Lyrks
Lyrks
Sign In
Cover Art

Answering Machine Lyrics by The Replacements

Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?

1984

[Verse 1]
Try and breathe some life into a letter
Losing hope, we'll never be together
My courage is at its peak
You know what I mean

[Chorus]
How do you say you're okay to an answering machine?
How do you say good night to an answering machine?

[Verse 2]
Big town's got its losers
Small town's got its vices
A handful of friends:
One needs a match, one needs some ice
Call-waiting phone in another time zone

[Chorus]
How do you say I miss you to an answering machine?
How do say good night to an answering machine?

[Bridge]
(If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again
If you need help, hang up and then dial your operator...)
I get enough of that

[Verse 3]
Try and free a slave of ignorance
Try and teach a whore about romance

[Chorus]
How do you say I miss you to an answering machine?
How do you say good night to an answering machine?
How do you say I'm lonely to an answering machine?

[Outro]
The message is very plain
Oh, I hate your answering machine
I hate your answering machine
I hate your answering machine
(If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again
If you need help, if you need help, if you need help...
If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again
If you need help, if you need help, if you need help...
If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again
If you need help, if you need help, if you need help...
If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again
If you need help, if you need help, if you need help...)

About “Answering Machine” by The Replacements

Read the complete lyrics to "Answering Machine" by The Replacements from the album "Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?" in 1984. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Alternative Rock, Power Pop, Punk Rock.

"Answering Machine" is performed by The Replacements. from the album "Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?" in 1984 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Answering Machine", explore more songs by The Replacements using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for The Replacements · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Answering Machine" is credited to The Replacements. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Answering Machine" appears on "Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?" in 1984.

Visit the The Replacements artist page at /artist/the-replacements for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


Lyrks
Lyrks

Your gateway to the world of music lyrics.

Product

Features


© 2026 Lyrks. All rights reserved.