Een Shoot the Moon site Veel nummers dan Dr. Hook werden geschreven door Shel Silverstein, de Amerikaanse dichter, singer-songwriter, kinderboekenschrijver en cartoonist. Naast het autobiografische Sylvia's mother schreef hij voor Dr. Hook nog veel meer nummers, waaronder The ballad of Lucy Jordan (bij ons beter bekend in de veel latere versie van Marianne Faithfull), en nummers voor Johnny Cash (o.m. A boy named Sue). Sylvia's mother was de eerste hit van Dr. Hook (toen nog & the Medicine Show). Het haalde in veel landen een Top-10-notering. Drukwerk bracht in 1987 een Nederlandstalige versie uit (Sylvia's moeder), maar dat werd geen hit. laatst bijgewerkt op: 14 juni 2022 ©  2022 And the operator says: forty cents more for the next three minutes Please Mrs Avery, I just gotta talk to her I'll only keep her a while Please Mrs Avery, I just wanna tell her goodbye Sylvia's mother says: Sylvia's hurryin' She's catchin' the nine o'clock train Sylvia's mother says: take your umbrella 'Cause Sylvie, it's startin' to rain And Sylvia's mother says: thank you for callin' And Sir, won't you call back again? And the operator says: forty cents more for the next three minutes Please Mrs Avery, I just gotta talk to her I'll only keep her a while Please Mrs Avery, I just wanna tell her goodbye Tell her goodbye, please, tell her goodbye... Dr Hook & The Medicine Show Shel Silverstein - 15/4/1972 (3) Sylvia's mother says: Sylvia's busy Too busy to come to the phone Sylvia's mother says: Sylvia's tryin' To start a new life of her own Sylvia's mother says: Sylvia's happy So why don't you leave her alone? And the operator says: forty cents more for the next three minutes Please Mrs Avery, I just gotta talk to her I'll only keep her a while Please Mrs Avery, I just wanna tell her goodbye Sylvia's mother says: Sylvia's packin' She's goin' to be leaving today Sylvia's mother says: Sylvia's marryin' A fella down Galveston way Sylvia's mother says: please don't say nothin' To make her start cryin' and stay