Recorded by: Merle HaggardWritten by: Merle HaggardWhen LEONARD finally came to Cali-for- niaHe was twen- ty-one years old as I recallHe loved to write a song and pick the gui- tarAnd he came to hang a Gold one on the wall.6m 4The town in which he lived is not impor- tantBut you'll know which town I mean by the time I'm thru6m 4He soon became a famous enter- tainerBut LEONARD was a name he never used .He was on his way to having what he wantedJust about as close as one could beHey! once he even followed Elvis PresleyAnd he wrote a lot of country songs for me.But he laid it all aside to follow JesusFor years he chose to let his music goBut preaching wasn't really meant for LEONARDBut how in the hell was LEONARD s'posed to know.Well, life began to twist its way around himAnd I wondered how he carried such a loadHe came back again to try his luck in musicAnd lost his wife and family on the road.SPOKEN:[After that he seemed to bog down even deeperAnd I saw what booze and pills could really doAnd I wondered if I'd ever see him soberBut I forgot about a Friend that LEONARD knew.]Well, LEONARD gave me lots of inspirationHe helped teach me how to write a country songAnd he even brought around a bag of groceriesHey! back before Muskogee came along.Really I'm not trying to hide his shownameOr the town in which this episode beganSomehow I had to write a song for old TommySPOKEN:If just to see the smilin' faces in the band.When LEONARD finally came to Cali-for- niaHe was twen- ty-one years old as I recallAnd he loved to write a song and pick the gui- tarAnd he came to hang a Gold one on the wall.SOURCE:MERLE HAGGARD-DOWN EVERY ROAD