Added: 3 years ago
From: joltinjack
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  • @joltinjack how old was your grandad on his last pole?

  • @derail33 - This picture was taken by my Dad in 1974 (I had mistakenly posted 1972, earlier). He was born July 3, 1912, so ... he was about 62.

  • i'm 52 years old and i still climb poles. my doctor was on vacation so i went to a doctor i didn't know for a prescription refill. he gave me the stethoscope breathing, blood pressure reading, checkup.you know the drill. he said man, you are in great shape! you must work out. i had to laugh.

  • Brilliant! I love this track, and the montage is perfect. Thanks for sharing!

  • Thanks for posting, I Love this song. My dad and grandad were both telecomms guys, working for British Telecom and the army. This song reminds me of them.

  • Song is great. I remember him not just for great singing but also a fantastic guitarist. The video is nice maybe good for Edison commercial. I'd rather see him in raw form.

  • Love this video

  • Great story thank you for sharing God Bless you and your family!!!!!!

  • And hey, your grandpa got to retire. Everyone in the airline business gets screwed before it is all over.....He's a lucky and blessed man.

  • Great video....Love this song and the people that do this job. Never think about them till the power is out...

  • I USED TO WORK FOR A POWER CO. AND CLIMBED AN TRIMMED TREES ON THE RIGHT-OF-WAY CREW. I BECAME A PRO. TREE AND POLE CLIMBER, EVER TO THIS DAY AND I STARTED BACK IN MY EARLY 20'S. SINCE THEN I HAVE BECOME A COAST TO COAST TRUCKER, CARPENTER,BEEF CATTLE FARMER. I HAVE WORKED IN A HOSPITAL, MEAT MARKET, PIZZA PLACE, FURNTIURE CO. SO I CAN REALLY RELATE TO THIS GC SONG!

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  • @tomcat624u Friend, no matter how they throw you, looks like you always land on your feet !!

  • And I need you more than want you ....and I want you for all time....wow...has.anyone ever described love more beautifully ? Lyrical perfection....

  • So Brave you Line men thank you fer putting your life on the line so i can have power to type this my dad was a telephone man for 37 years before retirement

  • Jenny, Never forget - all around is built by common 'men'! We have more in common with those of other countries than ever we do with our own countries gentry or establishment. We share the same troubles, we share the same struggles and we always have to pick up the pieces once those who are our betters have had there way. This awareness is the basis for true politics.

    Mick

  • Main Street Americans are the BEST in the world!!!!

  • This is probably the greatest song ever written about the love and romance of the common man.... the common folks, like the majority of us.... Iconic song.!! Thanks.

  • Very nice video. Unlike other videos of this song it actually shows the linemen that are the subject of the song.

  • a lineman for the county, enlighten me ?

  • I'll bet your grandfather was a real character.Thanks for sharing him!Love this song and your vid. is great.

  • Nice photo set. Thank you for sharing you grandfather with us.

  • Hi Joltinjack, adding on from my first comments, thanks for the song and the pictures are great. In New Zealand we mostly use ladders, and pole steps for the taller poles. A lot of our poles are hardwoods from Australia and spikes wouldn't dig in deep enough.

    Some of the equipment used by the power board that I worked for is American and is very good - live line hotsticks, line covers, powder powered connectors are much easier than pumping compression tools.

    Regards, Gerard

  • After being a Lineman for 13 years I decided on a career change and became a Corrections Officer in '98.

    I have great respect for Linemen whatever country they live in but especially my home town, Christchurch, New Zealand. They worked very long hours after our earthquakes to get the 'juice' back on.

  • I love this song, particularly the old Glen Campbell version...has a hint of wistfulness and undercurrent of lonliness... I like the fact this video has pictures/images of REAL 'lineman'.... an everyday working man's song...

  • ptsd.?

  • memories...my Mom used to listen to Glen Campbell.

  • Nice video, what a tribute! He must have been one of the early lineman. I am sure the equipment has changed but would still be hard work in all kinds of weather. A friend of mine was a lineman who died tragically in a car accident in 2002. Was buried in his blue jeans and local electric coop shirt.

  • this strikes a chord i'm not sure how to describe. I pray that Glenns' altzheimers never takes away the memory of the effect his music and this song especially has on all of us

  • Perfect tune,goods pics as well,'72,year i was born :-)

  • cool drumming

  • Why...? Why does it feel so lonely? :'(

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  • The forgotten heroes of a High Tech era that demands continuous electricity without any bumps or interruptions; The lineman...

