''A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and

The Strangers Strangers are people who are unknown to another person or group. Strangers or The Strangers may also refer to: History * Elizabethan Strangers or Strangers, a name applied to French and Belgian immigrants to Norwich, East Anglia, England, during ...

, released in 1977. Even though Haggard had moved to the

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gene ...

label, Capitol created this release from tracks previously recorded in 1975 and 1976.

Recording and composition

The album was the result of some shrewd marketing on Capitol's part, playing off Haggard's previous #1 hit "

Workin' Man Blues "Workin' Man Blues" is a song written and performed by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in May 1969 as the second single from the album '' A Portrait of Merle Haggard''. The song was released during ...

" and his reputation as the "Poet of the Common Man" by dressing him up on the cover as a hardhat worker sitting at a bus stop with a lunch box and dangling cigarette. The concept was timely, considering the Carter-era oil crisis that was engulfing the country, and is reflected in the self-penned title track. Despite a short running time of twenty-four minutes, the assembled LP includes several high quality cuts that, remarkably, did not make their original albums. Foremost of these is "Running Kind," a song that Haggard had recorded in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

in 1975 and would become a concert favorite. In his 1999 memoir ''My House of Memories'', Haggard titled one of the chapters after the song and stated, "I later wrote 'The Runnin' Kind,' a song that, in essence, says I've always been running, for no particular reason. There is a restlessness in my soul that I've never conquered..." Another outtake is "Goodbye Lefty," his touching tribute to his hero Lefty Frizzell, who died in 1975. "Blues for Dixie" and especially the cover of

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

' "Moanin' the Blues" feature a breezy, feel-good energy that was largely absent on his final Capitol releases. Perhaps the most curious track on the album is its closer "I'm a White Boy." In his 2013 book on Haggard ''The Running Kind'', biographer David Cantwell describes it as "an aggrieved-feeling white reply to

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

's ' Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud,' with Haggard shouting "I'm proud! And white! And I got a song to sing!"

Critical reception

AllMusic critic Eugene Chadbourne stated in his review: "This is one of this country legend's well thought-out combinations of hardcore traditional material from Hank Williams and the Delmore Brothers, combined with his own brilliant songwriting from some of his tried and true perspectives..." Music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

also rated the album highly, writing "These are powerful pieces whether you like them or not, rendered with passionate sympathy and a touch of distance—his strongest in years."

Track listing

Personnel

* Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar

: * Roy Nichols – lead guitar * Norman Hamlet – steel guitar, dobro * Tiny Moore – mandolin * Ronnie Reno – guitar * Mark Yeary – piano * James Tittle – bass *Biff Adam – drums *Don Markham – saxophone with *

Tommy Collins Tommy Collins may refer to: * Tommy Collins (filmmaker) (died 2022), Irish filmmaker * Tommy Collins (singer) (1930–2000), American country music singer and songwriter See also * Thomas Collins (disambiguation) * Tom Collins (disambiguation) A ...

– guitar * David Kirby – guitar * Dennis Hromek – bass * Johnny Gimble – fiddle and * Al Bruno - guitar * Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano, organ *

Glen D. Hardin Glen Dee Hardin (born April 18, 1939) is an American piano player and arranger. He has performed and recorded with such artists as Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, and Ricky Nelson. Career Hardin was born in Welling ...

– piano * Bob Moore – bass

Chart positions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today, A 1977 albums Merle Haggard albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Ken Nelson (United States record producer)