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.
My Carolina Sunshine Girl
Merle Haggard Lyrics
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(Jimmie Rodgers)
« © '28 Peer International, BMI »
Moon moon I can see you sinking low
You make me think of a sweetheart a little girl that I love so
After I wonder the whole night through wondering if you think of me
Why am I lonesome thinking of someone I'm thinking only of you
My Carolina sunshine girl you have left me all alone
I wonder why I sit and cry
When I really should laugh at your photograph
For you're the sweetest angel in this world
And I love love love you my Carolina sunshine girl
I wonder why I sit and cry
When I really should laugh at your little old photograph
For you're the sweetest angel in this world
And I love love love you my Carolina sunshine girl
The lyrics to Merle Haggard's song "My Carolina Sunshine Girl" are a lamentation from a heartbroken lover, who misses a girl he refers to as his "Carolina sunshine girl". He thinks of her constantly, and wonders if she thinks of him too, while he lays under the sinking moon. The loneliness of the night makes him think of her more deeply, and he expresses the depth of his love for her, even though she has turned his heart to stone and left him alone. Despite his despair, he remembers her with tenderness and recognizes her as the sweetest angel in the world. The song has a sorrowful and nostalgic tone, and takes the listener through a journey of longing and heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon moon I can see you sinking low
The sight of the moon reminds me of my sweetheart, the girl I call my Carolina sunshine girl
You make me think of a sweetheart a little girl that I love so
The moon reminds me of my beloved Carolina sunshine girl, who holds a special place in my heart
After I wonder the whole night through wondering if you think of me
I spend sleepless nights wondering if my Carolina sunshine girl thinks of me the way that I do of her
Why am I lonesome thinking of someone I'm thinking only of you
I'm feeling lonely, but my thoughts are only of my Carolina sunshine girl
My Carolina sunshine girl you have turned my heart to stone
My Carolina sunshine girl has broken my heart and left me feeling empty inside
My Carolina sunshine girl you have left me all alone
My Carolina sunshine girl has abandoned me and I am now all alone without her
I wonder why I sit and cry
I question why I feel sad and cry over my Carolina sunshine girl
When I really should laugh at your photograph
I should be happy and smile when I see a photo of my Carolina sunshine girl, but I cannot help my sadness
For you're the sweetest angel in this world
My Carolina sunshine girl is the most wonderful and pure-hearted person in the entire world
And I love love love you my Carolina sunshine girl
I love my Carolina sunshine girl with all my heart and soul
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JIMMIE RODGERS
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...