Saginaw, Michigan - Lefty Frizzell (1963)

[zoushaomenohu]

I first heard this on the radio during their weekly bluegrass hour, and the request was for "Songs Where The Joke Is On Someone." Can't get more accurate than this delightful tune. I remember bursting out laughing when I heard the punchline.

[MrStudio71]

Love the turn table effect.

[adamsfancy3]

Great classic. Today's country cannot hold a candle...

[alexafagan]

Love this , remember hearing it as a child.The record player is great, I had one and thought it was so up to date. Check out Dwight Yoakam's version, really very good....

[kevinniefer1]

Great song

[hilopadx]

One of the best story songs ever....

[jojodot]

added to my playlist, thanks, great song

[blackdogfive]

AnalogueAudio1985...Thank-you

[1busybeekeeper]

Brilliant rendition of a brilliant song

[wazzzit]

R.I.P. Don Wayne - thanks for leaving us a wonderful song

[cynthiacher]

I love the way he sings this song. Listen to Merle Haggard and you'll hear how much he was influenced by the singing style of Lefty Frizzell.

[JesusJuice1963]

Love this song!

[1qwasz12]

I like the video. A little more entertaining than staring at the wall and lets me concentrate on this golden nugget (sorry).

[Frizz90]

Thanks for sharing this song by my Great Uncle Lefty Frizzell :) It's good to know that people keep his spirit alive through his music

[janiec1217]

@Frizz90 Do you know Jimmy Frizzell? I used to go hear him play in Nashville. He was one funny little dude!

[tmsanche]

@Frizz90 My step-grandfather made me look this up because Lefty is his cousin. You have family in NM!

[peacechick92]

@Frizz90 my mom loves lefty's music and just recently i found out that he is my cousin, my mom still keeps in contact with david :) i guess you could say that its a small world for the frizzell's cause it seems like they are related to almost everybody

[Thehighschool8888]

this is my song.. im from saginaw

[ILoveSaginawMichigan]

I had to make this my first video to watch on this channel.

[carnut476]

@ILoveSaginawMichigan sure

[ILoveSaginawMichigan]

@carnut476 Like ma nuts

[HappyBeingMe2]

What a great song. It proves if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it. In his case in the song. He loved the daughter of a rich man and the only way he could marry her was to let her father think he was rich. He sure pulled a fast one on him! lol But he got what he and his sweetheart wanted... Being Married to Each Other! I love this song! :-)

[ramtuff2007]

i love this song

[roltthehunter]

johnny cash covered this and his cover was really good, But this is good too,

[iwanttolivehere1]

you can not believe the memories this brings back... when I tell folks at 58 that I grew up with an outhouse (2 holer) and learned to play scrabble by kerosene lamp... they don't believe... 3 rd generation arizonan....how wonderful this is ...thank you

[LGLG69]

Beautiful

[MissRavenBlue]

This takes me back to sitting in my Grandmothers living room. She'd put on these songs and rock in the rocking chair while my brother and I drew pictures and daydreamed. Never a better time. :)

[sleddr440ss]

Now this is country music the way it should be

[jrn008]

I was lucky enough to see one of Lefty's first performances (in a barn near Grand Junction, Co.) in the early 1950's. Been a big fan ever since. He is a true artist with the voice clarity of an Angel.

[mrtaterman]

i said a honey i'm comin' home, please wait for me

[renger29]

Wow, realizing this song is about 50 years old...My brother in law recently worked in a gold-claim in Whitehorse, nearby Klondike and this also brought him nothing !!

[chub4play]

fantastic!

[tsyetsq]

A.A.1985; 10-23-2008 ... nice .. march 10, 2011, cool. thankyou

[TheBigjohn1964]

this is what county was all about

[dgambino30]

Hahahaa, Sagnasty has been a dump for quite a while now. Still a good song.

[SuperSexton09]

my dad used to sing me to sleep with all these old beutiful songs and i didnt realize just how lucky i was these men quickly became my heros and gave me countless nights of sweet sleep and i crie every time one of them leaves us

[snoopywoodstok81]

@SuperSexton09 My dad listened to a lot of this stuff when I was just little. I always think of how blessed I was to be introduced to music like this. I lost my dad almost six years ago but I have his appreciation for classic country. I try to introduce younger family members to it so that it's never forgotten. I too mourn when another great singer from that era is lost. To me, they may be gone but the music will always carry on. Thanks for sharing your story! =)

[Branimir9000]

Fabulous Song! Love the minimalist video stylings! Brilliant!

[MrRockmeister1]

Makes me think of my grandfather. I wish he was still around to listen to this with me.

[friendlyfreddie]

Not quite "I left my heart in san francisco" but is is michigan

[norbie6]

Great recording. Loved Lefty!

[queentutt1959]

true to life. they all want what they think we have.

