The basics behind most country songs are the expression of everyday life, and Haggard's life certainly had its ups and downs. When a Merle Haggard  song plays, it can make an innocent-as-apple-pie grandma understand the stark loneliness and self-loathing of a prisoner on death row, or a rich kid who  never wanted for any material possessions get a feel for the pain of wondering where the next meal will come from. It was from these experiences that his  chart-topping hits were born. Merle Haggard is a Country ICON.