“THE SONG HE WROTE IN A PRISON YARD — ABOUT A MAN HE WATCHED WALK TO HIS DEATH.” Merle Haggard was 20 years old when he sat in San Quentin and watched a fellow inmate walk toward the execution chamber. The man paused. He asked to hear one last song. That image never left Haggard. Years later, Merle wrote “Sing Me Back Home.” He never said who the song was really about. He just sang it — every night, slower than the night before. 38 #1 hits. Over 40 million records sold. A Presidential pardon. But none of that could erase what Haggard saw through those bars. Some songs are written to be sung. This one was written to remember. And the way Haggard’s voice cracked near the end told you everything his words wouldn’t.
The Song Merle Haggard Carried Out of San Quentin Before Merle Haggard became one of country music’s most unmistakable voices,…