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.
That Makes Two of Us
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Far to sense you'd up and leave that's what you say
Don't you know that the road can run both ways
[Bonnie]
Well I'm so sure before each other we're all wrong
And I'm tired of always trying to get along
Well that makes two of us you're not the only one
Like you I've had enough the end has now began
I guess I'm just as tired of you as you say you are of me
And that makes two of us we both want to be free
[Bonnie]
I'm all through with trying to make the gold of us
And I've given up on giving in so much
[Merle]
As far as I'm concerned it's over but to pack
I could walk away and never once look back
[Bonnie & Merle]
Well that makes two of us,
And that makes two of us we both want to be free
The song "That Makes Two of Us" by Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens is a classic country love ballad that speaks about the end of a loving relationship that has run its course. The two singers express their feelings about how the feelings are mutual and both believe that they've had enough of the relationship. They both feel the need to move on and start something new. These two individuals, who were once perceived to be the perfect couple, have realized that they are not meant to be together.
The lyrics in the song express a common sentiment that one person cannot carry a relationship alone. Relationships require equal efforts from both the parties involved to make things work. When one person is tired, the other should be willing to put in more effort to keep the relationship alive. In this song, both singers acknowledge that they are tired of trying to make the relationship work, which ultimately leads to its end.
The powerful love ballad features a beautiful harmony between Bonnie Owens and Merle Haggard that reflects the sadness and heartbreak in their voices. The sentiment, the vocals, and the melody combine to explore a theme that resonates with everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
Far to sense you'd up and leave that's what you say
You claim that you're surprised that I would leave you
Don't you know that the road can run both ways
Don't you realize that you're just as responsible for our relationship as I am?
Well I'm so sure before each other we're all wrong
I'm convinced that no matter what we do or say, we can never make this work
And I'm tired of always trying to get along
I'm exhausted from constantly trying to make peace between us
Well that makes two of us you're not the only one
I feel the same way as you do
Like you I've had enough the end has now began
Just like you, I'm fed up with this and I believe it's time to end things
I guess I'm just as tired of you as you say you are of me
I'm equally exhausted of this relationship as you claim to be
And that makes two of us we both want to be free
We both desire to be liberated from each other and move on with our lives
I'm all through with trying to make the gold of us
I have given up hope on making the best of our relationship
And I've given up on giving in so much
I am no longer willing to compromise as much as I have in the past
As far as I'm concerned it's over but to pack
In my opinion, this relationship has ended and I'm ready to leave
I could walk away and never once look back
I am prepared to move on and start a new chapter without any regrets
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sonia MATHLIN-SCOTT
They both are amazing voices together, thanks for posting.
Will Wipf
Love this combo ,underrated
bigwille11
Just great thank you for the wonderful lyrics have an awesome day 🤩
James Mitchell
Wonderful job by this talented couple!!!
Adriaan Verduin
I MISS THEM. RIP
VALIENTE VALIENTE
merl do buck voice here but of course merl is merl❤️