Call Me by NAV Lyrics Meaning – Uncovering the Layers of Isolation and Success
Lyrics
They tell me, “Don’t forget where you came from”
I regret what I came from
In my old hood movin’ like I got a vest on me
I’ma keep on winnin’, you should place your bets on me
I could open up a bakery, baguettes on me
Walkin’ through the mall, I got a check on me
Designer look the best on me
I got lots of pressure, lotsa stress on me
Independent, I got people that depend on me
Knew you was a fake, you can’t pretend on me
What I used to spend on you, I spend on me
Somehow all these problems keep on landin’ on me
I went on a mission with a bad bitch
3 AM, I’m gettin’ Backwoods like I’m average
All this money turned me to a savage
My life was better when I didn’t have shit
Do you know how it feel to feel alone?
Bought myself a house, to feel like I ain’t home
Drivin’ by myself, ain’t got nowhere to go
I just took two 30s, now I’m in my zone
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
Me and Metro Boomin’ want some more, yeah
All this money make me bored, yeah
But there’s lots of drugs to explore, yeah
I’m a boss, yeah, I could employ ya
Couldn’t buy one, now I got four, yeah
Used to pray feds don’t kick down the door, yeah
Runnin’ back the sack, the trap feel like a sport, yeah
Yeah, I’m famous but I miss my life before, yeah
Finally got some money, can’t go to the store
I lose every girl I love when I’m on tour
My mama callin’ me and I ignore
Runnin’ from my problems ’til my feet get sore
Do you know how it feel to feel alone?
Bought myself a house, to feel like I ain’t home
Drivin’ by myself, ain’t got nowhere to go
I just took two 30s, now I’m in my zone
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
Are you really here for me? I don’t know
I got what you need, you feelin’ lonely?
I need you to hold me
I hope you mean everything that you told me
I’ll try to come back to you, girl, I’m sorry
If you miss me, just call me
You try to diss me ’cause you salty
Did this on my own, it’s all me
I just wish that you would call me
Call me
I just wish that you would call me up
Wish that you would call me
I just wish that you would call me up
Wish that you would call me
I just wish that you would call me up
Wish that you would call me
I just wish that you would call me up
Me up
Just wish that you would call me up
Me up, me up
I just wish that you would call me up
Me up, me up
I just wish that you would call me up
Me up
At first glance, the 2017 track ‘Call Me’ by Canadian hip-hop artist, NAV, might resonate as yet another braggadocious anthem characteristic of the genre’s obsession with wealth and notoriety. But a closer unpacking of the lyrics reveals a more intricate tapestry of insecurity, solitude, and the haunting dissonance that comes with achieving one’s dreams. NAV, alongside the atmospheric beats of super-producer Metro Boomin, crafts a narrative teeming with existential angst beneath the veneer of success.
The undercurrents of ‘Call Me’ ebb and flow with the confessionals of an artist who teeters on the apex of luxury and the nadir of emotional desolation. NAV’s candid lyrics serve as a confessional booth to the repercussions of fame, the alienation of affluence, and a yearning for genuine human connection that money can’t buy. This deep dive aims to untangle the complex web that NAV weaves between his words in ‘Call Me’—a track that is as much a cri de coeur as it is a boast.
The Dichotomy of Success and Sorrow
‘Call Me’ juxtaposes the heights of NAV’s financial success with the depths of his personal solitude. With lyrics like ‘In my old hood movin’ like I got a vest on me’ and ‘Finally got some money, can’t go to the store,’ NAV hones in on the paradoxical nature of his newfound status. The ‘vest’ illustrates not armor against physical threats but an emotional barrier guarding him from the world he once knew.
The lure of material wealth is eclipsed by the dark shades of isolation as NAV recounts his detachment from his environment. His accomplishments, symbolized by ‘baguettes’ and checks, punctuate his verses, yet the overwhelming sentiment is one of emotional impoverishment. This internal conflict is a cornerstone of the song’s narrative, as NAV grapples with the emptiness that often shadows great success.
A Requiem for Relationships
One of the most piercing aspects of ‘Call Me’ is the raw portrayal of NAV’s strained relationships. Whether familial ties or romantic connections, the lyrics suggest a rupture that fame has either caused or exacerbated. His confession ‘I lose every girl I love when I’m on tour’ and the plaintive ‘My mama callin’ me and I ignore’ reveal the price of his lifestyle—a price paid in the currency of personal bonds.
NAV bears his struggle openly, entreating an unnamed lover to reach out despite doubt and distance, further reinforcing the theme of disconnection. The chorus plaintively repeats ‘I just wish that you would call me up,’ accentuating the craving for contact and understanding amidst the maelstrom of his lifestyle.
The Seductive Siren of Self-Medication
As ‘Call Me’ progresses, NAV touches on another aspect of his coping mechanisms—substance use. ‘All this money turned me to a savage / My life was better when I didn’t have shit’ he admits, pointing to a perverse nostalgia for simpler times when financial woes were his main concern. The ‘two 30s’ and the drugs he explores paint a vivid picture of self-medication as an escape from the pressures of fame.
Conflating success with emotional turmoil, the rapper suggests that his poisons serve as temporary panaceas for the pain of solitude. ‘In my zone’ perhaps is less a state of blissful focus than it is a numbing shelter from the relentless glare of the spotlight.
Unraveling the Hidden Heart of ‘Call Me’
While the baseline story of ‘Call Me’ is manifest in its lyrics about wealth and withdrawal, there is a deeper context that beckons further contemplation. It’s the story of the human condition juxtaposed against the modern cult of celebrity. NAV’s reticence on emotional matters belies a more profound exposition on the intrinsic human need for love, acceptance, and the insatiable quest for meaning beyond material success.
At the zenith of modern fame, NAV’s track reads almost as a cautionary tale about the true cost of achieving one’s dreams—suggesting that perhaps what is sacrificed along the way leaves a more significant deficit than what is attained. This hidden eddy of ‘Call Me’ is nestled into the explicit, beckoning the listener to look beyond the veil of bravado.
The Indelible Phrase That Echoes Loneliness
Despite the various notable lines throughout ‘Call Me’, the phrase that haunts is the chorus’ simplistic and repetitive ‘I just wish that you would call me up’. This line, more than any other, encapsulates the core sentiment of the song. It’s a cry wrapped in the comforting blanket of a hook, revealing the artist’s vulnerability and his need for the familiar ring of a phone that symbolizes a connection not yet severed.
In each repetition, there is a nuanced shift—a swing between hope and resignation, longing, and self-preservation. It is in this line that the resonance of ‘Call Me’ vibrates most profoundly, anchoring the song as an anthem for those who face the echoes of their success amidst the void of their solitude.
