Loretta Lynn Album

One of my fondest memories
Was sittin' on my daddy's knee
Listenin' to the stories that he told
He'd pull out that old photograph
Like a treasured memory from the past
And say child this here's the Van Lear Rose.

Oh how it would bring a smile
When he talked about her big blue eyes
And how her beauty ran down to her soul
She'd walk across the coal miner's yard
Them miner's would yell loud and hard
and they'd dream of who would hold
The Van Lear Rose.

Chours:
She was the belle of Johnson County
Ohio river to Big Sandy
A beauty to behold like a diamond in the coal
All the miner's they would gather 'round
Talk about the man that came to town
Right under their nose
Stole the heart of the Van Lear Rose.

Now the Van Lear Rose could've had her pick
And all the fellers figured rich
Until this poor boy caught her eye
His buddies would all laugh and say
Your dreamin' boy she'll never look your way
You'll never ever hold the Van Lear Rose.

Chours:
She was the belle of Johnson County
Ohio river to Big Sandy
A beauty to behold like a diamond in the coal
All the miner's they would gather 'round
Talk about the man that came to town
Right under their nose
Stole the heart of the Van Lear Rose.

Then one night in mid July
Underneath that ol' blue Kentucky sky
Well, that poor boy won that beauty's heart
Then my daddy would look at my mommy and smile
As he brushed the hair back from my eyes and he'd say
Your mama she's the Van Lear Rose.

Chours:
She was the belle of Johnson County
Ohio river to Big Sandy
A beauty to behold like a diamond in the coal
All the miner's they would gather 'round
Talk about the man that came to town
Right under their nose
Stole the heart of the Van Lear Rose.

Right under their nose
Stole the heart of the Van Lear Rose...

Well, Portland, Oregon and sloe gin fizz
If that ain't love then tell me what is
Well, I lost my heart it didn't take no time
But that ain't all. I lost my mind, in Oregon.

In a booth in the corner with the lights down low
I was movin' in fast, she was takin' it slow
Well, I looked at him and caught him lookin' at me
I knew right then we were playin' free, in Oregon.

Next day we knew last night, got drunk
But we loved enough for the both of us
In the morning when the night had sobered up
It was much too late for the both of us, in Oregon.

Well, sloe gin fizz works mighty fast
When you drink it by the pitcher and not by the glass
Hey bartender, before you close
Pour us one more drink and a pitcher to go.

And a pitcher to go.
And a pitcher to go...

I cant understand a word your sayin'
We've got a bad connection on our minds
Communication's one thing we never seem to find
Oh Lord, I'm sorry but there's trouble on the line.

All I get is static when we're talkin'
You say my line is out of order all the time
We have nothin' left in common
Your thoughts are not like mine.
Oh Lord, I'm sorry but there's trouble on the line.

There's trouble on the line
From your heart to mine
Oh lord, I'm sorry
But we're not gettin' through.

The storm keeps gettin' worse
Lord, we might as well quit tryin'
Oh Lord, I'm sorry but there's trouble on the line
Oh Lord, I'm sorry but there's trouble on the line.

The storm keeps gettin' worse
Lord, we might as well quit tryin'
Oh Lord, I'm sorry but there's trouble on the line
Oh Lord, I'm sorry but there's trouble on the line...

Woman you dont know me
But you can bet that I know you
Everybody in this whole darn town
Knows you too.

I brought along our little babies
'Cause I wanted them to see
The woman thats burning down
Our family tree.

No, I didn't come to fight
If he was a better man I might
But I wouldn't dirty my hands
On trash like you, no.

Bring out the babies, daddy
That's who they've come to see
Not the woman thats burning down
Our family tree

Their daddy once was a good man
Until he ran into trash like you
Take a look at baby's face
And tell me who loves who.

I brought along his ole dog Charlie
And the bills that's overdue
The job your workin'
Lord, we need money too.

No, I didn't come to fight
If he was a better man I might
But I wouldn't dirty my hands
On trash like you, no.

Bring out the babies, daddy
That's who they've come to see
Not the woman that's burning down
Our family tree.

No, not the woman thats burning down
Our family tree...

Have mercy on me baby
I'm down upon my knees
Have mercy on me baby
I'll do just as you please
Well you know that I love you
I'll put noone else above you
Have mercy on me baby, have mercy.

Have mercy on me baby
Please have a little heart
Have mercy on me baby
You're tearing me apart
The way that you do me
You know you done got to me
Have mercy on me baby, have mercy.

She's got you hypnotized
And your brain is paralyzed
You know she's only playing with you
Like a puppet on a string
Remember just one thing
She can't love you like I do, no.