[sudungauma]

love this guy I dedicate this song to my nephew Don Rota....Respect

[hooty1325]

Lefty would be disappointed if he saw how Saginaw, Michigan was today

[gradyv1962]

Man I sure love this song.

[slossiter]

Doesn't get much better then this!

[AnnihilationISTRUE]

★★★★★ Yes 5 stars for this "Golden Oldie" as performed by a real Texan. Many 'baby boomers' grew up listening to this song on the old analog radio. What a treat to see it making the rounds again in the digital revolution.

[truecountry2009]

I love Lefty these new singers could learn a lot from him

[truecountry2009]

I love lefty he never did a bad song these new singers could learn a lot from him

[rsteil1]

They should make a movie of this. Great song.

[cdaniels7689]

Tradeboy007, you need to listen to Leo Kotke do this song. HIs guitar and bass voice are the perfect combination for this song.

[johnnypoker46]

Good tune; I like some '60s country, far better than more recent stuff.

I don't think I've heard it since 1963, but I remember quite a bit, especially the line about the greedy fool up in Alaska looking for the gold I never found. Classic!

[teeger66]

@johnnypoker46 OMG...you took the words right out of my mouth! Yes...classic stuff!

[ELpolitoful]

I was born in saginaw,Michigan may 7th 1961 i moved to oklahoma city 2010 i miss home.

[ruckamc]

hahah lefty is my cuzin

[wolfeshadow1313]

This is a great story song, boy loves girl, who loved him, he had to go away to win the girls hand, served the father right to be taken in.Glad they finally got together.

[jedderosia]

As a musician, I needed to research, and this was great. cannot thank you enough.

[Longhammer37214]

That is americana. Thankfully we have recordings of Lefty and the other national treasures that graced us with their gifts. Today we have pinheads with funny haircuts telling us what to listen to. Today's country music is a mere shell, no soul, no feeling, made for the masses, and a mass appeal.

[carollizc]

You can't beat these old songs. "New country" is merely pop with a twang, and just as disposable. Give me songs like this one every time.

[inkaika2525]

Beautiful - what a smooth, rich voice! Thank you for posting this song.

[TheARosemary]

 Lefty Frizzell was born in Corsicana, Texas passed on July 8th '75 from a massive stroke.

[celtic304]

I love this song and I like Lefty but George Jones version is better then I think George cant sing a bad song.

[bmcblane1]

Now this is true blue Country Music. Thanks for posting it.

[bubbarcj]

Grady Martin playing all those great fills and the intro.He set the bar so high for tasty guitar check out Marty Robbins El Paso also.That's Grady also.

[cpnstav]

Great song thanks for posting

[owlgulch]

Now we know where Merle got his gruve !

[bobhansenobc]

Does anyone know where Lefty was from?

[MrDakns]

@bobhansenobc He was born in Corsicana,Texas.

[inkslinger1961]

great song many thanks for posting it

[MrDakns]

Let's not forget,folks,that the Klondike is in Canada.

[Charliecomet82]

@MrDakns That's just good old Alaskan-style geography, don'tchaknow!

[asbpab1966]

@MrDakns To be exact, it is in the Yukon Territory, around Dawson. However, someone from Saginaw, MI, might not be familiar with the geography and call the whole North "Klondike."

[HAZY1LAZY]

Great song Great Singer.

Roy Orbison called himself "Lefty", when a member of the Travelling Wilburys, as a tribute to Lefty Frizzel

[67bobmc]

It stills blows my mind how these old record players still work. What is better yet! the records can take so much abuse and still play just fine.

[AceNightCreeper]

What country music should sound like...

[borntrippin]

Just great stuff, no need for more to be said!!

[polara472hemi]

love this song its a good 1

[1150ram]

Can anyone tell me what ever happened to Lefty Frizzel ? He's one of my favourite country singers.

[celephais72]

He died of massive stroke at 47.

[alzahad]

He died of a stroke in 1975. He had tons and tons of country hits going back to 1950 !. Light years ahead of anyone today,he was truly one of the GREATS of country music. Merle Haggard counts Lefty as his biggest influence.Lefty's was a talent we will never see again ! One of country's greatest legends....Brad Savage --- Lifelong Fan.

[1150ram]

Wow ! Thanks for the information alazahad. I very much appreciate it. I bought one Lefy Frizzell's records when I was about 10 years old. Its the one where he is sitting in a chair or rocking chair whith his hand on his chin. I Think it was called "Sighned Sealed and Delivered" ,....a great record. Lefty Frizzell is my favourite.

[alzahad]

Anytime,my friend ! i have loved Lefty Frizzell since my uncle (the 'country' fan of our family,then) introduced me to 'if you've got the money'way back in 1963 when the song was 13 years old. Its too bad the young people just havent 'dscovered' him, Leftys being gone so many years....A GIANT OF COUNTRY !

