The words to this song date back to the late ‘60s, written while I was living in Sparta / Hancock County which qualifies in my thinking as upper South GA. Since writing and performing it solo and with bands, I have been asked if it was a drug song by many folks who went there with the words. Simple answer is for me…No! That is not what it means to me. In my way of thinking the metaphor of the elevator and it’s operator speak more to who is driving the bus that I find myself a passenger on in our journey through life and to my belief that we can choose to change seats, step off in a place that is right for us, or get back on if need be. I will not, however, testify as to the condition my condition was in at the time of such writing. It goes deeper than substance for me and goes to the process of getting to some of the comforting beliefs that now hold me, but I am already breaking my own rules in discussing what a song means and not leaving you a clean slate to listen with and decide what it means for you. A while back I played the song for my good buddy Bryan Carter, who then took the simple Country / Rock melody and altered it in a kind of rule breaking Lowell George / Little Feat fashion and proceeded to sing the song duet with me, word for word style, never missing a beat. This was the resulting recording.
Lyrics:
1968: Operator Elevator 

Operator, elevator, operate on me
Take me to the cellar level, I’ll get off on three
Going up, we’re going sideways
Now my stomach’s on the ground
Watch your step or step it upside-down.

Upper, lower, ground floor 
Next stop penthouse mezzanine
Metal walls, please hold the handrail
Carpeted in green 
Lighted buttons
Crimson arrows
Reflections shining brightly
From the spinning silver fan
Uniformed attendant lever in her hand.

Emergency stop
Creaking cables pop
Screechin’ sirens blow
Look out below.

Face to face embracing
Holding on for life
Shouts and cries cut through the silence
Like a knife
Bottomless pit, the never ending shaft
And upon my departure
I thought I heard her laugh.

I got off on three
Operator, elevator, operate on me.
I got off on three
Operator, elevator, operate on me.

Operator Elevator Wav

Jim Boyd 1