This song was written about a marriage crumbling up and the narrator trying to save the relationship. The violin-like sound was produced by the Gizmotron, a device created by songwriters Godley & Creme to save money from buying an orchestra, as well as making a wide variety of interesting uses.
...
[Intro]
Hello?
[Verse 1]
Hello there
How have you been?
I've called a million times
But to me you're never in
I know I never had the style
Or dash of Errol Flynn
But I loved you
[Verse 2]
I'm doing really well
I'm as happy as a lark
I've got a new apartment
It's as safe as Central Park
And if they ever mug me
When I'm walking in the dark
Would you know?
[Chorus]
Don't hang up
Don't hang up
Rolled up in my camera
With the big cheese up above
I stumbled from my stag night
To a never ending limousine
[Pre-Chorus]
The band went la di da di da
And I got loady do di dodied
Lousy violins began to play
And I went no no no
And when the vol-au-vents exploded
I was walking down the aisle the other way
[Chorus]
Don't hang up
Don't hang up
Don't say, oooh
Nobody's safe in our house
[Post-Chorus]
Leave me alone
But a but a please
Leave me alone
Just a mo, a minute
I'm so alone
[Interlude]
We had
Some honeymoon on itchy bedding
Scum buzzing 'round your busy body
Dumb waiters waiting sweating straining
All mass-debating my woman
We got a
Bum Guatemala pensione
Crumbling about our ears, Olé
Even the trash man he say
You got a dustbin romance
It's going down the drain
You got a low impedance
She's got a rocky terrain
Oo, you got a lot to learn
Oo, you got a lot to learn
A lot to learn about women
You got to learn about women women
What's to learn about women?
We've both got a lot to learn
[Verse 3]
Surprise surprise
There's a hell of a well in your eyes
Have we won the no Nobel Prize?
Has the colour run out of our dies?
[Verse 4]
Surprise surprise
There's a hell of a well in your eyes
When the barman said "Whatcha drinking?"
I said marriage on the rocks
I know I never had the style
Or dash of Errol Flynn
But I loved you
[Chorus]
Don't hang up
Don't hang up
Don't say–
Don’t Hang Up was written by Lol Creme & Kevin Godley.
Don’t Hang Up was produced by 10cc.