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.
Valentine
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you be my valentine?
And introduce your heart to mine
And be my valentine
Summertime
We could run and play like summertime
With storybooks and nursery rhymes
Candy heart
If anyone could, you could have a candy heart
You're the sweetest of all sweethearts
Won't you give your heart to me? Can't you see I love you
Valentine
Won't you be my valentine?
And won't you share your space with mine
And be my valentine?
Candy heart
If anyone could, you could have a candy heart
You're the sweetest of all sweethearts
Won't you give your heart to me? Can't you see I love you
Valentine
Won't you be my valentine?
And won't you share your space with mine
And be my valentine?
The lyrics of Merle Haggard's song Valentine speak about love and the desire to have a special someone as a Valentine. In the first verse, the singer asks the person to be his Valentine and connect their hearts. He goes on to describe the possibilities of spending time together during the summertime with children's storybooks and nursery rhymes. The singer emphasizes his love and admiration for the person, describing them as the sweetest of all sweethearts and asking for their heart to be given to him.
The chorus of the song repeats the request to be the person's Valentine and to share their space and heart. The lyrics convey a sense of longing and desire for a deep connection with someone on a significant day such as Valentine's Day. The song portrays the joy and excitement of spending time with a loved one, relishing simple pleasures and sharing heartfelt sentiments.
In conclusion, Merle Haggard's Valentine is a sweet and simple song that expresses the desire for a special connection with a loved one on Valentine's Day. It highlights the importance of sharing love and affection with the people who matter most in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Valentine
This is the title of the song, and the singer is asking the recipient of the message to be his/her Valentine.
Won't you be my valentine?
The singer is asking the recipient to agree to be his/her Valentine and celebrate the day with him/her.
And introduce your heart to mine
The singer is asking the recipient to share his/her emotional feelings and thoughts with him/her and start a relationship together.
And be my valentine
The singer is asking the recipient to be his/her Valentine and share the day together.
Summertime
The singer is suggesting that he/she and the recipient could have a fun-filled time together like in the summertime when things are enjoyable and without worries.
We could run and play like summertime
The singer is painting a picture of what he/she and the recipient could do together should they be Valentine, having fun and being carefree like children.
With storybooks and nursery rhymes
The singer is suggesting that they could read storybooks and nursery rhymes together, enjoy children's tales and feel happy in each other's company.
And you could be my valentine
The singer asks the recipient that they could both celebrate the day together, with one being the Valentine to the other.
Candy heart
A reference to the famous heart-shaped candies with messages on them that people exchange during Valentine's Day, the singer is trying to convince the recipient that they are such a sweetheart that they should have one of these candies and be his/her Valentine.
If anyone could, you could have a candy heart
The singer is saying that the recipient is so sweet and lovable that they deserve to have a candy heart, a symbol of love, and affection which they could both share.
You're the sweetest of all sweethearts
The singer bestows a compliment on the recipient that they are the sweetest among all sweethearts he/she has ever come across, asking them to give their heart to him/her, as the singer loves them.
Won't you give your heart to me? Can't you see I love you
The singer is pleading with the recipient to open up their heart to him/her fully and give him/her a chance to express his/her love, and show the recipient how much he/she loves them.
And won't you share your space with mine
The singer is asking the recipient to share their time and space with him/her, asking them to have a relationship, romantic or otherwise, in their lives.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIE NELSON
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...