Merle Haggard Quotations

The only thing that I miss lately in all music is somebody that will put out a melody that you can whistle. It doesn't seem like there's anything happening like that.

'Cause I was already a smoker, it was easy to get addicted. The one thing that they don't teach you about marijuana is how addictive it is.

It's easier to force feed people than it is to give 'em what they want. It makes more money.

Well, I'm kinda like George Carlin. I think that there ought to be a time where everybody should have all the drugs they want and there'd be nobody in charge, sort of like... now!

There's a rumor that there may be an attempt at organizing a possible script for a series on my life, which, when you look at my police record, you'd have to have more than one hour to tell the story.

In 1960, when I came out of prison as an ex-convict, I had more freedom under parolee supervision than there's available... in America right now.

I enjoy the videos with the sound off, where you can look at the belly buttons and everything. Really some pretty girls, but I don't know about the music.

When I grew up there wasn't air-conditioning or anything of that nature, and this old car had a wall thickness of about ten inches. So we had a little warmer house in the winter and a little cooler in the summer.

Sometimes if you get 'em too drunk they don't pay no attention to what you're doin' anyways, so you might as well just do old songs. But if you get one that's paying attention, sometimes we'll do some new material.

It's been said that Bill Gates has come up with something that'll be released in December that's gonna put a lid on counterfeiting. If that's a fact then it's really interesting to own your own product - with all the potential methods of downloading.

I was 48-years old before anybody talked me into it for medicinal purposes, instead of some of these drugs that they give you that will lead you to heart surgery and things of that nature.

When you get to readin' about where the music and John Steinbeck and all those people like that come from, the further you go the more interesting it becomes.

At my age, I don't buy but a half a loaf of bread, you know?

It sounds like something from a Woody Guthrie song, but it's true; I was raised in a freight car.

And there's some Latino music I like, and some reggae music.

I'm just writin' about my little ol' love affair.

It makes my wife mad, you know, she wants me to stay home all the time. But its what I've done all my life and I think when I quit doing it I'll probably go away pretty quick.

HAG Records, is a company that I've owned. I've had a couple of gospel releases on it. We developed a pretty good distribution setup there and we do have something to use in case they don't want to sign us.

Everybody likes Johnny Cash. I think the sad part of it is his health is givin' him problems.

I've got one young family by the first wife, with four children.

No, I had a back injury early on in my life.

My second wife Bonnie Owens and I worked together after we divorced for a period of maybe 20 years. And I managed to stay friends with another wife. And then there's one that I don't mess with. Everybody's got one of those.

And then I have two children by Theresa, one boy 10 and one girl 13.

I had some surgery on my feet, which has helped my back some.

We've been in many battles together (always on the same side). Over the last few years, we'd become closer than we ever realized ... We were outlaws together.

We're going back to remember the forgotten ones,

Buck influenced a lot of people, from The Beatles to me. Buck and I were in a lot of battles over the years, always on the same side. Over the last few years, we'd become closer. He even flew up to Portland to see me when I opened for Dylan last year. We were outlaws together.

He was an asshole, so I hit him.

He has this crazy style, and he has this mystique about him. He's still that way. You know, nobody knows Bob Dylan. They think they do, but I don't think they do. He's very close to his chest with his own cards. I think he'll remain that way.

Boys, we've done found the prettiest city in America. You've got to see it.

I've smoked Camels for more years than I care to mention, but I haven't had a cigarette since '91. I haven't had a joint since '95.

And then, of course, there's a couple that claim to be, but I haven't done any DNA tests or anything.

It's a wonderful thing to live as long as I have and to be appreciated and, well, just to be here for it.

That I'm a contrary old son of a bitch, I guess,

Oh, I think I'm most proud of my music and my children, and my current wife. She's been very supportive and probably responsible for me being here.

I refer to her as my current wife. No, her and I have been together almost 15 years, and married about 10 years. Looks like it may be a steady deal.

I've got two families.

I haven't had any problems with my back since I got the foot surgery.

I've always known that I was a gifted person. ... I've always felt like I would be punished, severely, if I didn't continue to make use of that gift. It's very important that you don't let the muscle get flabby. It's really hard, as an old human being, to press as much weight as you pressed when you were a kid.

The turn I made was not the one I planned. And I watched my social standing slip away from me, while I watched the bottle slowly take command.

I don't think there's ever been a friendly divorce.

My 10 year old son likes it. He's trying to play guitar and everything. He likes that kind of music.

Diana Krall knocks me out. I like jazz and I like her simple approach.

