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.
Are The Good Times Really Over
Merle Haggard Lyrics
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It was back when the country was strong
Back before Elvis, before Vietnam war came along
Before the Beatles and yesterday
When a man could still work and still would
Is the best of the free life behind us now
And are the good times really over for good?
With no kinda chance for the flag or the liberty bell?
Wish a Ford and a Chevy
Would still last ten years like they should
Is the best of the free life behind us now
And are the good times really over for good?
I wish coke was still cola
And a joint was a bad place to be
It was back before Nixon lied to us all on T.V
Before microwave ovens when a girl could still cook, and still would
Is the best of the free life behind us now
Are the good times really over for good?
Are we rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell
With no kinda chance for the flag or the liberty bell
Wish a Ford and a Chevy
Would still last ten years like they should
Is the best of the free life behind us now
And are the good times really over for good?
Stop rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell
Stand up for the flag and let's all ring the liberty bell
Let's make a Ford and a Chevy
That would still last ten years like they should
'Cause the best of the free life is still yet to come
And the good times ain't over for good
Merle Haggard's "Are The Good Times Really Over" is a nostalgic ballad that wistfully reminisces on the America of his youth. He yearns for the days when a buck was still silver, when the US was strong, and before the cultural upheaval of the 1960s. The song expresses a sense of pessimism about where the country might be headed, with the singer questioning whether the good times are really over for good.
The first verse speaks on the way things used to be, when men worked hard but still enjoyed a "free life." Haggard mentions the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and the Vietnam War as events that changed the country forever. In the chorus, he asks whether the country is "rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell," with no hope for the future. In the second verse, he laments the loss of simplicity and innocence from an earlier time, mentioning coke (cola), joints, and Nixon's lies. Haggard concludes the song with a plea to reverse the decline and stand up for America's values.
The song's underlying message speaks to a larger cultural shift that Haggard was seeing in the late 70s and early 80s when the song was written. He saw a changing country that he didn't necessarily agree with, as well as a music industry that was shifting away from traditional country music and more towards mainstream pop.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish a buck was still silver
I wish that our currency still had the same value as it did when America was at its strongest.
It was back when the country was strong
The strength of America lies in its past when our currency had more value.
Back before Elvis, before Vietnam war came along
This time period refers to a simpler America before being heavily impacted by the Vietnam War.
Before the Beatles and yesterday
Before the Beatles came to America and before the simpler days of yesterday.
When a man could still work and still would
When it was possible for men to work and provide for their families without having to worry about things like inflation.
Is the best of the free life behind us now
The best times of living in a free and prosperous America may have passed us by.
And are the good times really over for good?
Is it true that America will never see prosperity like it once did?
And are we rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell
Is America currently on a downward trajectory to a negative future?
With no kinda chance for the flag or the liberty bell?
If America continues down this path, will our patriotic spirit and freedoms be at risk?
Wish a Ford and a Chevy
We wish that cars were made the same way they used to be.
Would still last ten years like they should
Cars used to last longer than they do now, which was ideal.
I wish coke was still cola
I wish that the things we used to enjoy remained the same and did not change with the times.
And a joint was a bad place to be
The times when smoking marijuana wasn't so accepted.
It was back before Nixon lied to us all on T.V
This was a simpler time before politics became corrupt and television became a propaganda machine.
Before microwave ovens when a girl could still cook, and still would
This was a time when women still had time to cook meals from scratch and nourish their families.
Stop rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell
It is time for America to stop going in a negative direction.
Stand up for the flag and let's all ring the liberty bell
It is time for America to come together and fight for our liberties and freedoms.
Let's make a Ford and a Chevy
Let's go back to the times when automobiles were made to last.
That would still last ten years like they should
Cars should be made to last a long time.
'Cause the best of the free life is still yet to come
America's best days are still ahead of us as long as we stay strong and fight for our freedoms.
And the good times ain't over for good
There is still hope for America to return to the prosperous times of the past.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Merle Haggard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phillip Struzzeri
God...this song is more relevant today than the day it was written.
hudsonjones 59
Snowballing and headed for hell
steven Massey
The great ones always are !🇺🇸
30yrs ENGR
Sadly true
Dan Naab
Peace
Marcus Forbes
I hear that!!!
DTC
This may be one of the most important songs in the history of recorded music.
Ronald Hoerstmann
yes - everybody must think about it - why it is possible that he live on our earth
greu52
Yes, but only if we explicate all of his allusions and then actually devote ourselves to correct the distortions that the left and radical elements in our society have implanted.
I hope so, but have no illusions.
The Cranky Stacker
Yep.