The Meaning of My Morning Jacket’s “Phone Went West”
One of the deepest cuts and fan-favorites from My Morning Jacket is “Phone Went West,” from their 2001 sophomore album, At Dawn. While they have released a ton of excellent music since then, “Phone Went West” still appears in their live sets to this day, often as a set-closer, and xoften clocking in as one of the longest and most-jammed tracks in any given show. The studio version is no slouch, either, at over seven minutes.
Lyrically, “Phone Went West” is simple, keeping itself short yet profound. It’s a song about being heartbroken, looking for connection, and hoping for someone who will let you in. There’s an undertone of desperation throughout, greatly complementing the band’s tendency to draw the emotions out of this one with the jam.
My Morning Jacket – “Phone Went West” (2001)
“Phone Went West” Lyrics Meaning
The lyrics to “Phone Went West” don’t follow your typical verse-chorus-verse format. There are two repeated refrains that consist of fragments of thoughts, stemming from a well of loneliness, and consideration. Then, the outro represents taking action to hopefully resolve the state of emotional pain.
Refrain One
Is there a doctor in the house tonight?
Opening lyrics to “Phone Went West” by My Morning Jacket.
If there’s a wrong, he could make it right
Is there still a lock on your back door?
Is there still a lock on your back door?
Jim opens the song with a request for a doctor, a cry for help. He hopes that doctor would be able to right the wrongs, because you know, that’s what doctors do.
Then he asks about the back door being locked, as if to ask if another person would be open to receiving him. Coming in through the unlocked back door is a sign of trust. So, if the back door is locked, that means that person might not want Jim to come around, may not have a shelter for his heart.
Refrain Two
Tell me I’m wrong, tell me I’m right
Second lyrics to “Phone Went West” by My Morning Jacket.
Tell me there’s nobody else in the world
Tell me I’m wrong, tell me I’m right
Tell me there’s nobody else in the world
He doesn’t need to be coddled and told he’s right all the time, he just wants to be loved. Someone who will hold him accountable, but also tell him there’s nobody else for them but him.
This is a tender desire that many humans share. There don’t need to be a lot of lyrics for us to understand, especially when you’ve got guitars, drums, and the voice of Jim James.
Both refrains repeat here, with some level of ad-libbed improv in the live setting, then the outro closes things out.
Outro
There’ll be a knock on your front door
Outro to “Phone Went West” by My Morning Jacket.
There’ll be a knock on your front door
There’ll be a knock on your front door
There’ll be a knock on your back door
There’ll be a knock on your back door
There’ll be a knock on your back door
There’ll be a knock on your back door
There’ll be a knock on your back door
Jim James knocking on both the front and the back door signifies his desperation and determination to find a way inside, whether it’s the front door or the back. He’s at least going to try, and hopefully this person will open the door and let him inside.
“Phone Went West” Live
The 2001 studio recording, in my opinion, does not truly do justice to the quality of “Phone Went West” in the hands of the modern My Morning Jacket. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, primal jacket. But when you have things like the version from Bonnaroo 2004 or Chicago 2021 available on the same streaming platforms, which one do you choose? It’s Chicago 2021 for me, a run I was lucky enough to attend.