In Bryant Pond, Maine the last US hand-cranked phones were replaced 10/11/1983. Two days later in Chicago, the first commercial cellular phones were used.

          The telephone rang. It jumped off the wall,
          That was the preacher, a-makin' his call.
          He said, "Kind friends, this may the end
          You have your last chance at salvation from sin!"
  
          Well, the churches was jammed and the churches was packed,
          But that dusty old dust storm it blew so black
          That the preacher could not read a word of his text,
          So he folded his specs, took up a collection, 
          (Sayin'...) 
  
                  So long, it's been good to know yuh;
                  So long, it's been good to know yuh;
                  So long, it's been good to know yuh.
                  But this dusty old dust is a-gettin' my home
                  And I've gotta be driftin' along.
  
                          "So Long It's Been Good To Know Yuh," Woody Guthrie

But in The (nearly) Complete Collection of Woody Guthrie Folk-Songs, 1963, we find a Folkways version © 1940 that gives a different reason to leave town:

          My telephone rang and it jumped off the wall,
          That was the preacher, a-makin' a call. 
          He said, "We're waiting to tie the knot.
          You're getting married, believe it or not!"
  
          The church it was jammed, the church it was packed,
          The pews were so crowded from front to the back.
          A thousand friends waited to kiss my new bride.
          But I was so anxious, I rushed her outside.
          Told them:
                  SO LONG, it's been good to know yuh;
                  SO LONG, it's been good to know yuh;
                  SO LONG, it's been good to know yuh;
                  What a long time since I've been home.
                  And I gotta be driftin' along.

Copyright © 2005, Abby Sale - all rights reserved
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