Eddie Foree

BUILDIN' LINE
With pen in hand,
And space and time,
And miles of memories,
And the feel of the climb,
A man could write pages
For his own life’s book,
About buildin’ line
And the chapters it took.

About the rhythm of the road,
The rhyme of the rain,
The wind and the winter,
The hot summer pain,
The feel of the handline,
The smell of the air,
The grind of the auger,
The dust in our hair,

The rows of the hedges,
The tear of the thorn,
The grit of our teeth
On faces dark and worn,

The taste of ice water
On a hot afternoon,
And the hope that
The coolness of evening comes soon.

The wire and the wood,
The galvanized steel,
The take-up machine,
The pay-out reel,
The cost of the project,
The price we must pay,
For the service to man,
He’ll value each day.

Shim plates and j hooks,
Locknuts and eyebolts,
Where does she start
And where does she go?
Over the prairie
And down through the valley
We’re buildin’ line
So the power can flow.

We’re operator,
Foreman,
Lineman,
And grunt.
We’ll never break,
Though we’re liable to bend.
Over the river
And down through the timber,
We’ll never quit
Till we reach the dead-end.

Diggin’ and settin’
Saggin’ and tyin’
Plumbin’ and tampin’
Rakin’ and guyin’
Hot days and hard rock,
Banjo and spoon,
If we’re rained out today
It won’t be too soon.

Belleville,
Rockport,
Rosehill,
And Dighton,
Chester,
Ozark,
And Burlington too,
Over the backroads
And down busy highways,
We’re buildin’ line
Bringin’ power to you.

Farmer,
Rancher,
Oilman,
And banker,
We’re buildin’line
So your dreams can be made.
Just as we did
When your fathers were young men,
Just as we will
For your sons and their trade.

Dale and Russ,
Billy and Charlie,
Ray and Harold,
All paid their dues.
So did A.D. and Gerry,
Slim and Ralph Kendall,
And hundreds of others
From dozens of crews.

Though they may be forgotten
Someday for their toil,
Their work will forever
Stand proud from the soil.

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