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.
Misery
Merle Haggard Lyrics
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Jukebox records don't play those wedding bells.
Lookin' at the world through the bottom of a glass,
All I see is a man who's fading fast.
Tonight I need that woman again.
What I'd give for my baby to just walk in.
Sit down beside me and say: "It's alright.
"Take me home and make sweet love to me tonight."
But here I am again, mixin' misery and gin.
Sittin' with all my friends and talkin' to myself.
I look like I'm havin' a good time but any fool can tell,
That this Honky Tonk Heaven really makes ya' feel like hell.
I light a lonely woman's cigarette,
We both start talkin' 'bout what we want to forget.
Her life story and mine are the same.
We both lost someone and only have ourselves to blame.
But here I am again, mixin' misery and gin.
Sittin' with all my friends and talkin' to myself.
I look like I'm havin' a good time but any fool can tell,
That this Honky Tonk Heaven really makes ya' feel like hell.
The lyrics to Merle Haggard's song "Misery and Gin" are a powerful reflection on the pain and loneliness that can come with drowning one's sorrows at a honky-tonk bar. The opening lines, "Memories and drinks don't mix too well. Jukebox records don't play those wedding bells," set the tone for the song, highlighting the way that alcohol and music can offer only temporary relief from heartbreak and loss.
As the song progresses, Haggard sings about looking at the world through the bottom of a glass, and seeing only a fading image of himself. He longs for a woman he loves to walk in and take him home, but instead he finds himself sitting in a bar with other lost souls, talking to himself and trying to forget the pain of past relationships. The chorus captures the bitter irony of this situation, as Haggard sings, "But here I am again, mixin' misery and gin. Sittin' with all my friends and talkin' to myself. I look like I'm havin' a good time but any fool can tell, that this Honky Tonk Heaven really makes ya' feel like hell."
The second verse of the song features Haggard lighting a lonely woman's cigarette and talking about their shared experiences of loss and regret. They both know that they have only themselves to blame for their current situation, but they find some solace in each other's company. Still, even as they talk, the underlying pain and sorrow of their lives is impossible to escape. In the end, the song captures the tragic truth that even as we seek to escape our pain, we can never truly outrun it.
Line by Line Meaning
Memories and drinks don't mix too well.
Drinking and remembering past events can lead to feelings of sadness and regret.
Jukebox records don't play those wedding bells.
Songs on the jukebox don't remind me of happy times like weddings, but rather of heartbreak and loneliness.
Lookin' at the world through the bottom of a glass,
When I'm drinking heavily, my perception of the world is clouded and distorted.
All I see is a man who's fading fast.
I feel like my life is slipping away from me, and I'm struggling to hold on.
Tonight I need that woman again.
I'm longing for the comfort and companionship of my lover.
What I'd give for my baby to just walk in.
I would do anything to be reunited with my significant other right now.
Sit down beside me and say: "It's alright.
I crave reassurance and emotional support from someone close to me.
"Take me home and make sweet love to me tonight."
Intimacy with my partner would help to make me feel better and alleviate my current emotional pain.
But here I am again, mixin' misery and gin.
I continually find myself turning to alcohol to escape my problems, which only makes things worse in the long run.
Sittin' with all my friends and talkin' to myself.
Even though I'm surrounded by people at the Honky Tonk, I still feel incredibly lonely and isolated.
I look like I'm havin' a good time but any fool can tell,
I may be putting on a brave face for the outside world, but my pain and sadness are still evident to those who know what to look for.
That this Honky Tonk Heaven really makes ya' feel like hell.
The bar may seem like a haven for hard drinkers and loners, but in reality it just exacerbates our feelings of sadness and isolation.
I light a lonely woman's cigarette,
I strike up a conversation with a woman who is just as alone and desperate as I am.
We both start talkin' 'bout what we want to forget.
We commiserate with each other about our shared pain and try to distract ourselves from our problems by focusing on the present moment.
Her life story and mine are the same.
We have both experienced loss and suffering, and it's comforting to know that we're not alone.
We both lost someone and only have ourselves to blame.
We recognize that our own mistakes and shortcomings have contributed to our current predicament, but we still wish things could be different.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Roba Music
Written by: BILLIE M. MOORE, BOB WILLS, TOMMY DUNCAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robertschummer5450
Holiday Inn, Eau claire, wis. 1971. I was a huge fan of Merle Haggard at the time and had I think every record he put out up to that time. Merle was doing a show in town and staying at the Holiday Inn. I was closing the bar and ringing out the till, when I noticed a very familiar figure walking through the dining room. Excitedly, I approached him and said, 'Mr. Haggard'. With that he turned around and said he was looking for his room but had gotten turned around. I told him there was no one in the bar, and I would be proud to buy him a drink. "I could sure use one," he replied. With that we went into the dim lit bar, I poured him a triple shot of Crown Royal, and we had a great conversation for about a half hour. One of the highlights of my life!
@johnpastirchak1053
You're blessed, Robert.
@judemcmaster574
Lucky you to meet this legend. 👍🏿👍🏿
@judemcmaster574
Something to remember forever 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
@erichoff7511
Perfect.
@davidsouth911
@@erichoff7511 nice
@levigapter8795
At 29 years old in 2023 I can absolutely say that Merle Haggard is the greatest country vocalist of all time. What an absolute treasure. Sitting with all my friends and talking to myself. What a genius line.
@seller559
Check out Vern Gosden , Gene Watson , Don Williams 👍
@Price70
Well although he was a phenomenal songwriter he didn't write Misery and Gin. So the genius line belongs to one of the co songwriters John Robert Durrill or Snuff Garrett. However, Merle has just as many great lyrics
@user-vn9zr7ej9l
Best song writer also