Haggard was born in Oildale, California, during the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled after the death of his father, and he was incarcerated several times in his youth. After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960, he managed to turn his life around and launch a successful country music career. He gained popularity with his songs about the working class that occasionally contained themes contrary to the prevailing anti-Vietnam War sentiment of much popular music of the time. Between the 1960s and the 1980s, he had 38 number-one hits on the US country charts, several of which also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart. Haggard continued to release successful albums into the 2000s.
He received many honors and awards for his music, including a Kennedy Center Honor (2010), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006), a BMI Icon Award (2006), and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1977), Country Music Hall of Fame (1994) and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (1997). He died on April 6, 2016 — his 79th birthday — at his ranch in Shasta County, California, having recently suffered from double pneumonia.
Haggard's last recording, a song called "Kern River Blues", described his departure from Bakersfield in the late 1970s and his displeasure with politicians. The song was recorded February 9, 2016, and features his son Ben on guitar. This record was released on May 12, 2016.
Haggard endorsed Fender guitars and had a Custom Artist signature model Telecaster. The guitar is a modified Telecaster Thinline with laminated top of figured maple, set neck with deep carved heel, birdseye maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets, ivoroid pickguard and binding, gold hardware, abalone Tuff Dog Tele peghead inlay, 2-Colour Sunburst finish, and a pair of Fender Texas Special Tele single-coil pickups with custom-wired 4-way pickup switching. He also played six-string acoustic models. In 2001, C. F. Martin & Company introduced a limited edition Merle Haggard Signature Edition 000-28SMH acoustic guitar available with or without factory-installed electronics.
Big City
Merle Haggard Lyrics
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And tired of too much work
And never enough play
And I'm tired of these dirty old sidewalks
Think I'll walk off my steady job today
Turn me loose, set me free
Somewhere in the middle of Montana
And give me all I've got coming to me
And keep your retirement
And your so-called Social Security
Big city turn me loose and set me free
Been working everyday since I was twenty
Haven't got a thing to show
For anything I've done
There's folks who never work and they've got plenty
Think it's time some guys like me had some fun, so
Turn me loose, set me free
Somewhere in the middle of Montana
And give me all I've got coming to me
And keep your retirement
And your so-called Social Security
Big city turn me loose and set me free
Hey, big city, turn me loose and set me free
In Merle Haggard's song Big City, the lyrics express the singer's weariness of living in a busy and dirty city where there's too much work and never enough play. He's tired of the mundane routine of his steady job and the filthy sidewalks that he walks on every day. So, he decides he's going to walk off his job and start fresh. He wants to be set free and turn loose in the middle of Montana, where he can receive everything he's entitled to, without any providence of retirement or Social Security. The song speaks to the innate desire in many people to escape their routine lives in the city for something more free, natural and authentic.
There is a deeper emotional subtext to this song as well, as it can be interpreted as an existential crisis. The singer has been working for years and has nothing to show for it, while he sees others who never work, have everything they need. This sense of impending futility is reinforced when he says, "haven't got a thing to show, for anything I've done." In this sense, the song stands as a reminder that life is short and that we tend to neglect the things that actually matter in our pursuit of money and success.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm tired of this dirty old city
I've had enough of living in this polluted and overcrowded city, and I need a change.
And tired of too much work
I'm overwhelmed with my work schedule and need some time to relax.
And never enough play
I never get enough leisure time or opportunities to have fun.
And I'm tired of these dirty old sidewalks
I'm sick of walking on these grimy and unclean city streets.
Think I'll walk off my steady job today
I'm contemplating the idea of quitting my current job and finding new adventures.
Turn me loose, set me free
I want to be released from my obligations and responsibilities.
Somewhere in the middle of Montana
I want to go to a remote and peaceful location where I can unwind.
And give me all I've got coming to me
I want to receive everything that I deserve and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
And keep your retirement
I don't want to plan for retirement or rely on others for my future.
And your so-called Social Security
I don't want to depend on government assistance programs like Social Security.
Big city turn me loose and set me free
I'm desperate to escape the big city and be liberated from my routine.
Been working everyday since I was twenty
I've been laboring every day since I was twenty years old.
Haven't got a thing to show
I have nothing to display for my hard work and efforts.
For anything I've done
My accomplishments and hard work have gone unrewarded and unrecognized.
There's folks who never work and they've got plenty
There are individuals who don't work but still manage to have an abundance of wealth.
Think it's time some guys like me had some fun, so
I believe that it's time for people like me to relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Hey, big city, turn me loose and set me free
I'm pleading with the city to release me from my obligations and grant me the freedom to pursue my own interests.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DEAN HOLLOWAY, MERLE HAGGARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jimmy Ray
on Carryin' Fire
I'm a co-writer on this song and the lyrics are not quite right here. Instead of the word high it should be higher. The last verse is A moth slowly circles the flickering candle, the fire is all it can see...