Call Me Back – English Lyrics

• By: The Strokes
• Album: Angles

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the rhythmic and melodic world of The Strokes with 'Call Me Back.' This song is a perfect gateway to learning conversational English and understanding the nuances of modern indie rock phrasing and cool, understated lyrical expression.

[English]

Wait time is the worst

I can hardly sit

No one has the time

Someone is always late

I look for you

And you look for me, whoa, ohh

I don't know why I came down

I hold your phone, don't wake up

I hear a voice, in the ground

Tell me, don't tell me

The hard part is telling me

Something that you are not likely to tell me

Tell me, don't tell me

The hard part is telling me

Something that you are not likely to tell me

Wait time is to blame

I thought fame was a trip

We all have the time

Someone is always feared

I look for you

And you look away, ohh

I don't know why I came down

I hold your phone, don't wake up

I hear a voice in the ground

(Waking up is so much fun to do)

80s movies make out party yeah, ooh

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wait /weɪt/ A1	verb - to stay where one is until a particular event happens
worst /wɜːrst/ A2	adjective - of the poorest quality or lowest standard
hardly /ˈhɑːrdli/ B1	adjective/adverb - scarcely; barely
late /leɪt/ A1	adjective - doing something after the expected or usual time
phone /foʊn/ A1	noun - a telecommunications device
voice /vɔɪs/ A2	noun - the sound produced in a person's larynx
ground /ɡraʊnd/ A2	noun - the solid surface of the earth
likely /ˈlaɪkli/ B1	adjective - such as well might happen or be true
blame /bleɪm/ B1	verb - to assign responsibility for a fault or wrong
fame /feɪm/ B2	noun - the state of being known by many people
trip /trɪp/ A2	noun - a journey; or an experience/sensation
feared /fɪərd/ B1	adjective - to be afraid of; dangerous or intimidating
movies /ˈmuːviz/ A1	noun - a cinema film
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A1	noun - a social gathering

Key Grammar Structures

• I can hardly sit

  ➔ Adverb of frequency/degree (Hardly)

  ➔ "Hardly" is used here to mean 'almost not' or 'scarcely', emphasizing the speaker's inability to remain calm or still.

• Someone is always late

  ➔ Indefinite Pronoun (Someone) + Adverb of frequency

  ➔ "Someone" is a singular indefinite pronoun used to refer to a non-specific person, paired with the frequency adverb "always".

• I don't know why I came down

  ➔ Noun Clause (Wh- clause)

  ➔ The phrase "why I came down" functions as the direct object of the verb "know".

• Something that you are not likely to tell me

  ➔ Adjective phrase with 'be likely to'

  ➔ "Likely to" is used to express probability. In this negative context, it indicates something you probably wouldn't say.

• I thought fame was a trip

  ➔ Past tense reporting verb + Noun Clause

  ➔ "Thought" (past of think) introduces a thought, followed by a clause where the verb "was" shifts back to past tense.

• Waking up is so much fun to do

  ➔ Gerund as subject

  ➔ "Waking up" is a gerund (verb + ing) functioning as the subject of the sentence.