Pick Up the Phone Lyrics
Uhh, I just need a minute to replenish who I am
And who I am is so dependent on exactly where we stand
I stand in any pose, anythin' but tippy-toes
Don't want you to feel smaller, always taller
Now I'm a cheerleader, she a baller
The difference in height isn't aight, I left my ego at the altar
Now every ring's a sting and everythin' I taught ya
Is comin' back around to me, just like revolvers
And every single click is just hammerin' it home
Who knew Russian Roulette involved answerin' the phone?
Until my signal dwindles or my channel is in roam
Or my cellphone dies or it's cancer in my dome
And dear nix the tone, as I pour my fuckin’ pain out
One of your short nodes, might blow my fuckin' brains out
But you ain't even pick up
Talkin' to myself, exactly what you sick of
[Pre-Chorus: Sebastian Lundberg & Lupe Fiasco]
Feeling kinda restless
Did you get my message?
It's swirling around and so (yeah, c'mon!)
No, don't tell me that you care (uh huh)
When I know you're standing there (yeah)
I left the story of my life on your answering machine (what's up? Yeah)
Hello, can you hear me?
Hello, are you there?
Hello, would you pick up the phone?
Hello, can you hear me?
Hello, are you there? (yeah, are you there? Are you there? Are you there?)
Hello, would you pick up the fuckin' phone?
[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco]
We were like, "If a tree falls in the forest and
No one is around, does it really make a sound?"
That's romantic and profound, but now
We're like lumberjacks holdin' the axes that brung it down
So I'm now on your message, talkin' 'bout "Remember?"
Silence in return, that sound like 'Timber!"
There's some that can't see the forest because they're liars
But I can't see the forest 'cause of the fire
And in our prehistorics, the flowers was rootin' for us
Brontosaurus ate the flowers, T-Rex ate the Brontosaurus
And then the T-Rex turned around and ate the florist
That's why I lost my FTD endorsements
But that's really not important
My sadness' a snitch, my melancholy informant
Despair wears a wire, my longin' rappin' a song
My worry is a rat, my lonely tappin' the phone
Feeling kinda restless
Did you get my message?
It's swirling around and so (uh huh, uh huh, uh huh)
I wanna give you reasons (yeah)
Tell you what I'm feeling
But none of these lines are secure (nah)
No, don't tell me that you care (uh huh)
When I know you're standing there (yeah)
I left the story of my life on your answering machine (what else? Uh huh)
My tears run off your shoes (yeah)
Like waters from a goose (uh)
You try to wash off all the dirt
But your hands aren't getting clean
[Chorus: Sebastian Lundberg & Lupe Fiasco]
Hello, can you hear me?
Hello, are you there?
Hello, would you pick up the phone?
Hello, can you hear me?
Hello, are you there? (are you there? Are you there? Are you there?)
Hello, would you pick up the fuckin' phone?
[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]
The make-believers on receivers as you sit back and observe
As the rubber curly cord just absorbs all my words
Will you collect us then connect us or neglect us on the whole?
Into the wall, then cross the wires on the telephone poles
Then bounces off the towers, then up into the satellites
Then falls down back to Earth to bring a broken heart back to life
Happens all the time, lost an appetite and lack of sleep
If it's dead and flatten line, I'll leave a message at the beep
Hello, can you hear me?
Hello, are you there? (Hello, are you there? Yeah)
Hello, would you pick up the phone? (Come on)
Hello, can you hear me? (Come on)
Hello, are you there? (Come on)
Hello, would you pick up the phone?
Would you pick up the phone?
Would you pick up the phone?
Hello, would you pick up the fuckin' phone?
About
“Pick Up The Phone” is Lupe Fiasco’s first official single since the release of 2015’s Tetsuo & Youth and was debuted at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California on July 14th. This song is supposed to be on DROGAS Light, one of the three final projects from Lupe. The rumors say DROGAS will be a thematic trap album while its Light version will consist of left-overs from Lupe’s late career.
So, from which album could come “Pick Up The Phone”? On one hand, its colorful and poppy production is reminiscent of Lupe’s Lasers era — “Pick Up” producer iSHi worked with Lupe on the Lasers' cut “Break The Chain”. On the other hand, the hook — delivered by Swedish Singer-songwriter Sebastian Lundberg from Trinity Music — and Lupe’s lyrics remind us of following projects like Food & Liquor II, so they could’ve been recorded later, probably during the Tetsuo & Youth sessions, between 2012 and 2014 (during that time, the also pop-rap single “Old School Love” was released). Some fans have pointed out the similarities in chord progression with one of Lupe’s earliest hit songs, “Superstar.”
Lupe premiered the video on Vevo on August 29, 2016.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.NGL
- 3.Promise
- 5.Jump
- 8.Tranquillo
- 9.Kill
- 11.Pick Up the Phone
- 12.It’s Not Design
- 13.Wild Child