  • *sigh* Such an awesome song. Great picture, too!

  • This song is so very beautiful! =(

  • Songs like this are great, one of the few good things left in this once great country that has been sold out by its government, politicians, and companies that have outsourced jobs just for the money. And to the fools who are always glued to their smartphones and facebook, fuck off.

  • I like all his music...worked with youngest sister Sandy in early 1970's, a lovely, charming young woman. She appeared on Glen's show one Christmas & it was a fun thing hearing all about it (watching it). Thanks for the vid!

  • These guys take care of us! They allow us to talk to our families & friends. They too ARE American Hero's.

  • In case you did not notice...these are everyday American Heros

  • Before plastic hard hats, Linemen wore felt hats. The felt fedoras brushing against the wire let the men know they were close to danger..... Thanks Discovery Channel!

  • Silly as it seems ... I thought of this tune while watching "Close Encounters of the ..." with Richard Dryfess as a lineman in the mid-west

  • Great video to go with this song! It is nice to see hard working men getting the credit they deserve! I love the fact that your last photo was of your grandfather. What a great tribute to him! Thank you!

  • I was the 300th person to like this vid, woohoo!! Awsome song and a great vid to go with it. Real, hardworking men. There's a shortage of 'em these days.

  • Wow!! Men. Real men. Hubba hubba. Mean it. A lost breed. I'm in love...Thanks for the pics.

  • ......And If It Snows That Stretch.......... Its A Metaphor. He's Coming Of Age And Can't Take Another Lonely Winter. Needs To Be With His Soulmate. He Can Feel She Exists, He Just Needs To See Her. All The Lines Are Connected. All The People Are Too. Think About It.

  • Haven't watched this in a while...great job with great motivation...what would we do without the linemen? Shave in the dark, that's what and with me, that's big.

  • WOW!!!!!!

  • One of the best by Mr. Campbell!

  • it's a heartbreak to hear today that Mr Campbell has been diagnosed with early stages Alzheimer's - bold of him to make this announcement and to make one last tour - a big thank you to him for his music ps great photos

  • Great Pictures! I always love this song. I heard on the way to school in the 60's

  • the cross bar. Don't really know how I got down. I remember the hydro worker conscious at some point while we pulled him on a tractor asking us to tell his wife he loved her. He lost a hand and had bad burns but lived. Wichita Lineman started playing on my dads 8 track when he put me in the car.

  • Then my dad drove past in his Pontiac, right past to the next lane way. Count 5 again, I was at the top of the pole like a 10 yr old climbs, tying my best Boy Scout knots in his ropes. 5 again he was laying on the ground with my friends doing just learned CPR from swimming lessons. I was useless from then on, bloody hands from the rope sliding in them. Pulp. 5 again, my dad and a neighbour had all the wires away with wood from the snake fence. No 911 back then. On our own. I guess I fell from

  • Spring of '72 I was 10. Half a dozen of my friends had ridden our bikes to some tornado downed wires, knowing a lineman would be there soon. Meanwhile we watched the wires dance on the ground, sparks all over but we stayed well away. After a few minutes the hydro (Canadian for lineman) showed up. We talked to him while he put on his spikes and belt. He wasn't worried, just going up to pull the big fuse on that pole. Count to five he was at the top, the next second he was out cold. ..

  • Great job on the video! The pictures are excellent....they really tell the story! Great picture of your Grandfather...the perfect shot for the ending of the video!

  • Great Pictures You Really captured it! Great Picture of your Grandfather! A true Great American!

  • ....I need you more than want you....and I want you for all time.......wow....wow!!

  • @txncgirl1 even more....... WOW!

  • this is the most perfect piece of music ever written.

  • Love the picture of your grandfather. Must have been a regular working guy.

  • @ptaaffe - He was. A wonderful man. He stopped drinking the day I was born, and came to visit me every month on Saturday mornings.

  • @joltinjack My dad too was a lineman until he got retired from the V.A.

  • @joltinjack my dad climbed many a pole for 35 years working for the phone company in NC. Hard working man.

