After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit independent music underground, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew them attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The White Stripes used a low-fidelity, do-it-yourself approach to writing and recording. Their music features a melding of punk and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo is also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which features a simple color scheme of red, white, and black.
The White Stripes' discography consists of six studio albums, two extended plays (EP), one video album, 26 singles and fourteen music videos. The band has sold approximately 12 million albums worldwide, 2 million in the US alone, and their latest three albums have each won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
On February 2, 2011, the band announced on their website that they had disbanded.
Official band website: www.whitestripes.com
Hello Operator
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you give me number nine?
Can I see you later?
Will you give me back my dime?
Turn the oscillator
Twist it with a dollar bill
Mail man bring the paper
Leave it on my window sill
Find a canary
A bird to bring my message home
Carry my obituary
My coffin doesn't have a phone
How you gonna get the money?
Send papers to an empty home?
How you gonna get the money?
Nobody to answer the phone
The lyrics of The White Stripes's song Hello Operator may seem confusing and hard to pin down to a specific meaning, but they actually paint a clear picture of a man desperately trying to get in touch with someone, likely his significant other. He asks the operator to give him "number nine," which could be a code for a specific phone number or simply a request for a connection to his intended recipient. He also asks to see the operator later, hinting at his loneliness and desire for human interaction.
The man then turns his attention to his communication methods, asking to turn the oscillator and twist it with a dollar bill. This could be interpreted as a request to manipulate some kind of device to improve his connection, or perhaps a metaphorical statement about the give and take of his relationship. He then asks the mailman to bring the paper and leave it on his windowsill, possibly referencing letters he has written to his loved one that he hopes she will see.
The final stanza is the most poignant, where he seeks out a canary to "bring my message home," suggesting that he may not even be in a position to speak directly to his intended recipient. He contemplates sending papers to an "empty home," highlighting his isolation and loneliness. Ultimately, the refrain of "How you gonna get the money?" and "Nobody to answer the phone" reinforce his despair and the absence of the person he is trying so desperately to reach.
Overall, the lyrics of Hello Operator are a poignant portrayal of a man struggling with the distance between himself and someone he loves, highlighting the isolation and loneliness that can result from a lack of communication.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello operator
The singer is calling a telephone operator for assistance
Can you give me number nine?
The singer is requesting the phone number 'nine' from the operator
Can I see you later?
The singer is asking if they can meet with the operator at a later time
Will you give me back my dime?
The artist is asking for their money back since they were not able to make the desired call
Turn the oscillator
The artist is requesting a change in the dial tone frequency to dial out
Twist it with a dollar bill
The singer is trying to manipulate the phone mechanism by using a dollar bill
Mail man bring the paper
The singer is requesting a newspaper delivery
Leave it on my window sill
The artist is telling the mailman where to leave the paper
Find a canary
The artist is asking for a messenger bird
A bird to bring my message home
The artist is using the messenger bird to convey their message to someone
Carry my obituary
The message to be conveyed is the singer's obituary, implying the singer's death
My coffin doesn't have a phone
The artist is stating that they will be dead, as a coffin does not have a phone to call from
How you gonna get the money?
The singer is questioning how someone will receive their payment
Send papers to an empty home?
The singer is asking if papers will be sent to an empty home, implying that no one will receive them
How you gonna get the money?
The singer is again questioning how someone will receive their payment, given that there is no one available to collect it
Nobody to answer the phone
The artist is highlighting the fact that there is no one available to answer the phone and receive messages or calls
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACK WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robyn
on Candy Cane Children
The meaning of this song is basically saying the older you get, the less fun Christmas becomes usually do to adulthood. The lines "don't you know your name?...", probably refers to the adults telling kids to grow up as if they're saying "Do you know how old you are? You're getting too old for this stuff." Probably why he put the lines "nobody knows how to talk to children". Also, he puts the lines "think again" after a thought of one of the kids thinking of wishing to participate in Christmas activities. As if they're thinking "Yeah I probably AM too old for this.." "364 more tears girl" the sadness of getting older. Not participating feels like a missed opportunity and causes even more sadness..