Like the ancient Roman Empire, this world is doomed to fall
And it's much too big a thing for mortal man,
Just take a look around and see the writing on the wall
Somehow we've got to find a helping hand

This world has never been in the awful shape it's in
And people scorn the things our leaders do,
It's time a prayer was spoken from the heart of every man
Jesus, take a hold and lead us through

The mighty roar of gunfire is now a local sound
And our city streets are filled with angry men,
Law is now a mockery throughout our troubled land
And destruction seems to be the current trend

This world has never been in the awful shape it's in
And our leaders seem in doubt as what to do,
It's time a prayer was spoken from the heart of every man
Jesus, take a hold and lead us through..."

- Merle Haggard, Jesus, Take a Hold (1971)

In other words, this country has been in a downward spiral for a long, long time. My entire life, in fact. :(

P.S. I have always found it interesting that Merle used the word "world" in the first line, as opposed to using "country." The man is not sloppy with his lyrics, so we know that it was intentional. It's indicative of how wide the scope of the problems were that he perceived. 39 years later I am still amazed at the depth of his perception. Hag rules.

I love women. But sometimes you’ll see one of these groupies backstage, and she’s really pretty and she’s got everything going for her and you know she’s never been told no in her whole g**damn life. When I was younger, I’d get a kick out of turning them down."

- Merle Haggard

You can read the entire interview here. It's a good one.

I may have to take back the things that I have said over the past couple years about Merle Haggard. He released a new album called I Am What I Am in April, and while it may not be the best album he's ever done, it is certainly one of the best he's done in recent years. Two songs stand out in particular: the lead-off track called I've Seen it Go Away, and especially the third track titled Oil Tanker Train.

When I heard Oil Tanker Train for the first time I got chills up my spine. Here is the Hag at his best -- singing about a tanker train that used to run past his parents' converted boxcar home (actually it was a converted refrigerator car). In the song he recounts how his Mama used to be able to feel the train coming before she could see it, and she would tell little Merle to get up to the window to watch it go by. He sings, "Oh, I loved that old oil tanker train." The song ends with him recounting how he woke up one Christmas to find a toy tanker train set up around the tree. Absolutely heartwarming stuff.

But what really sets the lyrics off is his delivery of them -- he literally sounds almost exactly like he did in the seventies, when he was at his peak. It is kind of a ghostly experience at first, and I can't really hear that the lung cancer hurt his voice at all. His phrasing is a little "jazzy" in a couple of the lines, but this is the Hag that I grew up with, and the man that I used to admire more than I can possibly tell you. If he keeps writing songs like this and stays off the friggin' dope he may yet win back my total respect.

I have also read a couple interviews he did recently, and he sounds like a completely different person now that he's sober. Again, he sounds like the Hag that I grew up with: full of wisdom & common sense. In fact, he didn't make a single mention of the government laser-beaming the ocean to draw in hurricanes!

More proof that Merle has lost his mind. Witness this quote from an interview he did with CMT a couple years ago:

There no place for an artist to go unless he goes to New York or New Orleans, which is in such a shape now that it can't support much. And I'm suspicious of a lot of things about New Orleans. I think maybe they control them damn storms and got rid of the nightlife, the queers and the musicians and everybody. ... I mean, those storms always turn right and go across Florida. For some reason or another, [Katrina] came directly in there, and it makes me wonder if they laser-beamed it and heated the water."

Okaaaayyy...

You can read the entire interview here.

Ya know, they say there's a fine line between genius and insanity...

In our continuing survey into Merle Haggard's mental state we have some new bits to add:

Merle recently recorded a cover of an old song by communist Woody Guthrie, titled Jesus Christ. "Fine and good," you may say, "Merle has recorded covers of a lot of old songs throughout his career." The only problem is that he recorded THIS one for Michael Moore's latest film. The song plays over the closing credits.

And then we have this little paean to our current President that Merle wrote back in January:

Hope’s are High
Hope’s are high, faith is strong
If we all try we can get along
Cause there’s a new day and a brighter day
with a new song to sing along
And there’s Sunshine and blue sky
And Hope’s are high
There’s a blue bird atop a tree
singing loud for you and me
he’s got a new note and a brighter note
That we should sing and let ring
cause there’s sunshine and blue sky
and hope’s are high
We’ve got bad times behind us
and the good times up ahead
bet your money on the promise land
and the good things that he said
We got a new style with a sincere smile
and a new song to sing along
and we got sunshine and a new guy
and hope’s are high
Hope’s are high
We’ve got bad times behind us
and now we’ve got good times up ahead
Put your money on America
and the good things that He said
Cause there’s a new day and a brighter day
and a new song to sing along
And there’s sunshine and blue sky
and Hope’s are high"

Ummm... righhhhhttt...

I may drown in still water,
But I'll never swim Kern river again"

- Merle Haggard, Kern River

"I'm going off of the deep end,
And I'm slowly losing my mind..."

- Merle Haggard, I Can't Hold Myself in Line

Told ya so...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Merle Haggard is not letting a bout with lung cancer get in the way of his ambitious touring and recording plans.

Seven weeks after the 71-year-old country legend had a lemon-sized tumor removed in what he calls "the greatest test of my fortitude," he said on Wednesday that he expects to work harder in 2009 than he has in 20 years.

Haggard says he is singing better now that he is in the throes of KICKING HIS DAILY MARIJUANA HABIT...

Which explains why his music has, by and large, been on a downward spiral since the early '80s. It also explains why the man looks like he's NUTS!