Merle Haggard - 20 Country No.1'S (2003) by Merle Haggard (보컬) on maniadb.com

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
We don't take no trips on LSD
We don't burn no draft cards down on Main Street;
We like livin' right, and bein' free.

I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
A place where even squares can have a ball
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all

We don't make a party out of lovin';
We like holdin' hands and pitchin' woo;
We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy,
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do.

And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
A place where even squares can have a ball.
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all.

Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear;
Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen.
Football's still the roughest thing on campus,
And the kids here still respect the college dean.

We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
In Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.

Down every road there's always one more city
I'm on the run, the highway is my home
I raised a lot of cane back in my younger days
While Mama used to pray my crops would fail
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
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 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

I'd like to hold my head up and be proud of who I am
But they won't let my secret go untold
I paid the debt I owed them,but they're still not satisfied
Now I'm a branded man out un the cold

When they let me out of prison,I held my head up high
Determined I would rise above the shame
But no matter where I'm living,the black mark follows me
I'm branded with a number on my name

Repeat verse 1

If I live to be a hundred,I guess I'll never clear my name
'Cause everybody knows I've been in jai
No matter where I'm living,I've got to tell them where I've been
Or they'll send me back to prison if I fail

Repeat verse 1

Now I'm a branded man out un the cold

The warden led a prisoner down the hallway to his doom
I stood up to say good-bye like all the rest
And I heard him tell the warden just before he reached my cell
'Let my guitar playing friend do my request.' (Let him...)

Sing me back home with a song I used to hear
Make my old memories come alive
Take me away and turn back the years
Sing Me Back Home before I die

I recall last Sunday morning a choir from 'cross the street
Came to sing a few old gospel songs
And I heard him tell the singers 'There's a song my mama sang.
Can I hear once before we move along?'

Sing me back home, the song my mama sang
Make my old memories come alive
Take me away and turn back the years
Sing Me Back Home before I die

Sing Me Back Home before I die

Bonnie was a waitress in a small cafe
Clyde Barrow was the rounder that took her away
They both robbed and killed until both of them died
So goes the legend of Bonnie and Clyde

The poems that she wrote of the life that they led
Told of the lawmen left dying or dead
Some say that Clyde made her life a shame
But the legend made Bonnie the head of the game

The rampage grew wilder with each passing day
The odds growing smaller with each get-a-way
With the end growing closer, the harder they fought
With blood on their hands they were bound to get caught

They drove back from town on one bright summer day
When a man they befriended stepped out in the way
With no thought of dyin' they pulled to the side
But death lay there waiting for Bonnie and Clyde

Two years or runnin' was ended that day
For robbin' and killin' they both had to pay
But we'll always remember how they lived and died
So goes the legend of Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie and Clyde

The first thing I remember knowing,
Was a lonesome whistle blowing,
And a young un's dream of growing up to ride;
On a freight train leaving town,
Not knowing where I'm bound,
No-one could change my mind but Mama tried.
One and only rebel child,
From a family, meek and mild:
My Mama seemed to know what lay in store.
Despite all my Sunday learning,
Towards the bad, I kept on turning.
'Til Mama couldn't hold me anymore.

And I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole.
No-one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried.
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied.
That leaves only me to blame 'cos Mama tried.

Instrumental break.

Dear old Daddy, rest his soul,
Left my Mom a heavy load;
She tried so very hard to fill his shoes.
Working hours without rest,
Wanted me to have the best.
She tried to raise me right but I refused.

And I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole.
No-one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried.
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied.
That leaves only me to blame 'cos Mama tried.

A canvas covered cabin in a crowded labour camp
Stand out in this memory I revived;
Cause my daddy raised a family there, with two hard working hands
And tried to feed my mama's hungry eyes.

He dreamed of something better, and my mama's faith was strong
And us kids were just to young to realize
That another class of people put us somewhere just below;
One more reason for my mama's hungry eyes.

Mama never had the luxuries she wanted
But it wasn't cause my daddy didn't try.
She only wanted things she really needed;
One more reason for my mama's hungry eyes.

I remember daddy praying for a better way of life
But I don't recall a change of any size;
Just a little loss of courage, as their age began to show
And more sadness in my mama's hungry eyes.

Mama never had the luxuries she wanted
But it wasn't cause my daddy didn't try.
She only wanted things she really needed;
One more reason for my mama's hungry eyes.

Oh, I still recall my mama's hungry eyes.

