Merle Haggard On Hopping Trains And Doing Time

Fresh Air

NPR

Tv & Film, Arts, Society & Culture, Books

4.4 • 34.4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Before he became a musician, Merle Haggard lived the kind of life that's often mythologized in song: Hopping freights and doing prison time. When he became a star, he acquired his own observation car. Now that coach is part of the Virginia Scenic Railway. Terry Gross spoke with Haggard in 1995.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two albums: one's a collection of recordings by Paul Robeson, and the other features the music of Paul Robeson, performed by singer Davóne Tines. Finally, Justin Chang reviews David Cronenberg's new thriller, The Shrouds.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	At NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we sort through a lot of television, and we've found some recent TV comedies we really like that you don't want to miss.
0:09.9	And we'll tell you where to watch them in one handy guide.
0:13.2	Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR.
0:17.4	This is Fresh Air. I'm David B. and Cooley.
0:20.2	This week marks the 40th anniversary of Farm Aid,
0:23.2	the country music concert founded by Willie Nelson as a fundraiser to benefit farmers.
0:29.1	Held in Champaign, Illinois, this first gathering featured not only Willie Nelson, but such
0:34.3	other supportive performers as Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Bonnie Rate, Tom Petty,
0:39.7	Bee King, Loretta Lynn, and Roy Orbison.
0:43.3	Farmers still need aid, and Farm Aid has been staged annually ever since.
0:48.3	Stealing the show at that very first Farm Aid concert in April 1985 was Merle Haggard,
0:54.1	singing his then new song,
0:55.8	Natural High.
0:57.0	Stayed with me
0:58.3	root thick and thin.
1:04.8	Watch me lose.
1:06.7	Watch me win.
1:14.8	Pick me up all the ground You never one time
1:20.1	Let me him down
1:21.7	And you put me on a natural high.
1:30.4	I can fly.
1:33.7	I can fly.
	...

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