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.
Colorado
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She knows just when to let wild flowers bloom
Somehow she always seems to know exactly what she's doin'
And the Lord saw fit to furnish elbow room
Have you ever been down to Colorado?
I spend a lot of time there in my mind
And if God doesn't live in Colorado
I'd love to be there watching, early in the morning
The sun comes up and crowns the mountain king
If by chance you dare to be there high upon the mountain
I swear that you can hear the angels sing
Have you ever been down to Colorado?
I spend a lot of time there in my mind
And if God doesn't live in Colorado
I'll bet that's where He spends most of His time
Merle Haggard's song Colorado is a tribute to the natural beauty of the state of Colorado. The lyrics describe the state as a place where Mother Nature has it all together, knowing just when to let wildflowers bloom. The Lord is said to have furnished elbow room to the state, meaning that there is enough space for everyone to enjoy nature in its unspoiled state.
The chorus of the song expresses the singer's desire to be in Colorado and to experience the beauty of the state for himself. He spends a lot of time there in his mind and believes that if God doesn't live in Colorado, He certainly spends most of His time there. He describes the sun coming up and crowning the mountain king, and how being high upon the mountain can make you feel like you are listening to the angels singing.
The song captures the essence of the Colorado landscape, where rugged mountains and rolling hills meet vast grasslands and high-desert vistas. It highlights the state's unique beauty and the reverence that many feel towards it. For Merle Haggard, Colorado symbolizes a special place where we can connect with the divine and the beauty of the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a place where Mother Nature's got it all together
There's a special place where Nature has everything in perfect harmony.
She knows just when to let wild flowers bloom
She always knows precisely when to allow the wildflowers to blossom.
Somehow she always seems to know exactly what she's doin'
It seems like she's always in control and knows what she's doing.
And the Lord saw fit to furnish elbow room
God provided a vast space for Nature to flourish and for people to have room to breathe.
Have you ever been down to Colorado?
Have you ever had the privilege of visiting Colorado?
I spend a lot of time there in my mind
I often imagine myself there in my thoughts.
And if God doesn't live in Colorado
If God doesn't dwell in Colorado,
I'll bet that's where He spends most of His time
I'm sure that's where He spends most of His time, if not living there.
I'd love to be there watching, early in the morning
I would cherish being there, observing at dawn.
The sun comes up and crowns the mountain king
As the sun emerges, it's as if the mountains are being crowned kings.
If by chance you dare to be there high upon the mountain
If you should be brave enough to make it to the mountaintop,
I swear that you can hear the angels sing
I'm convinced that you can hear the heavenly angels sing.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KIRBY
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...