It's a big job just gettin' by with nine kids and a wife
I been a workin' man dang near all my life
I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I'll drink my beer in a tavern,
Sing a little bit of these working man blues

I keep my nose on the grindstone, I work hard every day
Might get a little tired on the weekend, after I draw my pay
But I'll go back workin, come Monday morning I'm right back with the crew
I'll drink a little beer that evening,
Sing a little bit of these working man blues

Hey hey, the working man, the working man like me
I ain't never been on welfare, that's one place I won't be
Cause I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I drink a little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues

Sometimes I think about leaving, do a little bummin around
I wanna throw my bills out the window catch a train to another town
But I go back working I gotta buy my kids a brand new pair of shoes
Yeah drink a little beer in a tavern,
Cry a little bit of these working man blues

Hey hey, the working man, the working man like me
I ain't never been on welfare, that's one place I won't be
Cause I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I drink a little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
Yeah drink a little beer in a tavern,
Cry a little bit of these working man blues

Always wanting you, but never having you,
Makes it hard to face tomorrow 'cause I
Know I'll be wanting you again.
Always loving you, but never touching you,
Sometimes hurts me almost more than I can stand.

I'd been better off if I'd turned away and never
Looked at you the second time.
Cause I really had my life all together till your eyes met mine.

And there I say a yearning and a feeling 'cross
The room that you felt for me.
Wish I'd had a way of knowing that the things we had in
Mind could never be.

Always wanting you, but never having you,
Makes it hard to face tomorrow 'cause I
Know I'll be wanting you again.
Always loving you, but never touching you,
Sometimes hurts me almost more than I can stand.

She was always there each time I needed you
Holding on to me like I held on to you
We still don't have what you and I once had
No, it's not love, but it's not bad

No, it's not love, not like ours was. It's not love
But it keeps love from driving me mad
And I don't have to wonder who she's had
No, it's not love, but it's not bad

I turn to her when you leave me alone
Sometimes even when you're here, and you're still gone
She's slowly changing what you leave so sad
No, it's not love, but it's not bad

No, it's not love, not like ours was. It's not love
But it keeps love from driving me mad
And I don't have to wonder who she's had
No, it's not love, but it's not bad

Comin' home, home, home
Thought I'd better warn you
So I called you on the phone
Get rid of Joe the grinder
You better be there alone
'Cause the old man from the mountain's
Comin' home

I've been a-workin' in the sawmill
I'm all up-tight and tense
And I got word that someone's
Been diggin' under my back fence
Thought I'd better call you
Let you know today
That the old man from the mountain's
On his way

Been workin' my dang fool head off
All for a dollar bill
Now I need a bunch of good lovin'
So I'm comin' down the hill
Don't want no friendly Henry's
Warmin' up my bed
And the old man from the mountain
Means what he said

Everybody's had the blues sometimes and
Everybody knows the tune
And everybody knows the way I'm feelin' cause
Everybody's had the blues

A lonely, song someone is gone
A story old as time
Love, hate, or want and wait till misery fills your mind
But everybody knows the way I'm feelin' 'cause
Everybody's had the blues

Big wheels rollin', big wheels rollin'
Movin' on.

Big wheels rollin', gotta keep 'em goin',
Big wheels rollin',
Movin' on.

The white line is the life line to a nation.
And men like Will and Sonny make it move.
Livin' like a gypsy, always on the go
Doin' what they best know how to do.

Jammin' gears has got to be a fever,
'Cause men become addicted to the grind.
It takes a special breed to be a truck drivin' man,
And a steady hand to pull that load behind.

Big wheels rollin', big wheels rollin'
Movin' on.

I hear people talkin' bad,
About the way we have to live here in this country,
Harpin' on the wars we fight,
An' gripin' 'bout the way things oughta be.
An' I don't mind 'em switchin' sides,
An' standin' up for things they believe in.
When they're runnin' down my country, man,
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.
If you don't love it, leave it:
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'.
If you're runnin' down my country, man,
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

I read about some squirrely guy,
Who claims, he just don't believe in fightin'.
An' I wonder just how long,
The rest of us can count on bein' free.
They love our milk an' honey,
But they preach about some other way of livin'.
When they're runnin' down my country, hoss,
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.
If you don't love it, leave it:
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'.
If you're runnin' down my country, man,
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.
If you don't love it, leave it:
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'.
If you're runnin' down my country, man,
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

Carolyn let me tell you what I heard about a man today
He didn't come home from work and he went away
'Til he came to a city, bright in the night time like day
There they say he met with some women dressed in yellow and scarlet
Their warm lips like a honeycomb, dripped with honey
And somethin' about the smell of strange perfume
Made him feel warm, and not alone