  • Hey, thanks for this vid. I just had to share this with my friends on Facebook, I'm in North Alabama and I wanted to share this song and dedicate to the guys getting us our power back on from last Wednesdays tornado outbreak. The photo montage made it perfect. Thanks man :)

  • @nolteCOD - Thanks for your message, and for sharing. May God bless all you folks over in Alabama, and other affected areas of the Southeast.

    Jack - from Georgia

  • @nolteCOD My dad climbed a many a pole for 35 years working for the phone company in NC. Hard working man.

  • I remember my Dad listening to this and now I am too!

    Great Classic Glen Campbell Wichita Lineman.

    Dan

    ;)

  • 243 likes, 0 dislikes = best I've seen so far

  • I made a good video today. Smokey Robinson - Tears of A Clown - Civil Rights 

  • Great montage... very nice tribute

  • Great montage...

  • One of the most classic songs of the 20th century. Annie Lennox said it was her no.2 favorite song.

  • Besides the fact that this song is an absolute masterpiece with one of the greatest fade outs in history, I also got a serious lump in my throat over what amazing tribute this video is to your grandfather. He would be seriously proud of you.

  • my grandaddy used to paint lines on the m6 in the 60's,till he got flatened by a steamroller,, now he is no more,this song is dedicated to him...had a hell of a job getting him home he wouldnt fit through the letterbox

  • Can you "hum" a hit from any genre today? This classic melody is one of the most beautiful and time tested...across the world. I have seen it refered to four times this week in passing by Craig Ferguson( LLScbs), two sit coms, and hummed in a movie. A haunting song filled with longing ; "and i want you more than need you and I need you for all time" .Jimmy Webb lived that emotion no doubt as the song could never exist w/o the pure ache of it.Thx for uploading it!!!!

  • My grandfather was also a lineman here in Greece in the '60s and 70's. There was one time when he fell form the pole and was saved by a tree branch. A great man and a great song. Whenever i hear this song i remember him. Great video, thanks for uploading. Respect.

  • still reminds me off my auntie pat

  • My favorite song period. Thank you for putting this up.

  • this song reminds me of dramaworks... xxx

  • If there ever was a contender for a perfectly written, arranged and performed song, this would be one. It's easy to get all sentimental about it, but it's true. That said, if we can't get sentimental about a great song, then who are we? And, judging by the comments, it strikes a chord (pun intended) with many people. Three minute music doesn't get much better than this.

  • this is really beautiful work... the most amazing thing about Campbell was his ability to honor and recognize his fellow man.

  • One of the greatest songs, ever!! I have an 80+ year old uncle who was a lineman for Michigan Bell Telephone back in the 50's. This song is dedicated to him!

  • My father was an electrician, did line work for period of time too. Along with his oil field work, Dad said linemen had one of the hardest jobs he knew - and that we should all respect them for their contribution to our lives. Glen Campbell captures that in his song - especially for a kid growing up imagining his Dad out there in the elements every day.

  • Free christian books at nlmusa.com

  • Passing time in the library last year, I looked up my grandparents families in old city directories and discovered that my grandfather had been a lineman for the Brantford (Ontario)Public Utilities back in the late 1920's. Glen Campbell was my grandmother's favorite singer and this, her favourite song-I never knew the connection.

  • just to say my youth and what a great record to rmind me of it makes me quite sad that life is never as good as those hey days of youth fun and no resposabilty

    age is a pain theres no future in getting oldbut this has given me lots happiness listening to it he sung some great songs and webb wrote some master pieces

  • My brother was a lineman i love you kev.

  • My step-son just passed the State/Union test last week. I am very proud!

  • Leaned how to climb in the USAF at Shepperd a f b Wichita falls Texas To all that still climb with spurs ,,This Buds for you.

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  • Well folks . been climbing poles the better part of my life , at least 26 years. and sometimes with gaffs or as I like to call them spurs, Im 47 and often say, how long can I keep doin this at Bell. The body hurts but when I climb I say I love this job. Been offered A managers job last week, Sounds good but. ??? I just assume climb till Im dead, Money aint everything , So I found your video here and it kinda decided for me Thanks, nice job

  • @lcrt440

    I was the Bell System for 30 years started in 1965 as a Lineman progression 5, went to top in 4 year.

    Got in on the end of the open wire, maintained the Newark-Sheridan, Dwight -Forrest and Verona- Kinsman toll leads.

