Song written by Merle Haggard and recorded by the same, on February 25, 1977, for the MCA label, with the production of Hank Cochran, was released on April 18, 1977, reached number # 2 on the US charts. Hot Country Songs, and the # 3 position of Canadian RPM Country Tracks lists.The song would be included in the twenty-second studio album, Ramblin’ Fever (MCA 1977), the album reached # 5 position in the Billboard Country albums charts. It was his first on the MCA label after recording for Capitol Records since 1965.
Few communicated what could be coined by an outlaw arts poetica as the “Ramblin Fever” of Merle Haggard. And who knows better than Merle? A bastard child inside and outside the California juvenile justice system, chronic gambler, thief and drug addict, currently in his fifth marriage, Haggard is known to say after his three years in San Quentin State Prison that his freedom was “The loneliest feeling I’ve ever had, “he wished he could return. It is known to be the original outlaw, and “Ramblin Fever” is one of the mission statements par excellence.
Versions:
Bluegrass Blend 1979 (Leather Records)
The Gibsons 1979 (Wudwink Records)
Cash Backman 1983 (Hammard Records)
Southern Blend 1987 (Old Homestead Records)
Billy Joe Shaver 1994 (HighTone Records)
David Allan Coe 2002 (King Records)
Tanya Tucker 2009 (Saguaro Road Records)
Randy Hauser 2014 (Broken Bow Records)
Merle Haggard – Ramblin’ Fever Lyrics
My hat don’t hang on the same nail too long
My ears can’t stand to hear the same old song
An’ I don’t leave the highway long enough to bog down in the mud
‘Cos I’ve got ramblin’ fever in my blood
I caught this ramblin’ fever long ago
When I first heard a lonesome whistle blow
If someone said I ever gave a damn, the damn sure told you wrong
I’ve had ramblin’ fever all along
Ramblin’ fever
The kind that can’t be measured by degrees
Ramblin’ fever
There ain’t no kind of cure for my disease
There’s times I’d like to bed down on a sofa
And let some pretty lady rub my back
And spend the early morning drinking coffee
And talkin’ about when I’ll be coming back
‘Cos I don’t let no no woman tie me down
And I’ll never get too old to get around
I want to die along the highway and rot away like some old high-line pole
Rest this ramblin’ fever in my soul
Ramblin’ fever
The kind that can’t be measured by degrees
Ramblin’ fever
There ain’t no kind of cure for my disease, yeah
, the album reached # 5 position in the Billboard Country albums charts. It was his first on the MCA label after recording for Capitol Records since 1965.Few communicated what could be coined by an outlaw arts poetica as the “Ramblin Fever” of Merle Haggard. And who knows better than Merle? A bastard child inside and outside the California juvenile justice system, chronic gambler, thief and drug addict, currently in his fifth marriage, Haggard is known to say after his three years in San Quentin State Prison that his freedom was “The loneliest feeling I’ve ever had, “he wished he could return. It is known to be the original outlaw, and “Ramblin Fever” is one of the mission statements par excellence.Versions:Bluegrass Blend 1979 (Leather Records)The Gibsons 1979 (Wudwink Records)Cash Backman 1983 (Hammard Records)Southern Blend 1987 (Old Homestead Records)Billy Joe Shaver 1994 (HighTone Records)David Allan Coe 2002 (King Records)Tanya Tucker 2009 (Saguaro Road Records)Randy Hauser 2014 (Broken Bow Records)){kind=link}