Merle Haggard's "What Happened?" is a song that laments the changes that have occurred in America over the years. The song talks about how the country has become a place where everything is Walmart all the time, and there are no more mom and pop shops or five and dime stores. Haggard talks about how truth that stood for years is now down the drain, and how Uncle Sam gets your money spent. He also discusses the rise of high tech bars with bad karaoke sound and foreign cars selling big in American town. The song asks the question, "What happened?" and wonders where America went. Haggard talks about how things have gone wrong and questions whether the country got too high and slept too long. He also discusses how the price of gasoline has gone up and remembers the morning the towers fell. "What Happened?" is a song that is critical of the changes that have occurred in America over the years. Haggard longs for the days when things were simpler and the country had a different vibe. The song is a reflection of Haggard's personal feelings and his observations of the world around him. It is a powerful statement on the changing face of the country and a call to action to try and make things right.
