Telephone Answering Tape - Steve Goodman

I used to dial your number

We used to say hello

We’d shoot the breeze

And burn off someone’s ears that we both know

Then you got tired of talking

And you needed an escape

So you went and laid your money down

For this telephone answering tape

And now you leave it on every night and day

So you can screen your calls

You erase the ones you don’t really care about at all

Well, you play that tape like it was something you were born to do

Sometimes I think maybe girl, it’s the tape that’s playing you

So you’d better wake up Miss hard-to-get

I’m a waitin' on the other end

You can put the world on hold

But you can’t hold a friend

And if you ever want to put this conversation back in shape

Don’t call me cuz I’ll call you

When you take off that tape

Well now I dial your number

Cuz I know you won’t be home

And I get to get it off of my chest

As soon as I hear the tone

I’ll tell that tape the words

I couldn’t say right to your face

You’re gonna find out how I feel

When you play back that tape

Well you’d better wake up Miss hard-to-get

I’m a waitin' on the other end

You can put the world on hold

But you can’t hold a friend

And if you ever want to put this conversation back in shape

Don’t call me cuz I’ll call you

When you take off that tape

Now don’t call me cuz I’ll call you

When you take off that tape