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.
I Ain't Got Nobody
Merle Haggard Lyrics
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It's awful hard to love someone when they don't care about you
Once I had a lovin' gal the sweetest little thing in town
But now she's gone and left me she done turn me down
But I ain't got nobody nobody cares for me
And I'm so sad and lonely won't somebody come and take chance with me
I'll sing you sweet love songs honey all of the time
If you'll only be the pretty mama of mine
[ guitar - dixieland - fiddle ]
Yeah I ain't got nobody...
The lyrics of Merle Haggard's song "I Ain't Got Nobody" tells the story of a man who used to have a loving girlfriend who he considered the sweetest in town. However, she left him and turned him down, leaving him sad and lonely. The man laments the difficulty in loving someone who does not reciprocate, and expresses his longing for someone to take a chance with him. He offers to sing love songs to his potential lover if she would be his new "pretty mama". The lyrics are simple, yet touching, and express the pain of loneliness and the desire for love.
The song is an ode to traditional American music, with its use of dixieland-style guitar and fiddle instrumentation. This style is often associated with early jazz music and is characterized by an upbeat tempo and lively rhythm. Merle Haggard's interpretation of the song is soulful and authentic, embodying the heart and soul of country music.
Line by Line Meaning
Well there's been sayin' goin' round I began to think it's true
I heard a rumor that's really got me down and I'm starting to believe it's true.
It's awful hard to love someone when they don't care about you
It's really difficult to love someone who doesn't love you back.
Once I had a lovin' gal the sweetest little thing in town
There was a time when I had a wonderful girlfriend who was the best thing in my life.
But now she's gone and left me she done turn me down
Unfortunately, she's now gone and rejected me.
But I ain't got nobody nobody cares for me
I don't have anyone in my life who cares about me at all.
And I'm so sad and lonely won't somebody come and take chance with me
I'm feeling really down and lonely, and I'm hoping that someone will take a chance on me and be there for me.
I'll sing you sweet love songs honey all of the time
If someone would be with me, I would sing them love songs all the time.
If you'll only be the pretty mama of mine
If only someone would be my partner, I would love and cherish them forever.
Cause I ain't got nobody nobody cares for me
I'm still feeling really alone because I don't have anyone to share my life with.
[ guitar - dixieland - fiddle ]
Musical interlude.
Yeah I ain't got nobody...
Once again, I'm still alone and have nobody in my life to care for me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROGER GRAHAM, SPENCER WILLIAMS
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...