Merle Haggard’s Final Recording Available

Merle Haggard was back and forth from the studio in early 2016, and spent a lot of time writing recently… and one of those songs was “Kern River Blues”.

Lyrics:

 I’m leavin’ town tomorrow

Get my breakfast in the sky

Well, I’m leavin’ in the early morning

Eat my breakfast in the sky

Be a donut on a paper

Drink my coffee on the fly

 –

I’m flying out on a jet plane

Gonna leave this town behind

I’m flying out on a jet plane

Gonna leave this town behind

They’ve done moved the city limits

Out by the county line

 –

Put my head up to the window

Watch the city fade away

Put my head close to the window

Watch Oildale fade away

The blues back in the ‘30s

Just like the blues today

 –

There used to be a river here

Runnin’ deep and wide

Well, they used to have Kern River

Runnin’ deep and wide

Then somebody stole the water

Another politician lied

 –

When you closed down all the honky tonks

The city died at night

When you closed down all the honky tonks

The city died at night

When it hurt somebody’s feelings

Well, a wrong ain’t never right

 –

Well, I’m leaving town forever

Kiss an old boxcar goodbye

Well, I’m leaving town forever

Kiss an old boxcar goodbye

I dug my blues down in the river

But the old Kern River is dry