Wichita Lineman [*]

As Jimmy Webb has said, his song was not finished when Glen Campbell recorded it and that may help set it apart from many other songs of that era. While relatively short its hardly simplistic and Wichita Lineman has survived the test of time.

I was a phone company lineman many years ago. I am familiar with the lonliness of the job. I've also known men who were very dedicated to their job. The conflict is the lineman if proud his job , he takes pride in providing a communication network to the town. He mentions he'd take a vactaion but it doesn't seem like just rain but snow which will surely cause outages in the southern part. He puts the job first yet yearns for his love. He misses her as he works the dangerous job in less than stellar weather conditions. He can her her singing , which can be from the wind blowing. Phone lineman could also clip their leads onto a line and hear a conversation. I know years ago when I worked long hours for the phone company in very cold weather , the warm memories of my girlfriend helped me throught till I could be with her. The most profound lines in this song are: And I need you more than want you and I want you for all time. ... I start to choke up when I tried to sing them. WIthout this part of the song .. I believe the rest falls flat.

I had never been a Glen Campbell fan , but after hearing this again after so many years. I believe the world was a more innocent better place back then. This song takes me back there , if only for a moment. It's a moment I embrace..