Merle Haggard ~ Okie from Muskogee (1969)
I first heard this tune performed at an outdoor concert by an all-Native American band. Since that concert — and given the zeitgeist of the time in which it was written — I had always wondered (and I know I’m not alone) whether Merle Haggard meant for us to take the lyrics literally or with a bit of tongue-in-cheek.
Click here to see the lyrics
We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
We don’t take our trips on LSD
We don’t burn no draft cards down on Main Street;
We like livin’ right, and bein’ free.
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 nasty and dirty,
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do.
CHORUS
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 lightning’s still the biggest thrill of all.
Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear;
Beads and Roman sandals won’t be seen.
And football’s still the roughest thing on campus,
And the kids they still respect the college dean.
CHORUS
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
In Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.
Well, according to this article the back story of the song is fascinating — as well as a bit complicated. Either way it’s still a great tune.
In this clip from a 2009 concert, Willie Nelson does a cameo with Haggard and his band.
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