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 Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could quit doing wrong, start doing right
You don't care about what I think
I think I'll just stay here and drink
Hey, putting you down, don't square no deal
Least you'll know the way I feel
Take all the money in the bank
Listen close and you can hear
That loud jukebox playing in my ear
Ain't no woman gon' change the way I think
I think I'll just stay here and drink
Hurtin' me now, don't mean a thing
Since love ain't here, don't feel no pain
My mind ain't nothing but a total blank
I think I'll just stay here and drink, yeah
(Alright)
(We're gone)
(Yes, Sir)
In ‘I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,’ Merle Haggard sings of a state of mind populated by a jukebox so loud that only empty thoughts can be heard. He acknowledges the possibility of quitting his drinking ways and of doing what's right instead of wrong. However, he comes to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what he does since the woman he loves doesn't care about his thoughts or feelings. As a result, he chooses to stay in the bar, where he can numb his pain and enjoy a life of numbness and oblivion, even if it means being alone.
Merle Haggard's lyrics in this song resonate with the human condition, expressing the moment when we all resign ourselves to our vices as a way of coping with heartbreak, betrayal, or loss. We become lost in the comfort of routine and the familiar surroundings that we think offer solace, but often lead to a lonely end. The poignant strings and instrumentation stand in contrast to the lyrics, emphasizing the melancholic and hopeless feeling of the song.
In summary, the song portrays the singer's decision to stay in a bar to drink and forget his troubles because he feels that his woman doesn't care about him. It's a timeless classic that speaks to how humans cope with the pain of life's circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Could be holding you tonight
I wish I could be with you tonight but I know it's not possible.
Could quit doing wrong, start doing right
I have been doing wrong things and need to start doing the right ones.
You don't care about what I think
I feel like you don't care about my thoughts or opinions.
I think I'll just stay here and drink
I will just spend my time drinking here instead of trying to change anything.
Hey, putting you down, don't square no deal
Insulting you won't make anything better between us.
Least you'll know the way I feel
At least now you will understand how I am feeling about our situation.
Take all the money in the bank
I don't care about money anymore.
Think I'll just stay here and drink
I am going to continue drinking here instead of seeking help for my problems.
Listen close and you can hear
If you listen closely you will hear the loud jukebox playing in my ear.
That loud jukebox playing in my ear
The noise from the jukebox is drowning out my thoughts and worries.
Ain't no woman gon' change the way I think
No woman can make me change the way I am thinking or behaving right now.
I think I'll just stay here and drink
I choose to stay here and drink instead of facing my problems and making positive changes in my life.
Hurtin' me now, don't mean a thing
I am numb to the pain that you are causing me.
Since love ain't here, don't feel no pain
Since I am not feeling love, I am not feeling any pain either.
My mind ain't nothing but a total blank
My mind is consumed by drinking and my problems, leaving me unable to think or feel anything else.
I think I'll just stay here and drink, yeah
I am going to continue drinking here instead of trying to change anything.
(Alright)
Response to the ending of the song.
(We're gone)
Response to the ending of the song.
(Yes, Sir)
Response to the ending of the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Merle Haggard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Burns
this song went to #1 on the country charts in 1981!!!
Penumbra
Keeping the half time drum hit on beat 3, when the song goes into standard time is genius. What a great groove.
Tim Beck
There will never be another like him.
Lemmy Cash
Absolutely perfection can't be duplicated
Greg Foster
The best studio country song ever produced and beautiful lead country guitar 🎸 solos are the top the whole band is on dot and Mr Hoggard 😀🤞🤞
David Hugaert
Another great song from the great Merle Haggard. This is perhaps the rockin'-est country song "The Hag" ever recorded!!! Merle Ronald Haggard - THE best singer/songwriter/musician to ever come out of Bakersfield, California!!!
Bravo, Merle Haggard!!! R.I.,P., Merle. 😢 <3 🙂
John Remy
This song and 'Big City' are my all time favorite Merle Haggard tunes.
Ironwolf El Diablo
Sounds like the record version brings me back to better years
Navajo Rez Athlete
Been jamming this here on the Navajo reservation since the 90s
Charlies RedHotAngels
How can anything this good be about drinking ?