Merle Haggard

[norman]

Merle Haggard

He was such a humble man
Writing from his heart
On how 'the bottle let him down'
As her memories began to start

He wrote on things he believed in
And on things he didn't want to see
About the love of this country
When he wrote "The Fightin Side Of Me"

As he wrote down his words
They would come out in rhyme
As he sat with his guitar
Picking the right tune in time

He was "The common mans poet"
Because he wrote so much about the poor
He was more famous for his drinking songs
Like his classic "Swinging Doors"

He wrote on so many subjects
Yet seen talent in others writes
From Liz Anderson to Tommy Collins
He sung what he felt was right

He inspired so many new singers
Though he was humble in his way
He was a true hero in his time
He had a unique style to his play

He wrote and sung about his heros
Never forgeting from where he came
He wrote "Daddy Frank" about people he knew
Though they had handicaps they were not lame

He wrote about his time in prison
And friends he met along that way
When he wrote "Sing Me back Home"
Song for a friend who inspired him to play

He inspired fellow singers too
For they could see he had a gift
To sit and pick and sing along
To his heros songs helped give him a lift

His biggest hero was Jimmy Rogers
As he cut an album of just his songs
He also re-cut some of lefty's tunes
And wrote songs how love did him wrong

He has sons singing his songs today
And each one has his singing style
They sound so much like their dad
Some even have his spirit and smile

If you ever listen to his songs
There's a story in them as he plays
Though he has passed on for now
His music and legend will live on always

Written 8/17/2018 by Norman Hale Jr.
© 2018 (All rights reserved)