Emerging from prison in the 1960s, Merle Haggard has become one of the true giants of country music, as a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band "The Strangers" helped create the Bakersfield Sound, characterized by Telecaster guitar twang, vocal harmonies, and a rough edge not heard on the more polished Nashville Sound recordings of that era. By the 1970s, he was aligned with the growing outlaw country movement, and has continued to release successful albums through the 1990s and into the 2000s. His songs display unflinching personal honesty about such universal themes as love, loss, regret and redemption. [from Wikipedia.org]
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard & The Strangers Lyrics
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I'm on the run, the highway is my home
I raised a lot of Cain back in my younger days
While Mama used to pray my crops would fail
Now I'm a hunted fugitive with just two ways
Outrun the law or spend my life in jail
I'd like to settle down but they won't let me
Down every road there's always one more city
I'm on the run, the highway is my home
I'm lonely but I can't afford the luxury
Of having one I love to come along
She'd only slow me down and they'd catch up with me
For he who travels fastest goes alone
I'd like to settle down but they won't let me
A fugitive must be a rolling stone
Down every road there's always one more city
I'm on the run, the highway is my home
I'm on the run, the highway is my home
In Merle Haggard's song Fugitive, the lyrics depict the life of a man who lives on the run. He is constantly moving, trying to evade the law, and never truly able to settle down. The opening line, "Down every road there's always one more city," speaks to the idea that no matter how far he travels, there will always be another place to go. The highway is his home, and he has no choice but to keep moving.
Line by Line Meaning
Down every road there's always one more city
No matter where I go, there's always another place to hide
I'm on the run, the highway is my home
I'm constantly moving, never staying in one place for too long
I raised a lot of Cain back in my younger days
I was wild and reckless in my youth, causing a lot of trouble
While Mama used to pray my crops would fail
My own mother didn't know what to do with me, and even prayed for something bad to happen to me
Now I'm a hunted fugitive with just two ways
I'm being chased by the law, and my only options are to either escape or get caught
Outrun the law or spend my life in jail
I have to keep moving or I'll end up in prison for the rest of my life
I'd like to settle down but they won't let me
I want to be able to live a normal life, but because of my past actions, I'm not allowed to
A fugitive must be a rolling stone
I have to keep moving if I want to avoid getting caught
I'm lonely but I can't afford the luxury
I'm sad and alone, but I can't afford to have someone with me who might get me caught
Of having one I love to come along
Even if I found someone who loved me, I couldn't risk being with them and putting them in danger
She'd only slow me down and they'd catch up with me
If I had someone with me, I wouldn't be able to move as fast and would be more likely to get caught
For he who travels fastest goes alone
I have to be able to move quickly and efficiently if I want to stay ahead of the law
I'm on the run, the highway is my home
No matter where I go, the road is the only place I can call home
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CASEY ANDERSON, LIZ ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind