinite existence of such a communication network over the radio medium.
Radio operator, I am calling like a friend
Addressing the radio operator as a friend who is always available to communicate.
From my future, from your memory
Informing that the singer is communicating from the future while the operator relates back using their memory.
And it never has to end
Reaffirming the never-ending nature of communication.
This message will not end
Stating the persistence of this particular message that will endure and not be forgotten.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: ROSANNE CASH, JOHN LEVENTHAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind