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.
The Wild Side Of Life
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You asked me not to call you on the phone
There's something I've been waiting for to tell you
So I wrote it in the words of this song
You never knew there were honky tonk angels
Or you might have known I'd never make a wife
You walked out on the only one who ever loved you
Now the glamor of the good life always lead me
To the places where the wild liquor flows
I tried to be your one and only angel
But I'm not that kind of angel, heaven knows
I cried so hard the day you went and left me
'Cause some things you said, they cut me like a knife
What you wanted was another kind of angel
And you should be back to the wild side of life
No, well, I guess I'm just a honky tonk angel
I might have known I'd never make a wife
Well, you left the only one who ever loved you
And I'm back here on the wild side of life
I'm only a honky tonk angel
I might have known I'd never make a wife
You walked out on the only one who ever loved you
And you left me here on the wild side of life
The Wild Side of Life by Merle Haggard tells the story of a man who writes a song to express his feelings to a woman who he loves, but she has left him for another man. He explains how he tried to be her one and only angel but he is not that kind of angel. He is a honky tonk angel who belongs to the wild side of life. He goes on to say that she walked out on the only one who ever loved her and just like that, she should go back to the wild side of life where she belongs.
The lyrics of the song are melancholic but true in their description of the life led by some people in the country music scene. The honky tonk angels, often women who worked in the nightclubs and bars, living life on the wild side. The song conveys a sense of resignation, that some people will never be able to form a meaningful relationship as they are unable or unwilling to settle down.
Overall, The Wild Side of Life is a timeless classic country song, that tells a story of heartbreak and the wild side of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, you wouldn't read my letters if I wrote you
You refuse to acknowledge my letters, so I know you won't listen to the words I have to say.
You asked me not to call you on the phone
You requested that I do not contact you over the phone.
There's something I've been waiting for to tell you
I have been waiting for the right moment to share some news with you.
So I wrote it in the words of this song
I have put my thoughts into this song, hoping that you will understand my point of view.
You never knew there were honky tonk angels
You did not realize that there were women who frequented honky tonks and bars.
Or you might have known I'd never make a wife
Had you known about these types of women, you would have realized that I am not the type to settle down and get married.
You walked out on the only one who ever loved you
You left the person who loved you unconditionally and without reservation.
So I went back to the wild side of life
I returned to my old ways, the wild and reckless lifestyle that I had before we met.
Now the glamor of the good life always lead me
The allure and luxury of a good life always seems to draw me in.
To the places where the wild liquor flows
These places are usually bars or clubs where alcohol consumption is high.
I tried to be your one and only angel
I attempted to be the one person who would always be there for you and support you.
But I'm not that kind of angel, heaven knows
However, I am not the type of angel who will stay by your side and provide unwavering support for the rest of my life.
I cried so hard the day you went and left me
When you left me, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I could not help but cry.
'Cause some things you said, they cut me like a knife
Your words hurt me deeply, and I felt as though I had been physically wounded.
What you wanted was another kind of angel
You wanted someone different from me, a person who could provide the love and support that I cannot.
And you should be back to the wild side of life
You should return to the lifestyle that makes you happy and fulfilled, just as I have done.
No, well, I guess I'm just a honky tonk angel
I have come to accept that I am a type of woman who prefers the rowdier lifestyle and environment of honky-tonk bars.
I might have known I'd never make a wife
I knew from the start that I was never going to be the type of woman who would settle down and become a wife.
Well, you left the only one who ever loved you
You walked away from the person who held you in the highest regard and always loved you unconditionally.
And I'm back here on the wild side of life
Now that you are gone, I have returned to my wild, carefree lifestyle.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IVORY JOE HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James Hepburn
Excellent version of this great song. Takes me back to "The Lucky Spot" on the old east side of Bakersfield, one of the places Merle got his start.
Dawn Strydom
Absolutely beautiful. . LOVE MERLE...
Anne Marie Haugland
Love this song ♥ thanks for sharing :-))
Jack Coats
Anne Marie h/
Hagfan789
A great old Hank Thompson song from Merle's 2001 album titled, "Roots".
Dewi Retnowati
Wow.. I love it 🥰
Dawn Strydom
Beautiful. THE GREATEST. .
arinvests
Great song by Merle, love it, Check out my version ~ Arthur
Gramma Dee
THANKS a favorite of mine since the 50s by hank thompson but this is just as good. THANKS
Joyce Graves
As I sit here tonight the juke box playing. The tune about the wild side of Life. As I listen to the words you are saying it brings memories when I was a trusting wife. it wasn’t God who made honky-tonk angels as you said in the words of your song. too many times married men think they’re still single and that has caused many a good girl to go wrong. It’s a shame that all the blame is on us women that’s not true that only you man feel the same from the start most every heart that’s ever broken is because there always was a man to blame. it wasn’t god who made honky-tonk angels as you said in the words of your song too many times married men think they’re still single and that has caused many a good girl to go wrong