We're bar room buddies and we're the best kind, nobody messes with that friend of mine. Chug-a-lug-a-lug-a-lugga, bar room buddy of mine.

There's been periods of broadcasts in the past where you could see all ages of entertainers, ranging from George Burns to Shirley Temple. That's not the condition now.

Before the Beatles and yesterday, when a man could still work and still would.

No, it's not love, but it's not bad.

Evolution is a laughing matter for anybody that's got a rational mind.

Heaven knows that alcohol is the worst thing in the world, but it's debatable whether cocaine is worse than caffeine or whether it's the same thing and they just changed the name.

They shaved a little piece of bone off my small toe. You see, you balance yourself a certain way and this toe had grown under the other ones. So he cut it loose, where I could balance myself and it makes me walk straight.

The one true friend I thought I'd found, tonight the bottle let me down.

I think I'm most proud of my family right now. I'm more into that then I've ever been. It also gives a new area to draw from in creativity with my songs.

Despite of all my Sunday learnin', toward the bad I kept turning.

Guitar playing is very important to me. It's like golf to some other people; it's important to me that I play good.

Back when the country was strong, back before Elvis and before the Vietnam war came along.

I can't really say why everyone loves Bob Wills' music, but I have yet to meet a person who didn't like it.

I think it was Tommy who told me, 'When your song is called 'XYZ' or whatever, every line has got to make sense against your title.' He showed me little methods of proving to yourself whether the line belongs, and ways of finding out whether you were able to get more out of a line if you tried.

The guitar's not all that expensive either, when you compare it to gettin' a toothpulled or something.

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

I probably wouldn't even be here now if it weren't for chiropractic

Staring at the world through the bottom of a glass, all I see is a man who's fading fast.

The Captain just gave us our orders, and Mom we must carry them through. I'll finish this letter first chance I get, but for now I'll just say I love you.

The thing that bothers me the most is the recklessness and greed of the local ranchers, who run too many cattle back here, choking with waste the creek that runs through my property. There's certain times of day that the cowboys like to send them turds down the river. Them f**kers piss me off. if you gotta mess up the ecology of the world in order to raise a bunch of cows, well eat somethin else. I'm not a fan of the cowboys.

We are under [government's] control, and if people don't realize that, they haven't looked around. And if they're not paranoid, they haven't thought about it.

Read about some squirrelly guy who claims that he just don't believe in fighting, and I wonder how long the rest of us can count on being free.

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

A house without love ain't a home.

There's two kind of cherries, and two kind of fairies, and two kind of mothers I'm told.

There's just a few people that call themselves stars can actually sit down with a guitar and sing you a song.

Stop rolling down hill like a snow ball headed for hell.

There's one thing I never did do, and that was stink.

To be part of what you're singing about is somewhat painful. You've got to climb inside it all.

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.

It's a long way from Graceland across Jordan to the Promised Land, but Jesus finally came to lead him home.

There's two or three kids out there trying to make good music, and the rest of them sound like it's been strained through some kind of white toast or something. It all sounds just too neat and perfect, with no surprise to it at all. No story, no nothing. It's like building cars, like an assembly line. It doesn't sound like anything that came from a guitar.

This is America. We're proud. We're not afraid of a bunch of terrorists. But this government is all about terror alerts and scaring us at airports. We're changing the Constitution out of fear. We spend all our time looking up each other's dresses. Fear's the only issue the Republican Party has. Vote for them, or the terrorists will win. That's not what Reagan was about. I hate to think about our soldiers over in Iraq fighting for a country that's slipping away.

Willie Nelson's the one who told me the reason it costs so much to get divorced is because it's worth it.

If I hear another line dance song I think I'm going to puke.

Running down on a way of life our fighting men have fought and died to keep. If you don't love it, leave it.

Keep your opinions to yourself. I think it's important that I stay neutral on politics and remain hard to understand. I don't want to be pigeonholed as conservative, liberal, independent or anything. I back the man for the things the man believes in, not whether it says "R" or "D" down there beside his name.

I wish coke was still cola and a joint was a bad place to be.

Faith is the only way we're going to make it. None of us are smart enough to do it on our own.

Momma tried to raise me better, but her pleading I denied, and that leaves only me to blame, cause Momma tried.

I'll tell you what the public likes more than anything, it's the most rare commodity in the world - honesty.

Lay in the weeds and wait, and when you get your chance to say something, say something good.

By the time you get close to the answers, it's nearly all over.

We need to have music that contributes to the well-being of the spirit. Music that cradles people's lives and makes things a little easier. That's what I try to do, and what I want to do. You don't want to close the door on hope.