Willie Nelson Drops a Heartfelt Ode to the Outlaw Who Helped Define a Generation—And It Hurts in All the Right Ways. ML
At 92 years old, Willie Nelson has watched many of his friends pass away. Fortunately, the Red-Headed Stranger is committed to keeping his buddies’ music alive. Nelson is currently gearing up to drop Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, a tribute to country legend (and “Pancho and Lefty” collaborator) Merle Haggard. Ahead of the album’s Nov. 7 release, Willie shared its first single, a haunting cover of the Okie from Muskogee’s 1967 hit “Somewhere Between.”
Written with ex-wife Bonnie Owens, Haggard released “Somewhere Between” on his fourth studio album, Branded Man. The wistful ballad tells the story of a couple struggling to bridge the emotional gap between them, despite no shortage of love in the relationship.
Somewhere between your heart and mine / There’s a window that I can’t see through, Mighty Merle sings. There’s a wall so high it reaches the sky / Somewhere between me and you.
Workin’ Man, which marks the 78th studio album of Willie Nelson’s career, contains covers of 11 Merle Haggard songs, including the classics “Okie from Muskogee” and “Mama Tried.”
Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard Bonded Over Poker
Merle Haggard died of complications from pneumonia on April 6, 2016 — his 79th birthday. About a week later, Willie Nelson reflected on one of his closest friendships in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“I always had a lot of admiration for him,” Nelson said. “He came onto the scene with a bang. He wrote more Number One songs than me, Kris [Kristofferson], anybody… He was able to talk about his life in his songs intelligently and ingeniously, really.”
The two met in the ’60s during a poker game at Nelson’s Nashville home. Poker would become a constant in their relationship, as would music (obviously.)
“You can’t bluff Willie Nelson because he calls every g–damned bet,” Haggard said in a GQ interview shortly before his death. “He’s predictable — you can bet your ass he’s going to call you.”
The 20-time ACM Award winner shared a mutual admiration for Nelson, and not only for his poker skills. “He caters to no one, except the people he wants to,” Haggard said. “He’s just his own man, always has been. And so am I.”
