It’s Merle Haggard’s birthday. Now, Merle spent a lot of time behind bars, and I don’t mean he was a bartender. He was a real country outlaw, as opposed to those who just sing about being country outlaws. When he got done holding up road houses at gunpoint and sitting in the hoosegow, Merle wrote and sang some of the finest drinking songs in the history of humankind, including, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” “Misery and Gin,” “Drink Up and Be Somebody,” and “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down.” Play a few. They’ll get you in the mood to properly celebrate Merle’s Birthday.
