2 Famous Outlaw Country Songs That Were Inspired by Real-Life Criminals

The imagery created in many outlaw country songs makes them feel so chillingly real. Well, some of those songs recall real events. Many musicians have performed songs inspired by real criminal cases. Some of these cases were even pulled from their experiences. 

“Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard

“Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard, released in 1968, was about his experiences, just slightly exaggerated. When Haggard was nine years old, his father passed away. His older siblings were much older, in their twenties, so they had already left home. This left Haggard’s mother, Flossie Mae Harp, to raise him solo. She tried her best, as Haggard conveys; however, he was not the easiest child to raise alone:

“Dear old Daddy, rest his soul / Left my Mom a heavy load / She tried so very hard to fill his shoes / Workin’ hours without rest / Wanted me to have the best / She tried to raise me right but I refused.”

At fourteen years old, he ran away to Texas from his home in California. Haggard was arrested multiple times for theft, placing him in juvenile detention centers and jails, some of which he escaped from. He ultimately landed in San Quentin Prison with a maximum sentence of 15 years for attempted robbery and jail break.

On New Year’s Day, 1958, Johnny Cash performed at San Quentin. Haggard, at 20 years old, was among the audience of inmates. He claims that it is what ultimately inspired him to change his ways and focus on music.

While his song “Mama Tried” is mostly accurate to his experiences, only one line is exaggerated. In the song, Haggard says he “turned twenty-one in prison doin’ life without parole.” He indeed turned 21 in prison. However, obviously, he was not doing life without parole.

“It is true, as in the song, that  I was in prison when I was 21,” said Haggard, “I didn’t get life without parole, though; that’s the only line that isn’t factual.”

“Wacko From Waco” by Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe Shaver is, in fact, the “Wacko from Waco.” Shaver’s song, released in 2012, is about the time he shot someone back in 2007.

Shaver and his wife, Wanda, at the time, were in the process of getting a divorce. Despite this, they decided to go to a bar called Papa Joe’s on the border of South Carolina and Georgia. The bar was not a very safe or friendly atmosphere.

“We run across this place called Papa Joes, and it’s a beer joint, and I’ve been in there, and it’s a scary ass place,” Shaver described. “I mean, the door actually looked like something to enter solitary confinement.”

There was a man in the bar who began to “talk up” Shaver’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Shaver made some comments on the matter, which led him and the man to argue. Things began to cool down, according to Shaver; however, he saw the man be handed a gun. This made him go to his car and grab his .22 Derringer.

The man began to shoot at Shaver. So, Shaver shot back, shooting the man in the head. Lyrics from the song set the scene:

“Shot a man there in the head, but can’t talk much about it / He was trying to shoot me, but he took too long to aim.”

Shaver was found not guilty of aggravated assault in 2010 when the jury ruled he acted in self-defense.

Reflecting on when he decided to shoot back at the man, Shaver said, “I come out with that gun, pop. Hit him right between the mother and the f***er.”