It is well agreed upon that this 1968 hit was more-or-less autobiographical. The lyrics are themed around Haggard’s early life; the song is believed to have been inspired by his mother’s attempt to set him on the straight and narrow. Although the Hag never did “life without parole” like the lead character in the song, he was in fact incarcerated at San Quentin in 1957, after an attempt to escape from a lesser security prison. Merle spent a fair amount of time on the wrong side of the law, and in the song “Mama Tried,” you can hear his atonement in the lyrics. “Mama Tried” won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry two weeks before Merle’s death. The song was featured in the Dick Clark film, “The Killers Three,” in which Haggard played a lawman. “Mama Tried” isn’t the only song on the album about Merle’s early life and his mother’s corrective attempts, the Mel Tillis song “I Could of Gone Right” is another tune where he shows remorse for those days.