The Poetry of Rock n' Roll: "Wichita Lineman"

To observe National Poetry Month, once a week every Wednesday, I have featured lyrics of rock n' roll or pop songs that also double as exquisite poetry.

Yes, I know this classic song is considered country/pop and not rock and roll, but the lyrical end result is the same. Called the "first existential country song" by journalist Dylan Jones, this portrait of devotion and yearning, yet ultimate solitude and loneliness was written in 1968 by Jimmy Webb (who was famous for writing The Fifth Dimension’s “Up, Up And Away,” and Glen Campbell’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”) and recorded by Glenn Campbell the same year. The contrast and tension between the tasks of the lineman's job and what is on his mind is achingly beautiful.

Wichita Lineman
by Jimmy Webb

I am a lineman for the county
And I drive the main roads
Searching in the sun for another overload

I hear you singing in the wires
I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita lineman
Is still on the line

I know I need a small vacation
But it don't look like rain
And if it snows that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain

And I need you more than want you
And I want you for all time
And the Wichita lineman
Is still on the line

And I need you more than want you
And I want you for all time
And the Wichita lineman
Is still on the line

https://www.jimmywebb.com
http://www.glencampbell.com