the subject seems to be recalling a life, perhaps richly lived, but ultimately empty.
in his youth, he is an engine driver - in other words, a railroad engineer. it's not a bad life, but it is indeed a lonely one, with long, isolated shifts. he asks himself if his work is compatible with a life lived alongside the girl he loves. in the final line of the verse, he notes "she's a long one" - is he talking about the shift, or the woman? she's a long shot, either way. the tone here is uncertain, but there's a touch of hope.
later in life, the subject is a lineman; a less rewarding job, perhaps, but more conducive to living as a family man. he's taken up the family trade and left behind his old life. he alludes to having grandchildren here, specifically a grandson. it seems, then, that he is married, although he is still dreaming of this other woman. "there are power lines in our bloodlines," he notes, wondering if his grandson is doomed to the same life he has lived thus far.
an older man, the subject works now as a money lender. he has amassed riches, perhaps from a life of hard and yet ultimately unrewarding work. in his view, life has been unkind to him. perhaps his current spouse is with him only for his money - is he remarrying, or has his marriage always been this unhappy? "take my hand for tender," he says. there's a sense of defeat, and of unrelenting loneliness.
at the end of it all, he recalls his life in writing. perhaps he has written all this time, only intensifying the strength of his unrequited love. he has lived many lives, all of them fictions in a sense; rich, but not the reality he has wanted. in each of them, he hopes that perhaps he will be loved in return. the woman in question has taken root in his heart and in his bones, and try as he might, he can't write her out. perhaps he doesn't want to. note the conditional: "if you don't love me, let me go". is he still holding out for that long shot? he is still looking for the life in which he will be loved in return. he knows he may never find it.
the subject seems to be recalling a life, perhaps richly lived, but ultimately empty.
in his youth, he is an engine driver - in other words, a railroad engineer. it's not a bad life, but it is indeed a lonely one, with long, isolated shifts. he asks himself if his work is compatible with a life lived alongside the girl he loves. in the final line of the verse, he notes "she's a long one" - is he talking about the shift, or the woman? she's a long shot, either way. the tone here is uncertain, but there's a touch of hope.
later in life, the subject is a lineman; a less rewarding job, perhaps, but more conducive to living as a family man. he's taken up the family trade and left behind his old life. he alludes to having grandchildren here, specifically a grandson. it seems, then, that he is married, although he is still dreaming of this other woman. "there are power lines in our bloodlines," he notes, wondering if his grandson is doomed to the same life he has lived thus far.
an older man, the subject works now as a money lender. he has amassed riches, perhaps from a life of hard and yet ultimately unrewarding work. in his view, life has been unkind to him. perhaps his current spouse is with him only for his money - is he remarrying, or has his marriage always been this unhappy? "take my hand for tender," he says. there's a sense of defeat, and of unrelenting loneliness.
at the end of it all, he recalls his life in writing. perhaps he has written all this time, only intensifying the strength of his unrequited love. he has lived many lives, all of them fictions in a sense; rich, but not the reality he has wanted. in each of them, he hopes that perhaps he will be loved in return. the woman in question has taken root in his heart and in his bones, and try as he might, he can't write her out. perhaps he doesn't want to. note the conditional: "if you don't love me, let me go". is he still holding out for that long shot? he is still looking for the life in which he will be loved in return. he knows he may never find it.