[Editor’s Note: The following post is part of American Masters’ #InspiringWomanPBS campaign, which highlights the powerful, creative, and innovative women in our lives. Visit the Inspiring Woman page to join the campaign and submit the story of a woman who inspires you.]
Loretta Lynn is turning 85 this year, and we wanted to celebrate her birthday by making Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl available for public streaming for the next two weeks and by revisiting some of her classics. Her unforgettable lyrics are some of our favorites in country music. Whether she was singing about her husband, the pill, or Patsy Cline, you could feel her strength, humor and attitude come through. It was tough to choose, but here are our top five favorites:
1) “It’ll be over my dead body, so get out while you can / ’cause you ain’t woman enough to take my man.”
Loretta Lynn does not mess around, and stands up for herself without hesitation. Watch this video to learn the story behind the lyrics of this song.
2) “While I’m at home a-working and a-slaving away / you’re out a-misbehavin’ spending all of your pay on wine, women, and song.”
Did we mention that Loretta Lynn does not mess around? She had no time for misbehaving husbands and wasn’t afraid to call them out.
3) “This old maternity dress I’ve got is going in the garbage. / The clothes I’m wearing from now on won’t take up so much yardage.”
Loretta Lynn’s song, The Pill, was initially so controversial it was banned. Learn more about Lynn’s fearless songwriting in this video.
4) “When he holds me close it feels almost / like another hurricane just ripped the coast.”
Despite all of her attitude, Loretta Lynn could still be a romantic. Her duets with Conway Twitty were some of the most memorable in country music, and their chemistry brought them both success.
5) “Well, I was born a coal miner’s daughter / in a cabin, on a hill in Butcher Holler.”
Loretta Lynn could paint a picture with her lyrics, and candidly shared her personal experiences. Coal Miner’s Daughter openly explored the warmth of rural communities and the struggles of rural poverty.