
By the time Merle Haggard released America First in 2005, he was no longer the brash young rebel who sang Okie from Muskogee. He was an elder statesman of country music — weathered, reflective, and deeply rooted in the everyday concerns of working-class Americans.
Written during the height of the Iraq War, America First doesn’t shout or preach. Instead, it quietly asks a question: What happened to looking after our own? Through a simple melody and plainspoken lyrics, Merle captures something that many Americans were feeling but few dared to say — a longing to turn inward, to rebuild from the inside out, and to remember the cost of war beyond politics.
What makes this song special isn’t just its message, but the way Merle delivers it. His voice doesn’t accuse — it aches. He doesn’t point fingers; he opens a door for conversation. In just under three minutes, he reminds us that patriotism doesn’t always mean cheering the loudest… sometimes it means caring the most.
🎵 Why It Still Matters
America First isn’t about isolation — it’s about priorities. It’s about tired veterans, forgotten towns, and blue-collar hearts that beat quietly beneath the noise. Haggard’s genius lies in saying complex things simply — and in this song, he says a lot.
It never became a chart-topping anthem, but maybe that’s the point. America First wasn’t meant for stadiums. It was meant for pickup trucks, kitchen radios, and long stretches of highway — where real people live, and real stories happen.
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Lyrics
Why don’t we liberate these United States
We’re the ones that need it worst?
Let the rest of the world help us for a change
And let’s rebuild America first
Our highways an’ bridges are fallin’ apart
Who’s blessed an’ who has been cursed?
There’s things to be done all over the world
But let’s rebuild America first
Who’s on the Hill, and who’s watchin’ the valley?
Who’s in charge of it all?
God bless the army an’ God bless our liberty
Dad gum the rest of it all
Yeah, the men in position are backin’ away
Freedom is stuck in reverse
Let’s get out of Iraq an’ get back on the track
And let’s rebuild America first
Once more
Why don’t we liberate these United States
We’re the ones who need it the most
You think I’m blowin’ smoke? Boys it ain’t no joke
I make 20 trips a year from coast to coast