Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn "This is the true story of my early life in Butcher Holler, Kentucky. My daddy did work in the coal mines and my mama did wash on the scrub board. The old house is still standing, and I go back to see it every now and then." —Loretta Lynn Coal Miner's Daughter I was born a coal miner's daughter In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler We were born poor but we had love That's the one thing that daddy made sure of He shovelled coal to make a poor man's dollar. My daddy worked all night in the Vanleer coal mine All day long in the field a-hoein' corn Mommie rocked the babies at night And read the Bible by the coal oil light And everything would start all over come the break of morn. Daddy loved and raised eight kids on a miner's pay Mommie scrubbed our clothes on a washboard every day I've seen her fingers bleed To complain there was no need She'd smile in mommie's understanding way. In the summertime we didn't have shoes to wear But in the wintertime we'd get a brand new pair From a mail order catalog Money made big from selling a hog Daddy always managed to get the money somewhere. 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 worked hard I never thought of ever leaving Butcher Holler. A lot of things have changed since 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 mem'ries of a coal miner's daughter.