I Hear You Singing In The Wires

The Meters “Wichita Lineman” – I only heard this version of “Wichita Lineman” for the first time a few weeks ago, and when I did I didn’t know what to make of how the Meters shift into something of a shuffle beat on the second part of each verse. (In case I’m not articulating myself well due to a lack of proper musical terminology, just pay attention to how the bass/drums shift around :45 into the song.) It sounded very awkward to me at first, as though they were suddenly playing the wrong song, but now it sounds smooth and natural to me, and I’m not sure why. I suppose I’m just used to it and expect it, but now I don’t really want to hear the song without that dynamic shift. I listened to a few other versions of the song that I have, and now those are the ones which don’t sound quite right.