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.
Skid Row
Merle Haggard Lyrics
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Money in my pockets with the rings on my hands
My money's all Gone and I'm feelin' low
Standin' on the corner of Skid Row
My girl friend left me she don't want me no more
We had a great big fight just a night before
She said I got no class because she knows
Well people walk by and they stop and stare
They giggle and they stickle at the clothes I wear
It's just another day like it always goes
When you're hangin' around on Skid Row
I got an old John Beam with the pain more through
Got a great big hole in the bottom of my shoe
My wine's all gone and I need some more
Standin' on the corner of Skid Row
Well people walk by and they stop and stare
They giggle and they stickle at the clothes I wear
It's just another day like it always goes
When you're hangin' around on Skid Row
The lyrics to Merle Haggard's "Skid Row" speak to the reality of life on the streets, with a focus on the feeling of hopelessness and despair that can come with it. The song opens by describing a time when the singer was a "happy man" with money in his pocket and rings on his hands. However, things have taken a turn and now he finds himself standing on the corner of Skid Row with no money, no girlfriend, and no prospects.
Despite the harsh reality of his situation, the singer is not ashamed of where he is. Instead, he muses on the judgment and ridicule he receives from people passing by, noting that it's just another day when you're hanging around on Skid Row. The lyrics also speak to the ways in which poverty and addiction can exacerbate each other, as the singer's wine is "all gone" and he needs more.
Overall, "Skid Row" offers a raw and unflinching look at what it's like to live in poverty and desperation, highlighting the way in which society often looks down on those who find themselves in this position.
Line by Line Meaning
Well not long ago I was a happy man
There was a time when I was content and satisfied
Money in my pockets with the rings on my hands
I had enough money to wear jewelry and go about my life freely
My money's all Gone and I'm feelin' low
I am now broke and dejected
Standin' on the corner of Skid Row
I am now homeless and living in poverty
My girl friend left me she don't want me no more
My girlfriend broke up with me and doesn't want to be with me anymore
We had a great big fight just a night before
We had a major argument the night before our breakup
She said I got no class because she knows
She accused me of being tacky and uncivilized
I've been hangin' around on Skid Row
She thinks I've been living a poor, aimless life
Well people walk by and they stop and stare
Strangers observe and gawk at me as they pass me by
They giggle and they stickle at the clothes I wear
They snicker and mock the clothes I wear, which are likely old and shabby
It's just another day like it always goes
This is just the norm for me, nothing out of the ordinary
When you're hangin' around on Skid Row
This is what it's like to live in poverty, on Skid Row
I got an old John Beam with the pain more through
I have an old, worn-out John Beam shoe that's even got a hole in it
Got a great big hole in the bottom of my shoe
There's a large, gaping hole in the sole of my shoe
My wine's all gone and I need some more
I've finished all my wine and need to get more
Standin' on the corner of Skid Row
I'm still here, stranded and broke
Lyrics © OWEN PUBLICATIONS
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...