    Also helped put up the 45 miles of the Springfield-Pana toll route that went down in the great sleet storm of 1967.

    Great job, good money lots of overtime, retired since 1992.

  • @1XLINEMAN Work hard , live good and retire , well it aint like that anymore. Offered a forced buy out in 95, rehired as a sub contractor for a company that is owned by Bell. Salary cut ,pension gone except for companies donation to my 401K (RRSP up here in Canada). when I retire after all these years of service, I can look forward to paying the taxes on my paid home or eat.

    The days of being the comp best asset are gone like the good old days

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  • @lcrt440 Keep Climbing Brother<--- God Bless....

  • sweet awesome song......i am a lineman in saudi arabia...and its cool

    thnxs for the song

  • Before joining the Navy this was my job.

  • what a heart wrenching song, love it

  • what a storyteller glen campbell is love this song i can play it over and over.

  • at 1:23 you should have put in a picture of a lovely woman waiting at home for her man to return from the road - after all, that's what's at the other end of the line - :)

  • "And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time" ---- gets me everytime

  • @jaegerhund Thank Jimmy Webb for that; he wrote it.

  • very nice collection of pictures for this song,

    thank you!

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  • I met ole Glen back in the 70's...I was, like 7 or 8, and he was soooo cool to me. I'd love to have a drink with him but I hear he has a little problem with the sauce. 2 Cokes on the rocks for me and Mr Campbell.

  • And songwriter from Cole Porter 2 John Lennon would say this is absolutely PERFECTION in songwriting (and yes Glenn, performance too)

  • This is one of those songs that you can play it over & over & not tire of it. A real masterpiece.

  • what a sweet song takes me back to my roots

  • Great tribute to a group of unsung heroes. Very nostalgic - makes me long for the simpler times of that era. Thanks for sharing

  • My husband was a high-lineman for quite a few years and thankfully he doesnt climb any more! I always worried that something would happen to him. He still works for the same electrical company.

  • ..one of the most beautiful songs ever.

  • @jonieheffner I agree.

  • hearing this song always makes me wanna listen to "Wishful Sinful" by The Doors. Dunno why. Must be the orchestration.....

  • Great video, great song! :) For some reason this song makes me nostalgic. :'(

  • thanks for posting. great audio!

  • Brilliant homage to the lineman with this footage and of course ,what a song..........

  • i figured out the last time I cut out that i mad about .08 cents for falling of that pole and hitting the ground from a 30' so I just dont climb anymore!

  • Great pictures buddy

  • Great tune that brings back memories when I was starting out as a bus conductor in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in 1969, I only took the job on a temporary basis until I got a better one and 41 years later I'm still here. Such is life

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  • My dad started in the days of A-frames and felt hats, and worked his last pole on a storm break in Arkadelphia, AR in 1997, the week before he died. I've always loved this song, and the images in this video hit really close to home. Thank you for putting it together. It means a lot.

  • When Hurricane Hugo hit here in Western NC , it was a hard hit to say the least . Power of course was knocked out for several days but at the end of our road on the fourth day w/o power , a Georgia Power crew was working hard to get us back online . Comradrie ? Yes . I was proud to see these hard working guys helping out a fellow state and traveling a good distance to do so .

  • this is a very well made and fitting video.photos are incredible.thank you for making it!

  • Love this vid bro...great job.

  • Truly an "old school" lineman, I'll take my bucket truck any day, you can all call me "Sissy" as I ride up....

  • @weweedmaniii - I know what you mean...but, you ain't no sissy. No lineman is ever that. You're an All-American, everyday go-to-work hero. I was a fullback, and gained from strong legs in my family. Point being...my Quarterback on high school team...his Dad worked for Georgia Power. He forgot to shut off the main line, and he was working hot, and he got killed RIGHT NEXT TO OUR SCHOOL while it was in session. You do dangerous work, and we respect you.

  • @joltinjack

    A truly riveting tale

  • @joltinjack You poor baby! To experience that must have been hard! God is able to heal you! your dad was doing a noble thing! Some of us take our phone service for granted. My sisters husband is handicapped & he can not use a cell phone so his home phone is VERY important! Thank God for your dad! We need more noble, courageous men like him! God bless you young man! stay strong & trust God! You are here for a reason! thank you for sharing.

  • @joltinjack You do realize this isn't about a football player right?

