The lyric from Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” is “county.” The opening line presents the narrator as a utility worker serving a county while maintaining telephone lines across a lonely rural landscape.
Jimmy Webb wrote the song for Campbell in 1968 after Campbell asked for a geographical follow-up to “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Webb’s inspiration came while driving through the Oklahoma panhandle, where he saw a lineman working high on a telephone pole. He imagined the worker speaking to someone he loved while isolated on the job.
Although the title names Wichita, Kansas, the scene was inspired by Webb’s view of rural Oklahoma. The song’s emotional power comes from combining ordinary work with loneliness, homesickness, and romantic longing. “City” and “highway” may sound plausible because the song mentions roads and regional infrastructure, but neither is the recorded lyric.
Released in 1968, Campbell’s version became a major crossover hit. It reached number three on the US pop chart, topped the country chart, and was later recognised for its cultural and historical importance.