Cover art for Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95) by R.E.M.

Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95)

R.E.M.
Track 48 on Complete Rarities: Warner Bros. 1988–2011 

Producers

Scott Litt & R.E.M.
Oct. 7, 19961 viewer

Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95) Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I am a lineman for the county
And I drive the main road
Searchin' in the sun for another overload

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

[Verse 2]
I know I need a small vacation
But it doesn't look like rain
And if it snows
That stretch down south won't ever stand the strain

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

[Instrumental Break]

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

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Have the inside scoop on this song?
Sign up and drop some knowledge

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Who produced “Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95)” by R.E.M.?
When did R.E.M. release “Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95)”?
Who wrote “Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95)” by R.E.M.?
Complete Rarities: Warner Bros. 1988–2011 (2014)
  1. 1.
    Funtime
  2. 2.
    Ghost Rider
  3. 3.
    Dark Globe
  4. 4.
    Pop Song 89 (Acoustic Version)
  5. 5.
    Memphis Train Blues
  6. 6.
    Skin Tight
  7. 7.
    Losing My Religion (Acoustic Live at KFOG, San Francisco)
  8. 8.
    Losing My Religion - Live in Dublin / 2005
  9. 9.
    Rotary Eleven
  10. 10.
    You Are the Everything (Live in Greensboro, 1989)
  11. 11.
    Love is All Around (Live)
  12. 12.
    Shiny Happy People (Dance to the Music Mix)
  13. 13.
    Shiny Happy People (Pop Mix)
  14. 14.
    Shiny Happy People (Hip Mix)
  15. 15.
    It’s A Free World Baby
  16. 16.
    Winged Mammal Theme
  17. 17.
    First We Take Manhattan
  18. 19.
    Mandolin Strum
  19. 22.
    Arms of Love
  20. 26.
    The Lion Sleeps Tonight
  21. 27.
    Fretless
  22. 29.
    Orange Crush (Instrumental)
  23. 34.
    Funtime (Live in Athens, 1992)
  24. 40.
    Monty Got a Raw Deal
  25. 47.
    Undertow (Live / Atlanta, GA / 11/18/1995)
  26. 48.
    Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95)
  27. 49.
    New Test Leper (Live Acoustic / Seattle, WA / 4/19/1995)
  28. 50.
    Tricycle
  29. 52.
    Wall of Death
  30. 55.
    King of Comedy (808 State Remix)
  31. 57.
    Love Is All Around
  32. 58.
    Sponge
  33. 59.
    Emphysema
  34. 62.
    Surfing The Ganges
  35. 71.
    The Great Beyond
  36. 76.
    Yellow River
  37. 77.
    165 Hillcrest
  38. 83.
    2JN
  39. 84.
    Favorite Writer
  40. 85.
    Out In The Country
  41. 86.
    Adagio (Unused Tune)
  42. 87.
    Turn You Inside-Out (Live from Orlando / 1989)
  43. 88.
    Chance (Dub)
  44. 89.
    Drive (Live, 1994)
  45. 90.
    Star Me Kitten (Alternate Version)
  46. 91.
    Revolution
  47. 92.
    Leave (Alt. Version)
  48. 93.
    The Lifting (Demo)
  49. 94.
    The One I Love (Live in Sydney)
  50. 106.
    These Days (Live in Toronto, September 30, 2003)
  51. 107.
    (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville (Live in Oslo NRK P1 National Radio, October 25, 2003)
  52. 108.
    Wanderlust (Live in Santa Barbara, CA, 2004)
  53. 109.
    Sweetness Follows (Live in Cincinnati, October 27, 2004)
  54. 110.
    Horse to Water (Live in Vancouver)
  55. 111.
    Indian Summer
  56. 112.
    Living Well is the Best Revenge (Live from London)
  57. 113.
    Auctioneer (Live from London)
  58. 114.
    Hollow Man (Live from London)
  59. 115.
    Supernatural Superserious (Live from London)
  60. 116.
    Fall On Me (Live from London)
  61. 117.
    West of the Fields (Live from London)
  62. 118.
    Horse to Water (Live from London)
  63. 119.
    Man-Sized Wreath (Live from London)
  64. 120.
    Man On the Moon (Live from London)
  65. 121.
    Mr. Richards (Live in Vancouver)
  66. 122.
    Living Well Jesus Dog (Missing Lyrics)
  67. 123.
    Airliner
  68. 124.
    Redhead Walking
  69. 125.
    Houston (Live in London)
  70. 126.
    Harborcoat (Live at the Olympia)
  71. 127.
    Letter Never Sent (Live at the Olympia)
  72. 128.
    Second Guessing (Live at the Olympia)
  73. 129.
    Pretty Persuasion (Live at the Olympia)
  74. 130.
    Nola-4/26/10
  75. 131.
    That Someone Is You (Live at Hansa Studios)
Credits
Producers
Writer
Released on
October 7, 1996
Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/95) Is A Cover Of
Tags
RockIn EnglishUSA
Comments
Sign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓
Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.
  翻译：