[100000DL]

I remember when that song was at the top of charts. It brings back great memories!

[Yurassic]

Fossils, like me, are sure, that good songs were written before our birth...

[Indefatigable4]

I love the ending of this song, picturing the old man running off with a shovel.

[mickindanny]

Now this is Cool Country!

[csasba]

lol... ahhhh I needed that. Good old Saginaw Michigan.... Too bad Saginaw bay is like 40 minutes by car from Saginaw. How did he have a father that was a poor fisherman in Saginaw bay? Maybe they were poor because of all the money his dad spent on commuting.

[Indefatigable4]

You got a bunch of thums-down for that comment, but it gave me a laugh. Maybe the guy drove a hybrid.

[stork32533]

Great old song, with a good story.

[hindview]

Well , The greatest asset SAGINAW MICHIGAN HAS IS IT'S young people.

[deesonsha]

im not afraid...... I think most of us left .. to SERVE our Country.. ready to return...cause rapping on BS ..GHETTO shit... yall have KNOCK on ur door answer it !!!! stop STOP rapping about HOW HARD UR LIFE IS IN SAGINAW,MI ... LOTS OF GRANTS OUT THERE ...... GET SOME...

[deesonsha]

Thank you.... cause Im from here .. and this city.. has Alot to offer... stop being negative!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[deesonsha]

love it

[hindview]

I was born IN poor ole KENTUCKY.

[hindview]

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us

[augeri1]

I just listened to George's version and I'm sorry but this song will always be Lefty's. I grew up on country music because of my parents love for it. It was artists like Tom T. Hall, Lefty & Merle that made me fall in love as well. THIS song to this day is still my mothers favorite. Thank you for posting it and bringing back great memories :)

[pigpenthecat]

Nice recording...nothing like those records.....I have always loved this song...shows what lengths people will go to for a dollar....thats why we don't have great country music any more....thank you for the beautiful post.

[inbredagogo]

neat old turntable

[bwalker261]

I had never heard the George Jones rendition of "Saginaw ". I'm sure there are lots of good songs out there I've never heard, but, as good as George Jones is he was out of his element. Sort of like doing Faron Young's, "I've got Five Dollars and it's Saturday night"

[bwalker261]

I agree. As close as Merle Haggard was to the Lefty style, and he acknowledged he was influenced by him. Merle Haggard did great but so far no one has topped Lefty Frizzel.

[tradeboy007]

WOW! i ALWAYS LOVED THIS SONG .AINT NO ONE CAN SING IT LIKE LEFTY-HE MADE IT HIS OWN-5 WELL DESERVED STARS

[ILoveSaginawMichigan]

@tradeboy007 Yeah well I'm from ther!!!!

[Clevinger67]

Great song; they don't write them like this anymore. Last time I was in Saginaw it was in the late Nineties; I'd rather live in the Alaskan tundra than in what I saw in Saginaw. It was like looking at the rusted shipwreck of a once beautiful ship.

[DTQ1991]

man you dont know the half of it . Saginaw is rotten to the core and filled with rats and roaches sad for a once beautiful city gone the way of Detroit and Flint

[auntbecky]

Saginaw Detroit and Flint always were and always will be beautiful. You just have to have the heart to see through the mess. Take from someone in roach and snake infested Florida.

[dahur]

Yup. I lived almost all my life in Flint, over 50 years. I moved to New Mexico last year, and I don't care if I ever go back to Michigan again.  Flint, and Saginaw are cesspools of crime, drugs, and broken economies. Great when I was a kid. Relatives in Saginaw, so frequently went there, 35 miles north of Flint.

Love this song, and it was huge in Michigan in 1964.

[BigHonky33]

Detroit and Flint used to be livable too. I think we all know what the problem is, but everyone is too damned scared to admit it.

[MapleSyrupBoyEh]

One of the greatest country songs of the Sixties. Thanks for posting as I enjoyed this song immensely as it generated a flood of pleasant memories. Keep up the good work -- you're putting smiles on the faces of people around the world!

[redneckrebel92]

i love this song

[dogkelp]

Terrific Bill Anderson compo!

[one2pull]

this is one of my favorites of all time.

[tuktukskagal]

This is one hell of a song.

[CINCINATI997]

Thank you for this great download.

[marctrainor]

Boy it's hard to beat the original on this song. This is the best version I've ever heard of this song. You've got great guitar, great background vocals and the great, great Lefty Frizell singing this great song. Marc Trainor.

[geekaypee]

Check the new(ish) Jimmie Dale Gilnmore version

[marc7bonnie]

I couldn't seem to find Gilnmore's version, but I'll keep looking!!! Marc.

[CptEgon]

This song brings back memories, thanks for the post