Draggin' The Line

Album: Greatest Hits (1971)
Charted: 4
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  • Makin' a livin' the old, hard way.
    Takin' and givin' by day by day.
    I dig snow and rain and the bright sunshine.
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].

    My dog, Sam, eats purple flowers.
    Ain't got much, but what we got's ours.
    We dig snow and rain and the bright sunshine.
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].

    I feel fine. I'm talkin' 'bout peace of mind.
    I'm gonna take my time. I'm gettin' the good sign.
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].

    Lovin' the free and feelin' spirit
    Of hugging a tree, when you get near it.
    Diggin' the snow and rain and the bright sunshine.
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].

    I feel fine. I'm talkin' 'bout peace of mind.
    I'm gonna take my time. I'm gettin' the good sign.
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line].

    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line]. La la la la la la la-la-la.
    Draggin' the line [draggin' the line]. La la la la la la la. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 8

  • Bob from DallasSo, what was on the B side of the re-release in 1971?
  • Phil Brickner from CaliforniaDraggin' the Line was number 4 in Billboard. It was Number 1 in Record World.
  • George from Vancouver, Canada"on a very mellow night, if you get my drift" yup, *inhales deeply* we get it, maaaan!
    I just love the bass beats that are the original source of the song. I love this site, being able to hear from sources about songs! I get to enjoy the song a little more by checking in here on Songfacts.
  • Draggin' The Line... from From The Wild Frontier...Tommy James...a beautiful soul.
  • Melsh from Chapel Hill, NcThe song is about an outdoor job putting up electric power lines, which in the 50's-60's was also called "checking the line." It's simply about having a job outdoors and how much the singer enjoys not being tied to a desk, pushing paper and answering phone calls. In a 2009 interview, Tommy James said: “ 'Draggin’ the Line' just meant working every day. Nothing really very mysterious about it.” Tommy knows what the lyrics meant, and for some reason he is being cryptic about it. Anyway, mine is the final word on the subject, and it's true.
  • Seventhmist from 7th HeavenSo on that "mellow night," he probably wasn't draggin' a line, but I bet he was smoking something.
  • Ed from Canton, OhI always thought this song was about snorting cocaine. I am glad I was wrong.
  • Tim from Columbia, ScOne of the first songs I remember growing up listening to WLS. That bass line sounded so great on AM radio and the reverb was outstanding as well!
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