Yes Carolyn a man will do that sometimes on his own
And sometimes when he's lonely
And I believe a man will do that sometimes out of spite
But Carolyn, a man will do that always
When he's treated bad at home

Yes Carolyn a man will do that sometimes on his own
And sometimes when he's lonely
And I believe a man will do that sometimes out of spite
But Carolyn, a man will do that always
When he's treated bad at home

There's not much a man can do inside a prisoner
Just take his mem'ry trips and fights the pain
And a word from home can mean so much to a prisoner
It's been years since that last letter came

Not a day goes by that I don't think of mama
And my nights are filled with thoughts of sweet Marie
And my old friends I ran around with keep on running through my mind
But I just wonder if they ever think of me

I wonder if they know that I'm still living
And still proud to be a part of Uncle Sam
I wonder if they think I died of hunger
In this rotten prison camp in Viet Nam

Not a day goes by that I don't think of mama
And my nights are filled with thoughts of sweet Marie
And I remember daddy sayin' you'll come back a better man
And I just wonder if they ever think of me
Oh I just wonder if they ever think of me

Daddy Frank played the guitar and the french harp,
Sister played the ringing tambourine.
Mama couldn't hear our pretty music,
She read our lips and helped the family sing.

That little band was all a part of living,
And our only means of living at the time;
And it wasn't like no normal family combo,
Cause Daddy Frank the guitar man was blind.

Frank and mama counted on each other;
Their one and only weakness made them strong.
Mama did the driving for the family,
And Frank made a living with a song.

Home was just a camp along the highway;
A pick-up bed was where we bedded down.
Don't ever once remember going hungry,
But I remember mama cooking on the ground.

Don't remember how they got acquainted;
I can't recall just how it came to be.
There had to be some special help from someone,
And blessed be the one that let it be.

Fever caused my mama's loss of hearing.
Daddy Frank was born without his sight.
And mama needed someone she could lean on,
And I believe the guitar man was right.

Daddy Frank played the guitar and the french harp,
Sister played the ringing tambourine.
Mama couldn't hear our pretty music,
She read our lips and helped the family sing.

Grandma's maiden name was Zona Villines
There's ninety years to tell about in a few short lines
Born in Newton County down in Arkansas
Then in nineteen-one she married Grandpa
We laid her soul to rest one Sunday mornin'
And everybody knew she'd done her part
Don't get set to hear no hidden family legend
Just a song about the life of Grandma Harp

(Spoken)
Just think about the times that she lived through
And think about the changing world she saw
Now somehow she reared a decent family out of poverty
And for seventy years she loved the same old Grandpa
To me, her passing brought a closing chapter
To a way of life that I love within my heart
I just mean to say I owe her something special
If just a song about the life of Grandma Harp

Grandma's maiden name was Zona Villines
There's ninety years to tell about in a few short lines
Born in Newton County down in Arkansas
Then in nineteen-one she married Grandpa
We laid her soul to rest one Sunday mornin'
And everybody knew she'd done her part
Don't get set to hear no hidden family legend
Just a song about the life of Grandma Harp

I wanted more from life, than four kids and a wife
And a job in a dark Kentucky mine.
A twenty acre farm, with a shackey house and barn
Thats all I had and all I left behind

But at gambling, I was lucky, and so I left Kentucky
And left behind my woman and my kids
Into the gay casinos, of Nevada's town of Reno
This Kentucky Gambler planned to get rich quick

Kentucky gambler who's going to love your woman in Kentucky
Yeah - and who's going to be the one to give her all she needs
Kentucky gambler, who's going to raise your children in Kentucky
And who's going to keep them fed and keep them shoes on their feet

There at the gambler's Paradise, Lady luck was on my side
and this Kentucky gambler played just right
Yeah I won at everything I played - I really thought I had it made
But I should have quit and gone on home that night

But when you love the green backed dollar, sorrow always bound to follow


and Reno's dreams fade into neon amber
And Lady Luck, she'll lead you on
She'll stay a while, and then she's gone
You better go on home, Kentucky gambler

But a gambler never seems to stop, till he loses all he's got
and with a money - hungry fever, I played on
I played till I'd lost all I'd won, I was right back where I'd started from
Then I started wanting - to go home

Kentucky gambler, there ain't nobody, waiting in Kentucky
When I ran out, somebody else walked in
Kentucky gambler, looks like you ain't really very lucky
And it seems to me a gambler loses much more than he wins
much more than he wins.