Happy July 4th by Merle Haggard

"I hear people talkin' bad about the way they have to live here in this country.

Harpin' on the wars we fight, and gripin' about the way things ought to be.

I don't mind them switchin' sides and standin' up for what they believe in, but when they're runnin' down our country man, they're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.

They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me, running down a way of life our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.

If you don't love it leave it, let this song that I'm singin' be a warning, when you're running down our country horse, you're walkin' on the fightin' side of me."

'A people living under the perpetual menace of war and invasion is
very easy to govern. It demands no social reforms. It does not haggle
over expenditures on armaments and military equipment. It pays
without discussion, it ruins itself, and that is an excellent thing
for the syndicates of financiers and manufacturers for whom patriotic
terrors are an abundant source of gain.'
Anatole France

I feel sorry for the Earth's population,
'Cuz so few live in the U.S.A.
At least the foreigners can copy our morality,
They can visit but they cannot stay.
Only precious few can garner our prosperity,
It makes us walk with renewed confidence.
We got a place to go when we die,
And the architect resides right here.
Bad Religion
American Jesus

[ Edited by: tikigardener on 2005-06-19 21:43 ]

The following has nothing to do with Tiki Bong - but Merle Haggard doesn't show up too often in these threads, and I wanted to share my Haggard experience with you.

I was finally able to see Merle perform live last year while on a business trip - at the old Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. I was so looking forward to it - I had got my tickets early, and had seats on the lower level, near the stage.

Unfortunately, I ended up sitting two seats away from some guy in his early 20's, who was the biggest jerk I've seen in a concert setting - the type who would often stand up, lift and wave his white cowboy hat in the air, and yip out a loud yell. That is fine now and then, but not for every damn song, especially the quiet ones where you just want to appreciate a brief pause of silence. Accompanied with some other behavior, he was truly the most obnoxious fan I had ever met in my life - and I have attended lots of concerts. That behavior might be expected at a punk show, but not for a country show at a classic country auditorium.

By the end of the concert, that guy had brought out the 'fighting side' of almost everyone else sitting around him in the auditorium. People don't pay big bucks for a show to have their experience ruined by people like that ... but everyone gritted their teeth, knowing it would be of bad form to punch somebody out at a Haggard show.

I had two co-workers, who did not attend the concert, who ended up encountering this guy at some other bar later that night -- and they also said he was a big asshole.

I still like Merle Haggard - it could have been a great show, as he was bringing out many elderly country musicians to share the stage with him. But, due to the presence of one obnoxious guy, that whole experience has made me considerably more wary of some of his fans.

Vern