I'm sorry, but Merle Haggard was a right-wing reactionary unAmerican asshole

[PatrickforO]

33. Hmm...an anti-drug, pro-war screed...well, let's take a look:

"Okie From Muskogee"

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
We don't take no trips on LSD
We don't burn no draft cards down on Main Street;
We like livin' right, and bein' free.

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 lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all

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 shaggy,
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do.

And 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 lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all.

Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear;
Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen.
Football's still the roughest thing on campus,
And the kids here still respect the college dean.

We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
In Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.

I remember the 60s. I can remember when Dad was watching the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 and the Beatles pranced out on stage...he was leaning toward the TV to turn the channel right then, saying, "God damned long hairs!" Our country was divided back then and Merle's voice represented those people like my dad who may have sympathized with things like the civil rights movement but couldn't get over how uncomfortable it made him feel.

Funny, our generation won the culture war but then frittered away the victory over the next four decades. Now, our children are fighting those same battles again, all against the backdrop of a capitalist system that has nearly sucked our treasury dry.