Have mercy on me baby
Please give this heart a break
Have mercy on me baby
I'll do just what it takes
You know you won't regret it
So hey there now I said it
Have mercy on me baby, have mercy.

Have mercy
Have mercy on me baby
Have mercy on me baby
Have mercy on me
Have mercy on me baby
Please have mercy on me...

Chorus:
High on a mountain top
We live, we love, and we laugh a lot
Folks up here know what they got
High on a mountain top.

High on a mountain top
Where the rest of the world's
Like a little bitty spot
I ain't comin down no never
I'm not High on a mountain top.
High on a mountain top.

Where I come from the mountain flowers grow wild
The blue grass sways like it's goin out of style
God fearin people simple and real
'Cause up on the ridge folks that's the deal.

Well my daddy worked down in the dark coal mine
Shovelin' that coal one shovel at a time
Never made a lot money didn't have much
But we're high on life and rich in love.

Chorus:
High on a mountain top
We live, we love, and we laugh a lot
Folks up here know what they got
High on a mountain top.

Well, down in the holler lived my uncle Joe
He'd pull out his fiddle and rosin his bow
We'd all sing and dance and we ain't gonna stop
When the moon shine flows behind every rock.

Chorus:
High on a mountain top
We live, we love, and we laugh a lot
Folks up here know what they got
High on a mountain top.

Well, we lay on our backs and we count the stars
'Cause up here folks heaven's not that far.

Chorus:
High on a mountain top
We live, we love, and we laugh a lot
Folks up here know what they got
High on a mountain top.

High on a mountain top.
High on a mountain top...

I was 11 months old, I was just starting to walk
And Daddy always kept a big stick behind the door
Just in case somebody was to come in that was drunk on moonshine,
You know, and Daddy had to do something about it.

Anyway, this woman, we called her old Aunt Boyd,
She come in and she was telling Mommy about her,
Uh, husband, she thinks is going out with this woman in
Paintsville
So she reared back with that big stick showing Mommy
How she was going to hit this woman in the head with it.

And when she went back with it, she hit me in the head
And Mommy said I cried for 5 days, and she said, I that fifth night,
I had a great big knot that show up right in the middle of my forehead
And, you know, the only thing I remember.

I don't remember no pain, but I just remember Mommy
And Daddy carrying me in this old quilt
That Mommy had made out of overhalls
The knots kept getting bigger and bigger
So she took me to the doctor
And that stuff called mesitor, something like that.

Mommy said it made both ears flat to my face
And I ain't got very big ears
And told Mommy that I would, that I was going to die
And that happened like four times so I didn't walk till I was almost 5.

It was, It was kind of a mess.

Oh I forgot about the shoes, Well shoot, I hadn't,
I'd never had a pair of shoes and Mommy had went,
Took me to the hospital, you know, to see what that was,
If they couldn't do something.
But they wouldn't keep me because Mommy and Daddy
Didn't have no money.

They just tell ‘em to take me home and let me die,
you know, because there wasn't nothing they could do
About that kind of disease, I guess and, um, Mommy told Daddy
Says “Ted, you take her down the street, you carry her down the street.”
And said, “Let me try this store here,” and Mommy went in
And told them the story that I was dying.

That she had to carry me twelve miles to town
And twelve miles back and that I had no shoes
That place, I think it was Murphy's 5 and 10
And they're still there in Paintsville, Kentucky
And I think that they told Mommy that they wasn't in
Business to give shoes away.

Mommy told Daddy, says, “Carry Loretta on down a little farther.”
Said, “And let me stop in another store.”
And Mommy went right back to the same store
When the guy's back was turned she stole these little red shoes.

And I remember on the big' old bridge that went across the river
It went way up high and was, I've always been scared of that bridge
That took me across the big Sandy River
Mommy pulled them out from under that yellow jacket
That she was wearing and she was putting them red shoes on me.

And I thought them was the prettiest things I ever saw in my life
And Daddy started crying and I wondered why
And he said, “Clerie, we're not going to make it home,”
And Mommy put the shoes on me.

And Daddy took off running and run all the way ahead
To Butcher Holler with me and Mommy never had a chance
To carry me any farther, and that's almost twelve miles
That Daddy run with me.

But Daddy knew that the cops was going to get us
He left Mommy standing and he took off in a dead run
I remember him running but I didn't know what for

And I remember asking Mommy, “Mommy, why is Daddy running?”
I remember her hollering, To put your little red shoes away,
Honey, when you get home.”

