Listen to the Authentic Country Sound of Merle Haggard’s “Daddy Frank” and Relive the Good Old Days
Merle Haggard’s “Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)” is a poignant and nostalgic country song that tells the story of a man reflecting on his childhood memories with his father.
The song begins with the narrator reminiscing about his father, who was a hardworking man and a talented musician. He sings, “I remember Sunday morning / I would meet him at the pasture / Every Sunday afternoon / We’d have a chicken and dumplings.”
The narrator goes on to describe how his father loved playing the guitar, and how he would often serenade the family with his music. He sings, “He’d pick away on that old guitar / And me and my brother would sing / And Daddy Frank would harmonize in / And then us kids would take our bath.”
Throughout the song, the narrator expresses his admiration for his father and the way he lived his life. He sings, “Daddy Frank played the guitar and the french harp / Sister played the ringing tambourine / Mama couldn’t hear our pretty music / She read our lips and helped the family sing.”
However, despite his fond memories, the narrator also acknowledges that his father had his flaws. He sings, “Daddy Frank, he taught us all the hard way / How to work and how to play too long / And he’d say, ‘a song never hurt nobody’ / ‘Go on and play, boy, it won’t mean you’re gay.'”
Overall, “Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)” is a song about love, admiration, and nostalgia. It’s a tribute to a hardworking father who instilled values of hard work and dedication in his children, while also sharing his love of music with them. The song captures the essence of a simpler time, when families gathered together to sing and make music, and highlights the importance of cherishing those memories and holding onto them even as time passes.
