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.
Pancho and Lefty
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was gonna keep you free and clean
And now you wear your skin like iron
And your breath as hard as kerosene
Weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
Pancho was a bandit boy
His horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
Ah but that's the way it goes
All the Federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose
Lefty, he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows
All the Federales say
They could have had him any day
We only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose
The poets tell how Pancho fell
And Lefty's living in cheap hotels
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
And so the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true
But save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do
And now he's growing old
All the Federales say
We could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
A few gray Federales say
We could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
The lyrics to Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson's song "Pancho and Lefty" tell a haunting story of the lives of two outlaws - Pancho and Lefty. The opening lines, "Living on the road my friend, was gonna keep you free and clean, and now you wear your skin like iron, and your breath as hard as kerosene" sets the tone for the entire song. It describes the hardship and rough lifestyle that comes with constantly being on the run, and the physical toll it takes on a person.
The song goes on to describe Pancho as a bandit boy, with a horse that's fast as polished steel. Pancho wears his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel, emphasizing the fact that he was not someone to be messed with. The desert is portrayed as a dangerous and deadly place where Pancho meets his match and perishes, dying without anyone hearing his final words.
Lefty, the other leading character in the song, seems to be the survivor of the two. He can't sing the blues all night long like he used to and is living in cheap hotels. The song implies that Lefty survived the shootout and went on the run. He eventually ends up in Ohio, but it's not made clear how he got there or where he got the money to travel. The song concludes with the suggestion that while Pancho may need our prayers, Lefty also deserves our compassion.
Line by Line Meaning
Living on the road my friend
Living as a vagabond, always on the move
Was gonna keep you free and clean
Freedom from the restraints of society
And now you wear your skin like iron
Toughened by the hardships of the road and life
And your breath as hard as kerosene
Embittered towards the world and its people
Weren't your mama's only boy
Not the only child of your mother
But her favorite one it seems
Possibly favored over siblings by the mother
She began to cry when you said goodbye
Mother's sorrow at the prospect of separation
And sank into your dreams
Mother's sadness lingers long in your thoughts
Pancho was a bandit boy
Pancho was a criminal
His horse was fast as polished steel
Pancho owned a fast horse
He wore his gun outside his pants
Pancho was unafraid and flaunted his weaponry
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho projected an air of danger to everyone
Pancho met his match you know
Pancho faced a dangerous opponent
On the deserts down in Mexico
The fight between Pancho and his adversary took place in Mexico's deserts
Nobody heard his dying words
Pancho passed away alone
Ah but that's the way it goes
Death is inevitable and cannot be avoided
All the Federales say
Mexican federal law enforcement officials
They could have had him any day
They could have arrested Pancho anytime
They only let him slip away
Pancho was allowed to escape for unknown reasons
Out of kindness, I suppose
The reason for Pancho's release is unknown, but possibly it was out of kindness
Lefty, he can't sing the blues
Lefty is unable to perform as he did before
All night long like he used to
He lacks the endurance and energy of his earlier years
The dust that Pancho bit down south
The dust that Pancho raised during his fight in the south of Mexico
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
Lefty had to bear the consequences of Pancho's actions
The day they laid poor Pancho low
The day that Pancho was buried
Lefty split for Ohio
Lefty left the place of Pancho's burial for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
Where Lefty got the money to leave is unknown
There ain't nobody knows
The reason for Lefty's departure is unknown
The poets tell how Pancho fell
There are many stories about Pancho's life and death
And Lefty's living in cheap hotels
Lefty is now living in low-cost accommodations
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
Comparison between the quiet desert and the cold city of Cleveland
And so the story ends we're told
The story of Pancho and Lefty comes to an end
Pancho needs your prayers it's true
A call for prayers for the deceased Pancho
But save a few for Lefty too
A request to also pray for the living Lefty
He only did what he had to do
Lefty did what he needed to do to survive
And now he's growing old
Lefty is aging
We could have had him any day
The Federal officials could have caught Lefty anytime
We only let him go so long
They allowed him to evade the law for a significant period of time
Out of kindness, I suppose
The reason for Lefty's evasion is unknown, but the officials possibly sympathized
A few gray Federales say
The opinion of some of the older Federal officials
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Townes Van Zandt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@humbertohernandez3067
All these classics are fading away , just like I am . I guess that's the way it is . I'm glad to take them with me.
@lethalchase1065
19 from Oklahoma will play this song all my life
@annoyedbrox4851
@@lethalchase1065 16, from India of all places, I love this song, country music and the open air, these classics are timeless and won't go nowhere.
@travismiles5885
Nah bro, if it's good the younger generations pick up on it. I dont know how old you are but I'm almost 50 and a die hard metal head 🤘🏻 I grew up with my older family members playing this kind of stuff and I was just to angsty and full of youthful defiance to listen to "old people music." Now that I've lived long enough to experience life I get this music. It takes a long time for an acorn to grow into a mighty oak. I still love my head banger stuff but Waylon Willie, Johnny and the rest are right there next to them in my playlists, keeping company with all the great classic rockers from the 60s and 70s. Cream rises to the top. Dont fret you're leaving it in good hands. Thank you for keeping it alive, we found it because of cats like you. Take that with you and leave the music so we can pay it forward.
@jbmusic4095
@@lethalchase1065 lets fucking go brother, forever. keep it real and honour our ancestors
@peytonledbetter6007
Making it my mission to instill these masterpieces in my kids when I have some. A piece of you will live on with that.
@CashHigbie
This was my dads favorite song but he died from a terrible car crash so now every time I hear this song I cry
@txsurfnturf
My condolences and prayers go out to you and your family. From Texas.
@CashHigbie
@@txsurfnturf no we from Kansas
@jimjones9220
Prayers for you and your dad.