[Laughs]

Can you believe that?
So I wrote a song called “Put My Little Red Shoes Away,”
You know, they're my little red shoes
And I don't want ‘em to get, to be dirty...

[No lyrics]

I'm in a womens prison
With bars all around
I caught my darlin' cheatin'
That's when I shot him down.

I caught him in a honky tonk
With a girl I used to know
The door to my cell is open wide
And a voice cries out, oh no.

The judge says I'm guilty
My sentence is to die
I know I've been forgiven
But the price of love is high.

The crowd outside screamin'
Let that murderer die
But above all their voices
I can hear my mama cry.

I'm sittin' here on the death row
And Lord, I've lost my mind
For love I've killed my darlin'
And for love I'll lose my life.

I can hear the warden coming
From the pinging of his keys
But when they come to get me
They'll hafta drag me off my knees.

The door to my cell swings open
It's time for me to go
The priest is reading my last rights
He says, dyin's part of livin', ya know.

There's a crowd outside screamin'
Let that murderer fry
But above all their voices
You can hear my mama cry.

Now they've strapped me in the chair
And covered up my eyes
And the last voice that I hear on earth
Is my mama's cry.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see...

This old house once knew my children
This old house once knew my wife
This old house was home and comfort
As we fought the storms of life

This old house once rang with laughter
This old house heard many shouts
Now it trembles in the darkness
When the lightning walks about

Ain't gonna need this house no longer
Ain't gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm gettin' ready to meet the saints

This old house is gettin' shaky
This old house is gettin' old
This old house lets in the rain
This old house lets the cold

On my knees are gettin' chilly
But I feel no fear or pain
'Cause I see an angel peepin'
Through the broken window pane

Ain't gonna need this house no longer
Ain't gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm gettin' ready to meet the saints

This old house is gettin' shaky
This old house is gettin' old
This old house lets in the rain
This old house lets in the cold

On his knees he's gettin' chilly
But he feels no fear or pain
'Cause he sees an angel peepin'
Through a broken window pane

Ain't gonna need this house no longer
Ain't gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend no window pain
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm getting ready to meet the saints

This old house is afraid of thunder
This old house is afraid of storms
This old house just blows and trembles
When the night cames after dawn
This old house is getting fragile
This old house is in need of paint
Just like me it's starting to die
I'm getting ready to meet the saints

Ain't gonna need this house no longer
Ain't gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend no window pain
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm getting ready to meet the saints...

[No lyrics]

I lie here all alone
In my bed of memories
I'm dreamin' of your sweet kiss
Oh, and how you loved on me
I can almost feel you with me
Here in this blue moon light
Oh, I miss being Mrs. tonight.

Like so many other hearts
Mine wanted to be free
I've been held here every day
Since you've been away from me
My reflection in the mirror
It's such a hurtful sight
Oh I miss being Mrs. tonight.

Oh, I miss being Mrs. tonight
Oh, and how I love them lovin arms
That once held me so tight
I took off my wedding band
And put it on my right hand
I miss being Mrs. tonight.

Oh, I miss being Mrs. tonight
Oh, and how I love them lovin arms
That once held me so tight
I took off my wedding band
And put it on my right hand
I miss being mrs. tonight.

Oh, I miss being Mrs. tonight...

Well, here's the story of my life,
Listen and I'll tell it twice.
Yeah hey, yeah hey, yeah hey.

Well, I was borned in ole Kentucky
In them hills where folks are lucky
And it's paradise to me.
Well, I got a feller right over the hill
If he asks my to marry I know I will.

He asked me to marry, got kids of four
And I'm tellin you I dont want no more.
Yeah hey, yeah hey, yeah hey.

Doo got me a guitar
I wrote me a song
Moved to nashville
It wasnt long
Til' I was on
The Grand Ole Opry.

We bought us a mansion on the hill
Livin' big like we were big deals
Scarlet O'hara, Gone With the Wind
I was pregnant again.
Oh gee, Oh Lord I swear
The babies are comin' in pairs.
Yeah hey, yeah hey, yeah hey.

Well, some big shot from Hollywood
Thought a movie about my life would be good
It was a big hit
Made a big splash
What I wanna know
Is what happened to the cash.
Yeah hey, yeah hey, yeah hey.

Now me and Doo married 48 years
Six kids later a lot of laughter and tears.
I hafta say that I've been blessed
Not bad for this ole Kentucky girl I guess.
Yeah hey, yeah hey, yeah hey.
Yeah hey, yeah hey, yeah hey.

Well, here's the story of my life,
Listen and I'll tell it twice.
Yeah hey, yeah hey, yeah hey...