Family Tree
Loretta Lynn Lyrics


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Woman, you don't 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 that's burnin' 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 that's burnin' down our family tree

Their daddy once was a good man, until he ran into trash like you
Take a look at the baby's face and tell me who loves who
I brought along his old dog Charlie and the bills that's overdue
The job you're 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 burnin' down our family tree
No not the woman that's burnin' down our family tree

Overall Meaning

The song "Family Tree" by Loretta Lynn tells a story of a woman who confronts her husband's mistress with their children in tow. She makes it clear that she knows who the mistress is and that the entire town knows too. The singer brings along their children to show them the woman who is responsible for tearing apart their family tree.


The singer doesn't come to fight with the mistress, although she does express her disdain for her. She believes that the mistress is beneath her and is not worth getting her hands dirty over. The singer's focus is on her husband, who she describes as having been a good man until he got involved with the mistress. She reminds the mistress that she is not the one that the children came to see - they want to see their father.


The song highlights the pain and hurt that infidelity can cause in families. The singer's determination to stand up for her family and confront the other woman is admirable. The song also reflects on the societal stigma of infidelity, with the entire town knowing about the affair. Overall, the song is a poignant exploration of the consequences of infidelity and the importance of family.


Line by Line Meaning

Woman, you don't know me, but you can bet that I know you
I may not know you personally, but I am aware of your deeds and reputation


Everybody in this whole darn town knows you too
Your reputation precedes you, and everyone in our town is familiar with you


I brought along our little babies, ‘cause I wanted them to see
I brought our children along so that they can witness the destruction you have caused to our family


The woman that's burnin' down our family tree
You, the person responsible for causing chaos and destruction in our family


No I didn't come to fight
I didn't come here to start a physical altercation


If he was a better man I might
If my partner were a better man, I may have considered fighting for him


But I wouldn't dirty my hands on trash like you, no
However, I refuse to lower myself to your level and engage in physical combat


Bring out the babies' daddy, that's who they've come to see
The reason why I brought our children here is to see their father, not you


Their daddy once was a good man, until he ran into trash like you
My partner was a good man until he was influenced by someone like you


Take a look at the baby's face and tell me who loves who
Look at our child's face and tell me who truly loves and cares for them


I brought along his old dog Charlie and the bills that's overdue
I brought his dog and the overdue bills to remind him of his responsibilities


The job you're workin'...Lord, we need money, too
The job you have may provide for you, but our family also needs money to survive


Not the woman that's burnin' down our family tree
Once again, I want to emphasize that the children came here to see their father, not the person causing chaos in our family




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LORETTA LYNN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Bre McCall-Teague

I grew up listening to Loretta Lynn & others of their standing. No one will ever fill their shoes. They are like family really, they were there all during my childhood & some are still here making their wonderful music! I used to shut myself in my grandparents bedroom where the record player was & sing along w/ them all for hours. I think I listened to my Papaw's records more than he ever did! Such great memories of people who are not only exceptional singers, but who are so loved by so many!!

Michael Stevens

The whole album is just fantastic.

1978garfield

Who knew Jack White was a great C and W producer?

Roccozilla

There will NEVER be anyone to take her place or be more PURE country than the queen.this song pretty much saved my marraige,thank you lorretta

Bayley Tay

roccozilla1969 that's great

13coolhand75

I grew up with Loretta; it's amazing to hear music from her after so many years...wow, it was truely many years ago that she was a hit....awesome CD...thanks to you Jack for bringing her back again...hope to hear many more form ya"ll as a duet...

Violet Miller

There will never be another like Loretta. Awesome singer, songwriter and person.

Tabitha Miller

she is definately 1 of a kind and music will not be the same without her...

lether go

I’m only 10 I know right, I’ve grown up listing to Elvis Presley and lots more but Loretta is the queen of everything <3

Tim Cleaveley

Good job! Me too! I’m 25 years old and I have loved the oldies since I’ve been old enough to know what music was! Keep the old tunes alive!

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