  • @joltinjack whoops now i'm the idiot, sorry. I misread your comment.

  • @darklordojeda - I didn't really do a good job with my comment, so it probably led you down the wrong path. No worries. Be slow to anger...give people a chance to be their best, and make their point. Love all people if you can. We all are on this spinning globe for a few short years...make the best of it.

  • I'm 14 years old, and think the classics are much better than the modern stuff.

  • my bigbrother used to be a lineman great job on the video and a great trubute

  • Hi

    We live in the UK and have loved this song for ages.We never knew what a lineman was-thank you for this amazing slideshow and information!!

    Can't tell you how much this song means to us-it's a real feel good song for me and my wife.

    Thank you! :-)

  • This is my Dad's favourite song! I've come to enjoy it too :-)

  • ..i love this video...beautiful images.

  • a gareth o callaghan 2fm classic 

  • you must be very proud.. this gives me shivers remembering my betters.. those who brought me up and made me a simple basic good hearted American

  • What part of Georgia? I work in rural S.W. Ga. as a lineman for GPC

  • @rblflag1 - My Granddad worked for Altamaha EMC. However, he lived in a small town about 25 NE of his workplace. We're on that boundary of what divides SE GA with Middle GA. Down there at this workplace, people watch Savannah news stations. Up here where he lived, folks watch Macon stations.

  • Excellent song, Excellent video...  BRAVO!!

  • joltinjack - thanks for a wonderful video which does justice to an incredible song. Bless your Grandfather and the real guys who built this modern technological world the old fashioned way :)

  • very beautiful :-)

  • I was a lineman in NY...God Bless ur grandpa

  • @mikey1829 - Thanks, Mikey. And may God Bless You & your Family.

  • @mikey1829 - Mikey, thanks for your wonderful comment. I'm sorry I haven't checked with my messages in a WHILE. God Bless You, Sir, and your Family.

  • @joltinjack Thank You J

    ack and back at ya<--

  • @mikey1829 I was a galvo splicer for the last 7 years of my career at Verzion in lower NY :-)

  • @vetb882 No kidding< I was a galvo splicer at the Bronx River garage in the Bronx from 90-96...Was the best 6 of the 29 1/2 years I spent at Bell...Retired in July of last year.

  • @mikey1829 WOW! Whats your name man. I retired in October, was too young to go in July but waited it out. Michael James here, the motocross guy...Lol

  • @vetb882 Hey Mike<<<:) Mike Maffei....I've been doing the locker at R&W for 7 years after leaving Bx River.I was at 500 Zerega for a spell in between<Hope all is well with you.Retirement sux so far.I actually miss the guys< trying to get back as a consultant...Enjoy retirement bro<---------

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  • there is just nothing better then this song paired with the kind of iconic imagery that defines Glen Campbell and the America I like to think I still live in! Fuck yeah GLEN MOTHERFUCKING CAMPBELL!

  • Love this song and the montage of photographs - Hats off to those who keep us with the power we need in this day and age.

  • A BEAUTIFUL video for the song.

  • I first heard this song on Top Gear USA special, when Stig´s american cousin was driving the Caddilac James bought around the track, and I rather liked it :-)

  • It's a shame that songs about working Americans are rare in popular music these days. Thanks to Jimmy Webb for reminding us that laborers of all kinds possess both dignity and dreams.

  • Is it gay to like a song as good as this that reminds you so much on your childhood?

  • @markt1982

    Not really, no. You're grand, mate.

  • My second husband used to do electrical work on the oil wells and pump jacks out in West Texas: Andrews County and the Midland/Odessa areas. We used to go with him and sometimes he had to do line work on the power lines that fed the wells. Thunderstorms called him out on the lines more than any other cause. So this song makes me think of Hal and West Texas and the lines, transformers and fuses, rides in his white work truck and the early 80's. Also brings back 60's memories when the song hit.

  • When I was Twelve years old, My family sent Me off to a private school for children, This song reminds Me of painful that was; beautiful song but it dredges up alot of memories of that time in My life.

  • An underappreciated but much needed profession.. to all the lineman who work every day to keep the lights on.. thanks

  • Absolutely beautiful! Thanks!

  • Mr. Webb . .  Thanks, thanks a lot !

  • Great video...nice job. I'm sure your Grandfather is proud.