Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner’s Daughter

Coal Miner’s Daughter, a song written and recorded by Loretta Lynn for the Decca label, was recorded on October 1, along with two other songs, Bradley’s Barn, 722 Bender’s Ferry Road, Mount Juliet, TN. In the recording session Loretta was accompanied by: Grady Martin (lead electric guitar), Ray Edenton (acoustic guitar), Hal Rugg (steel), Harold Bradley (electric bass guitar), Bob Moore (bass), Buddy Harman (drums), Hargus Robbins (piano), Bob Thompson (banjo) and The Jordanaires. With the production of Owen Bradley, the single was released on October 5, 1970, and on December 19 it reached # 1 on the US Hot Country Songs charts, and on the same day it also reached # 1 on the charts. Canadian RPM Country Tracks. It was the fourth number one in Loretta’s career. The song was included in Loretta’s sixteenth studio album, Coal Miner’s Daughter (Decca 1971), the album was released on January 4, 1971, reaching # 4 on the charts of the US Top Country Albums. The album was certified gold in the USA.

Story behind the song:

Loretta’s autobiographical song, where she tells how hard her childhood was, in a hut on a hill in Butcher Holler, where she reflects the difficulties of growing up in rural Kentucky, where there was little money but lots of love. Far from being I’m sorry, Lynn uses this song as a badge of honor and sings about how proud she is of her background.

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” was unlike anything Lynn had ever recorded previously. Now, fans quickly reacted to the song with praise and turned the song into one of country music’s iconic hits. Lynn named her 1976 autobiography after this song. In 1980, he adapted to the biopic Daughter of the coal miner, with Sissy Spacek in the lead role. Spacek, who was originally supposed to synchronize lips, performed all the songs for the movie. His version of the main song was a country hit at number 23, and his interpretation of Lynn earned him an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Some versions :

Rita Remington 1974 ( Pickwick )
Sissy Spacek 1980 ( Atlantic America )
Kathy Sunners 1998 ( Rendition Records )
Countdown 2001 ( Madacy )
Penny Gilley 2002 ( Entertainment Plus )
Heidi Hauge 2002 ( Showtime Records )
Mary Duff 2004 ( Rosette Records )
Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow & Miranda Lambert 2010 ( Columbia )

Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner’s Daughter lyrics

Well, I was born a coal miner’s daughter
In a cabin, on a hill in Butcher Holler
We were poor but we had love,
That’s the one thing that daddy made sure of
He’d shovel coal to make a poor man’s dollar

My daddy worked all night in the Van Lear coal mines
All day long in the field a hoin’ corn
Mommy rocked the babies at night
And read the Bible by the coal oil light
And ever’ thing would start all over come break of morn

Daddy loved and raised eight kids on a miner’s pay
Mommy scrubbed our clothes on a washboard ever’ day
Why I’ve seen her fingers bleed
To complain, there was no need
She’d smile in mommy’s understanding way

In the summertime we didn’t have shoes to wear
But in the wintertime we’d all get a brand new pair
From a mail order catalog
Money made from selling a hog
Daddy always managed to get the money somewhere

Yeah, I’m proud to be a coal miner’s daughter
I remember well, the well where I drew water
The work we done was hard
At night we’d sleep ’cause we were tired
I never thought of ever leaving Butcher Holler

Well a lot of things have changed since a way back then
And it’s so good to be back home again
Not much left but the floor, nothing lives here anymore
Except the memory of a coal miner’s daughter