Life In Prison - Merle Haggard & The Strangers

Everyone thinks of changing the world But no one thinks of changing themselves The only knowledge achieved by man: Life is meaningless Begotten by hatred, born into misery Pleased by your own depressing life history In a world where life becomes only existence Can you hear the litany of life's persistence? Nothing comes to nothing Always on a losing streak Life taught me a lesson: Life is meaningless This world is dead, life is meaningless A breeding ground of tragedy Your grave is a hole in the ground You may be alive but you are hellbound

It was Christmas in prison And the food was real good We had turkey and pistols Carved out of wood And I dream of her always Even when I don't dream Her name's on my tongue And her blood's in my stream Wait awhile eternity Old mother nature's got nothin' on me Come to me Run to me Come to me, now We're rolling My sweetheart We're flowing By God She reminds me of a chess game With someone I admire Or a picnic in the rain After a prairie fire Her heart is as big As this whole goddamn jail And she's sweeter than saccharine At a drug store sale Wait awhile eternity Old mother nature's got nothin' on me Come to me Run to me Come to me, now We're rolling My sweetheart We're flowing By God The search light in the big yard Swings 'round with the gun And spotlights the snowflakes Like the dust in the sun It's Christmas in prison There'll be music tonight I'll probably get homesick I love you, goodnight Wait awhile eternity Old mother nature's got nothin' on me Come to me Run to me Come to me, now We're rolling My sweetheart We're flowing By God

When you're in prison, don't turn the other way Keep your back against the wall When you're in prison, don't turn the other way Do not bend at all Oh, don't pick up the soap, pick up the soap It's bad for you Oh, don't pick up the soap, pick up the soap Someone will be waiting there for you When you're in prison, be sure to stay awake Always lie upon your back When you're in prison, be sure to stay awake Keep you from attack Oh, don't be no one's bitch, be no one's bitch It's bad for you Oh, don't be no one's bitch, be no one's bitch They won't help you make it through When you're in prison, don't turn the other way Follow what I say to do When you're in prison, don't turn the other way You can make it through You can make it through You can make it through

Carolyn, let me tell you what I heard about a man today He didn't come home from work and he went away Till he came to a city, bright in the night time like day There they say he met up with some women dressed in yellow and scarlet Their warm lips like a honeycomb, dripped with honey And something about the smell of strange perfume Made him feel warm and not alone Yes Carolyn, a man will do that sometimes on his own And sometimes when he's lonely I believe a man might do that sometimes out of spite But Carolyn, a man will do that always When he's treated bad at home Yes Carolyn, a man will do that sometimes on his own And sometimes when he's lonely And I believe a man might do that sometimes out of spite But Carolyn, a man will do that always When he's treated bad at home

I hear people talkin' bad about the way we have to live here in this country Harpin' on the wars we fight, an' gripin' 'bout the way things oughta be An' I don't mind 'em switchin' sides, an' standin' up for things they believe in When they're runnin' down my country, man They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me Runnin' 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 I'm singin' be a warnin' When you're runnin' down my country, man You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me I read about some squirrely guy who claims he just don't believe in fightin' An' I wonder just how long the rest of us can count on bein' free They love our milk an' honey, but they preach about some other way of livin' When they're runnin' down my country, hoss They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me Runnin' 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 I'm singin' be a warnin' When you're runnin' down my country, man You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me Runnin' 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 I'm singin' be a warnin' When you're runnin' down my country, man You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me

I can't stand to see a good man go to waste One who never combs his hair or shaves his face A man who leans on wine, over love that's told a lie Oh, it tears me up to see a grown man cry So I never go around mirrors I can't stand to see me, without you by my side I never go around mirrors 'Cause I've got a heartache to hide I never go around mirrors I can't stand to see me, without you by my side I never go around mirrors 'Cause I've got a heartache to hide And it tears me up to see a grown man cry