Somebody else thought of that - Bathroom Wall

Went up to a pay phone on a bathroom wall
but I can't remember who I wanted to call
operator can you help me.

One of my favorite lines from any song, and it is becoming dated like a Mozart symphony.

For one, what the crap is a pay phone? Can you believe those things are going out like the dinosaur? Superman hasn't been able to to change his clothes in decades and now even the concept of a phone you drop quarters in is fading.

Regardless, I've always loved the imagery from this line, which is from Whole Day Off. Who is the guy in the bathroom? Is he just stupid drunk, stoned out of his mind, and that is why he thinks the operator can help him?

Or maybe he has every right to expect an answer because he lives in a world where the Operator knows all, only the guy has committed some error, thought a thought he shouldn't or felt something forbidden, and the Operator is silent on the other end and will be for the remainder of the caller's short life.

Maybe.

When was the last time you picked up a pay phone on a bathroom wall and asked the operator who you wanted to call? Yeah, me neither.