Merle Haggard's song "White Line Fever" is about the life of a traveling musician, plagued by the affliction of being constantly on the road. The "white line fever" is a metaphor for the addiction to the road that has taken hold of the narrator's soul. The song opens with the words "a sickness born down deep within my soul," suggesting that the narrator's love of the road is not a conscious decision but a compulsion that he cannot shake. The repetition of the phrase "white line fever" throughout the song reinforces this idea. The lyrics also reflect on the toll that a life on the road has taken on the narrator. He notes the wrinkles in his forehead that show the miles he's put behind him, a reminder of the passage of time and the physical toll of constant travel. Despite this, he continues to push on, driven by an internal force that he cannot resist. The song also touches on the idea of the road as a place of familiarity, even as the scenery changes. The narrator notes that he's been from coast to coast a hundred times before and hasn't found a place where he hasn't been. This suggests that the road has become a kind of home, albeit one that is constantly moving. Overall, "White Line Fever" is a meditation on the joys and trials of a life on the road, and the addiction that can come with it. Haggard's lyrics capture the mixture of freedom and wanderlust that characterize the road, as well as the sense of longing and loneliness that can come with it.
