Kern River
Merle Haggard
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I'll never swim Kern River again It was there that I met her It was there that I lost my best friend And now I live in the mountains I drifted up here with the wind And I may drown in still water But I'll never swim Kern River again I grew up in an oil town But my gusher never came in And the river was a boundary Where my darlin' and I use to swim One night in the moonlight The swiftness swept her live away And now I live on Lake Shasta and Lake Shasta is where I will stay There's the South San Joaquin Where the seeds of the dust bowl are found And there's a place called Mount Whitney From where the mighty Kern River comes down Well, it's not deep nor wide But it's a mean piece of water my friend And I may cross on the highway But I'll never swim Kern River again I'll never swim Kern River again It was there I first met her It was there that I lost my best friend And now I live in the mountains I drifted up here with the wind And I may drown in still water But I'll never swim Kern River again I'll never swim Kern River again It was there I first met her It was there that I lost my best friend And now I live in the mountains I drifted up here with the wind And I may cross on the highway But I'll never swim Kern River again
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Written by: MERLE HAGGARD
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Background Information"Kern River" is a song from American country music artist Merle Haggard. The song is a single from his fifty-fourth studio album of the same name.
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Song ReleaseThe song "Kern River" was first released in July of 1985. It was released under the Epic Record Label.
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Song InspirationMerle Haggard wrote "Kern River" about his real-life experience almost drowning in the Kern River near his home in California.
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PopularityThe “Kern River” song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and it was Haggard's twenty-eighth top-10 single on that chart.
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Composition"Kern River" is a three-minute melancholic ballad featuring Merle Haggard's signature gritty vocals backed by his band, The Strangers.
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Lyrics MeaningThe lyrics of "Kern River" express Haggard's nostalgia and longing for a lost love who drowned in the Kern River, forming an emotional connection with his audience.
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Racism ControversyA line in the song, where Haggard sings about not swimming in the river anymore because it's "clouded with old memories," was interpreted by some as a racial remark. However, Haggard denied this interpretation and stated it referenced past events of people drowning.
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Music VideoThe music video for "Kern River" was directed by Merle Haggard himself, making it unique for a country music video in the mid-80s.
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Cover versionsThe song "Kern River" has been covered by a number of artists including Emmylou Harris on her 2008 album “All I Intended to Be”.
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LegacyIn 2016, after Haggard's death, the song was performed by Miranda Lambert and George Strait during the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards as a tribute.
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Citation
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"Kern River Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/29200137/Merle+Haggard/Kern+River>.
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