Leonard Lyrics - Merle Haggard

[Chorus] 

When Leonard finally came to California 

He was twenty-one years old, as I recall 

He loved to write a song and pick on the guitar 

And he came to hang a gold one on the wall 

The town in which he lived is not important 

But you'll know which town I mean by the time I'm through 

He soon became a famous entertainer 

But Leonard was a name he never used 

He was on his way to having what he wanted 

Just about as close as one could be 

Hey, once he even followed Elvis Presley 

And he wrote a lot of country songs for me 

But he laid it all aside to follow Jesus 

For years he chose to let his music go 

But preaching wasn't really meant for Leonard 

But how in the hell was Leonard s'posed to know 

Well, life began to twist it's way around him 

And I wondered how he carried such a load 

He came back again to try his luck in music 

And lost his wife and family on the road 

After that he seemed to bog down even deeper 

And I saw what booze and pills could really do 

And I wondered if I'd ever see him sober 

But I forgot about a friend that Leonard knew 

Well, Leonard gave me lots of inspiration 

He helped teach me how to write a country song 

And he even brought around a bag of groceries 

Hey, back before Muskogee came along 

Really, I'm not trying to hide his show name 

Or the town in which this episode began 

Somehow I had to write a song for old Tommy 

If just to see the smilin' faces in the band 

[Chorus]