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RIP Merle Haggard

Bud Green

I dig dirt
Veteran
R.I.P. Merle...

Merle had a house on the river, not too far away from me...(20 miles or so)
It was in a community of about 8 homes and only reachable by car by driving on gravel roads thru the woods...He had a small dock in the river that was set up for a single engine Cessna on pontoons to dock up to it...


About 10 years ago, a friend of mine was drifting back down river, in the dark, after a long day of fishing.
On the warm, starlit night, as he drifted, he started hearing some guitar picking and some slurred singing... As he drifted by Merles house, he saw Merle sitting alone on his porch, picking and singing, drunk as a skunk!:biggrin:
 
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armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
Man, what a legend....and died on his birthdate.

I'll forgive him for his lyrics:

".....We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee
We don’t take our trips on LSD
We don’t burn our draft cards down on Main Street
We like living right and being free...."


View Image

watched a video interview with him back last year. he said that the song was sarcasm, he obviously DID smoke weed, LOL! how could anyone hang around with riff-raff like Willie Nelson & NOT get high? :woohoo::biggrin::tiphat:
 

Al Botross

Active member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I think in '72-'73, my dad had me in toe and i saw Mr Haggard do a warm up set at Gilleys in Dallas.

RIP Merle
 

Crusader Rabbit

Active member
Veteran
One of country greats! Too bad the "new" country is mostly all crap.
Rest in peace Merle, thanks for everything.

My travelling song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N7vLaAM8Ok


Funny, Merle felt the same way...

Just ask him about the current state of country music. He sings the praises of Sturgill Simpson, the 37-year-old singer-songwriter who sounds like vintage Waylon Jennings. Haggard thinks highly enough of Simpson to have him open Sunday's show at Bluestem Center for the Arts.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's the only one out there. The rest of them sound like a bunch of (crap) to me. He comes out and does a great show," Haggard says.

"The rest of them" is everything else in contemporary country music, the opinionated icon says.


http://www.inforum.com/variety/3830...r-merle-haggard-todays-country-music-its-crap
 

Lochinvar

Member
He's drinkin' that free bubble-up and eatin' that rainbow stew. Are the good times really over for good? RIP you ol' 'Hag'.
 

Hank Hemp

Active member
Veteran
Y'all know he didn't write that tongue in cheek song. Some longhair did. Who could possibly think that anybody think that someone who hung out with Willie wasn't a reeferman. Armed I guess I should have read your post first, hey. The hey is so loe will think I'm from the great white north.
 

paper thorn

Active member
Veteran
Just thinking about ole Merle today. Noticed someone posted a pic of Merle and Willie from the Pancho and Lefty album.

Of course I always used to think of that as a Willie Nelson song.

Truth is it was written by another great Texas songwriter named Townes Van Zandt.

He's gone from this earth too, here's a link to him doing Pancho and Lefty and another song of his just for fun.

Pancho and Lefty TVZ

Waiting 'round to Die
 

armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
even ol' Merle waffled a bit on the "Muskogee" song. i have read that he said "no, i didn't smoke back then" and "sure, it was a joke". the other day i saw an interview with him where he said "no, i didn't smoke back then, but you learn some things as you grow up..." i'd say hanging around with Willie didn't hurt his education any, either.:) anyone on here gone to youtube yet & watched him & Willie recording the song "it's all going to pot" yet? :woohoo:
 

St. Phatty

Active member
Can't help but wonder ... when Merle was partying with friends, did he ever get nauseous and say, "Folks, Merle has to Hurl" ?

There's not many folks who can turn vomiting into an act of poetry.
 
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