The Fightin' Side of Me
Merle Haggard Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I hear people talkin' bad,
About the way they have to live here in this country
Harpin' on the wars we fight
And gripin' 'bout the way things oughta be
And I don't mind 'em switchin' sides
And standin' up for things they believe in
But when they're runnin' down our country, man
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me

They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Runnin' down a way of life
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
If you don't love it, leave it
Let this song that I'm singin' be a warnin'
When you're runnin' down our country, hoss
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me

I read about some squirrelly guy
Who claims that he just don't believe in fightin'
And I wonder just how long
The rest of us can count on bein' free
They love our milk and honey
But they preach about some other way of livin'
But when they're runnin' down our country, man
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me

They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Runnin' down the way of life
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
If you don't love it, leave it
Let this song that I'm singin' be a warnin'
When you're runnin' down our country, man
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me

You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Runnin' down the way of life
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
If you don't love it, leave it
Let this song that I'm singin' be a warnin'




When you're runnin' down our country, hoss
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me

Overall Meaning

In "The Fightin' Side of Me," Merle Haggard takes a stand for the patriotism and pride he feels for his country. He begins by commenting on those who criticize the American lifestyle, political system, and military efforts, claiming that he doesn't mind if they alternate sides and fight for what they believe in. However, Haggard draws the line when they put down the country itself, known as the "fightin' side" of him, revealing his deep-rooted loyalty to America.


The chorus emphasizes this sentiment, as Haggard warns that anybody who runs down American life or its soldiers is walking down the side where he'll fight back. He brings up the point that many take advantage of America's opportunities and riches, yet criticize the way of life that gave them those chances.


Line by Line Meaning

I hear people talkin' bad
I hear people complaining and criticizing


About the way they have to live here in this country
About their way of life in this nation


Harpin' on the wars we fight
Complaining about the wars we engage in


And gripin' 'bout the way things oughta be
Complaining about how things should be


And I don't mind 'em switchin' sides And standin' up for things they believe in
I respect them changing their opinions and fighting for their beliefs


But when they're runnin' down our country, man They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
But, criticizing our country is an affront to me and our way of life


I read about some squirrelly guy
I read about a strange individual


Who claims that he just don't believe in fightin'
Who denies the importance of fighting


And I wonder just how long The rest of us can count on bein' free
I question how long others can depend on freedom if they don't comprehend its significance


They love our milk and honey
They enjoy our prosperity and resources


But they preach about some other way of livin'
But, they advocate for a different lifestyle


But when they're runnin' down our country, man
However, when they criticize our nation,


They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
They're disrespecting me and our way of life


If you don't love it, leave it
If you aren't fond of this nation, you should depart


Let this song that I'm singin' be a warnin'
Let this tune serve as a cautionary message


When you're runnin' down our country, man
If you criticize our nation,


You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
You're antagonizing me and our way of life


You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
You're being provocative to me and our way of life


Runnin' down the way of life
Denigrating our favored lifestyle


Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
The soldiers have fought and died to preserve our way of living


If you don't love it, leave it
You are welcome to depart if you don't appreciate our nation


Let this song that I'm singin' be a warnin'
Please regard this tune as a warning


When you're runnin' down our country, man
If you criticize our nation,


You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
You're intruding on me and our way of living


You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
You're being challenging to me and our way of life


Runnin' down the way of life
Belittling our favored way of living


Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
Our military personnel have fought and died to maintain our way of living


If you don't love it, leave it
If you don't appreciate our nation, you are free to depart


Let this song that I'm singin' be a warnin'
Please regard this melody as a warning


When you're runnin' down our country, hoss
When you criticize our nation,


You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
You're being impolite to me and our way of life




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MERLE HAGGARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@jakeflannel2087

" It's a bridge, it just goes around the corner. "

@backalleybmx7034

I don't it goes down

@panthers339

“IT DO GO DOWN!”

@fermentacija3710

Yesssss

@jaypierce2809

LA DA DA DA DAAAAAAAA!!!

@mrslippyfist9155

Ahhh 420th like... feels nice

170 More Replies...

@brokenomad

I'm a bit disappointed they don't actually sing the "wunununununu" part that Robert sang.

@THE______TRUTH

Same man same

@myronjones7913

Right lol

@NotHarrisPen34

@soviet kermit Yea, it's nice when you see a reference to another funny vid, but I just wanna see people's view on the music video itself

More Comments

More Versions