About The Song
“Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line” rolled out on January 3, 1966, a brisk, two-minute Bakersfield swinger credited to Buck Owens, Don Rich, and Nat Stuckey. Issued by Capitol and produced by Ken Nelson, it became the tenth No. 1 country single of Owens’s astonishing mid-’60s run, proof that his lean guitars, dry drum sound, and deadpan charm could turn even a comic premise into a radio powerhouse.
The studio cut is classic Buckaroos: telecaster twang right on the beat, tight harmonies answering the lead, and a rhythm section that snaps instead of swells. Nelson’s production stays bone-dry—no strings, no syrup—so every rimshot and pick attack pops. In just over two minutes the band sketches a complete scene, then gets out of the way, a calling card of the Bakersfield approach that Owens helped define.
Lyrically, the song is a wink in work boots. Owens’s narrator is “broke” for affection, queueing up in his lover’s “welfare line” for a little care and attention. It’s a metaphor that’s playful rather than political, a slice-of-life gag turned into a hook you can sing in a barroom chorus. The verses stroll, the chorus locks, and Don Rich’s harmony gives the punch lines their shine.
As a single, it was paired with “In the Palm of Your Hand” on the B-side and later folded into the year’s LP Open Up Your Heart. That album captured Owens & the Buckaroos at full clip—dance-floor tempos, tele twang, and unvarnished vocals—cementing the contrast between Bakersfield’s honky-tonk bite and Nashville’s string-sweetened mainstream of the day.
Country radio responded in a landslide. “Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles and stayed there for seven weeks, logging eighteen weeks on the country chart overall. The single even crossed into pop spaces, peaking at No. 57 on the Hot 100, a reminder of how Owens’s taut arrangements and comic timing could travel beyond genre lines.
The record’s economy is part of its charm. James Burton–school guitar punctuation, crisp drums, and Buck’s unhurried phrasing keep the track moving without ever crowding the vocal. It’s danceable at any VFW hall, but there’s nothing disposable about it; the writing is tidy, the band airtight, and the production lets the joke land without underlining it.
More than half a century on, “Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line” still sounds like a memo from Bakersfield: keep it short, keep it sharp, and trust the band. Between the hook, the harmonies, and the no-nonsense groove, it remains one of Owens’s most instantly recognizable hits—and a dependable way to fill a dance floor in roughly 140 seconds.
Video
Lyric
I got the hungries for your love
And I’m waitin’ in your welfare line
Well, I ain’t got nothin’
But the shirt on my back
And an old two button suit
I walked outta my job
About a week ago
And now I’m sleepin’ in a
Telephone booth
But I’m a-gonna be
The richest guy around
The day you say you’re mine
I got the hungries for your love
And I’m waitin’ in your welfare line
Well, when I first saw you babe
You nearly made me wreck
My ol’ ’49 Cadillac
I knew at a glance
That it was you for me
I had to have your love by heck
I’m gonna follow you baby
Wherever you go
I got nothin’ to lose
But my time
I got the hungries for your love
And I’m waitin’ in your welfare line
Well, you made me
The top dog on your hill
And I was overjoyed
But it didn’t take long
‘Til the thrill was gone
I joined the ranks of
The unemployed
Now, I’m right back where
That I started from
But that ain’t gonna
Change my mind
I got the hungries for your love
And I’m waitin’ in your welfare line
Yeah, I’m waitin’ in your welfare line
(Gimme a handout)
I’m waitin’ in your welfare line