Song of the Week 14: Christmas On The Line

It’s fitting that we are showcasing “Christmas On The Line” in July because it was 24 years ago this month in 1994 that Susie and I first heard the writer of the song Michael Martin Murphey sing it in Branson, MO.

Murphey first recorded the song with Riders In The Sky on his 1991 album, “Cowboy Christmas”. The idea behind it is that the cowboy has to work Christmas Eve riding the fence line, with nothing man-made to remind him that it’s Christmas. So he makes do with the wind through the pines, a low hanging star, snow-laden mountains, and jingling spurs. The odd juxtaposition of his loneliness and his joy in seeing the Christmas story in nature is perfectly paired with a hauntingly beautiful melody.

This is the title song of A Little Farther West’s 2017 Christmas album.