Lynn was born in Butcher Hollow, Van Lear, Kentucky in 1932. According to Songfacts, Loretta Lynn's superstar Country career started in 1960 when she recorded " I'm a Honky Tonk Girl " as her debut single. The song was a minor hit, climbing to #14 on Billboard's C&W Chart. By the late 1960s she had begun picking up various Female Vocalist of the Year trophies and in 1972 the singer became the first woman in history to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year trophy. Lynn dominated the Country charts throughout the rest of the decade and has continued to record hit records through the ensuing years. Her 50th anniversary year began with the award of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement on January 31, 2010.
Lynn released over 70 albums. She is the sister of country singer Crystal Gayle (born in Paintsville, Kentucky) and Peggy Sue, and is a cousin of Patty Loveless. Her father was a coal miner in Van Lear. Her biography was made into the 1980 film, Coal Miner's Daughter.
Little Red Shoes
Loretta Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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 t'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."
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
The song "Little Red Shoes" by Loretta Lynn is a story about her to near-death experiences when she was just a baby. The first one was when she was hit in the head accidentally by Aunt Boyd with a big stick, while demonstrating something to her mother, leaving her with a bump on her forehead. The bump grew larger, and her parents took her to the doctor. The doctor prescribed a medicine called mesitor that Mommy said made both ears flat to my face, and Loretta did not walk until she was almost 5. The second incident was when Loretta was dying of an unknown disease, and her parents went to a store to get her some shoes and eventually stole them when he got denied a sale. The song is about her little red shoes that she got when she was ill as a baby, they were the only shoes she had, and they were precious to her.
Line by Line Meaning
I was 11 months old
Loretta Lynn recalls an old story from her childhood.
I was just starting to walk
At this time Loretta had just learned how 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
Loretta Lynn's dad was concerned about his family's safety and kept a big stick behind the door to protect them in case someone drunk came by.
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
Lynn's dad's Aunt Boyd was telling her mother how her husband was going out with another woman. As she reared back to show how she would hit this woman in the head, she hit Lynn instead.
Mommy said I cried for 5 days
Loretta suffered from the pain of the blow for 5 days which made her mom worry about her.
That fifth night, I had a great big knot that show up right in the middle of my forehead
On the fifth night after the incident, a big knot appeared right in the middle of Lynn's 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
Lynn's only memory of the event is of her parents carrying her in an old quilt her mother made from overalls.
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
Loretta's mom took her to the doctor where she was given mesitor which made her ears flat. Her mom was really worried and was told four times that Loretta wouldn't make it.
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
Loretta Lynn recounts a time when her mom took her to the hospital but they didn't keep her since the family had no money. The hospital told her to go home and wait for death because they had no treatment for her.
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..."
When Loretta's mom went to Murphy's 5 and 10 store in Paintsville, KY, they refused to give her shoes for free. She then asked her husband to carry Loretta farther down to find another store to get her some shoes..
When the guy's back was turned she stole these little red shoes
Loretta's mother stole red shoes for her while the salesman's back was turned.
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
Lynn remembers how beautiful she thought the red shoes her mother put on her were and how her father cried when she first saw them.
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 t'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
Loretta's father knew the police were coming, so he had to take Loretta and run as quickly as possible. He ran for almost twelve miles with Loretta and left her mother behind.
I remember her hollering, "To put your little red shoes away, honey, when you get home."
As they were running away, Loretta remembers her mother telling her to put away her new red shoes once they get home.
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
Loretta Lynn was inspired to write a song about this event and called it "Put My Little Red Shoes Away," because the red shoes hold a significant memory in her life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACK WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stoney Gurrola
This was Loretta telling a story between takes in the studio. Jack kept rolling tape. He added the music much later. This wasn't a planned or pre written track.
Miguel Alexandre
This is one of the most original songs ever.
mark moses
The music, especially the guitar work has Jimmy Page written all over it.
jungleVIP
i love this song! i think it has a lovely dreamy feel.
mkl62
She's the greatest female singer/songwriter of the 20th century....Jack White on Loretta Lynn.
Victoria Morgan Kinney
Most amazing song ever 💚
Dj Tennessee
I love this !!
SaladDressing118
Logan it's a spoken word song. Telling a story from Loretta's childhood in the old days. There are also other bands that do spoken word like La Dispute. Some people enjoy it, some don't.
Ashley Rainwater
❤️ this
Linda Wilson
Jack White...Genius! Love it!