Some songs don’t need to shout to make you feel something—they just ease into your soul like an old friend. That’s the Way Love Goes is one of those songs. Originally written by Lefty Frizzell and Sanger D. Shafer, it had been around for decades, even recorded by Johnny Rodriguez in the ’70s. But when Merle Haggard took it on in 1983, he gave it a quiet kind of magic that only he could.
Merle was no stranger to the ups and downs of love and life. His weathered voice carried the weight of experience, and when he sang this song, it wasn’t just a performance—it was a reflection. The lyrics are simple, almost conversational, reminding us that love isn’t always fireworks or grand gestures. Sometimes, it’s just about accepting the way it moves—drifting, shifting, changing—with grace.
The song earned Merle a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, and became one of his late-career triumphs. But more than the awards, what makes it unforgettable is how personal it feels. When you listen, it’s as if Merle is sitting right there, talking to you about love’s unpredictable paths—resigned, but never bitter.
Even today, That’s the Way Love Goes feels timeless, because its message is as true now as it was then: love has its own rhythm, and all we can do is follow where it leads.
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Lyrics
I’ve been throwing horseshoes
Over my left shoulder
I’ve spent most all my life
Searching for that four-leaf clover
Yet you ran with me
Chasing my rainbows
Honey, I love you too
That’s the way love goes
That’s the way love goes, babe
That’s the music God made
For all the world to sing
It’s never old, it grows
Losing makes me sorry
You say, “Honey, now don’t worry
Don’t you know I love you too?”
And that’s the way love goes
That’s the way love goes, babe
That’s the music God made
For all the world to sing
It’s never old, it grows
Losing makes me sorry
And you say, “Honey, don’t worry
Don’t you know I love you too?”
And that’s the way love goes