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