Chinese Restaurant
Yearning Echoes: A Tale of Love Lost in the Shadows of a Chinese Restaurant
Lyrics
I called you back from a Chinese Restaurant payphone
I tried to contact you from a payphone in a Chinese restaurant.
Hadn't been used in twenty years
The payphone hadn't been used for two decades.
Must've spent ten dollars opening up rolls of quarters
I likely spent ten dollars in quarters trying to reach you.
Your answering machine is all I hear
Your answering machine is the only response I get.
And it's so hard, so hard to get through to you
It's challenging to connect with you.
I eat my shrimp fried rice in a liminal space
I'm eating shrimp fried rice in a transitional or in-between space.
And I don't know if you'll be home tomorrow
Uncertainty about your presence at home tomorrow.
But God I hope to see you back at our place
I hope to see you back at our shared place.
Why do Chinese Restaurants make me feel strange?
Chinese Restaurants evoke an odd or unfamiliar feeling.
Maybe it's the koi fish or the chairs
The discomfort may arise from elements like koi fish or chairs.
Maybe it's all there to make me feel more sane
These elements may exist to provide a sense of sanity when I can't hear your voice.
When I can't hear your voice
The absence of your voice affects me deeply.
And baby, you're not there
You, my significant other, are not present.
Look at their proud little family
Observation of a proud family depicted on the restaurant's wall.
Someone's son and daughter on the wall
A family portrait with someone's son and daughter.
They left San Francisco now they're both making a living
They left San Francisco and are now thriving while I feel neglected.
While I'm dying 'cause you won't return my call
I'm suffering because you're not returning my calls.
Why do Chinese Restaurants make me feel strange?
Chinese Restaurants continue to evoke a strange feeling.
Maybe it's the cat who waves hello
Possibly influenced by a waving cat or other elements.
Maybe it's all there to make me feel more sane
These elements may serve to bring a sense of sanity when your voice is absent.
When I can't hear your voice
The absence of your voice leaves me feeling low.
And god, I'm feeling low
A deep emotional state in the absence of your presence.
Yeah yeah yeah
An expression of emotional distress or longing.
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