Dear Miss Loretta, I ain't ever met ya
But I'm lonely tonight and I just betcha
You might have some wisdom to pull off that shelf
Your songs were all fun till I lived them myself

I ain't a coal miner's daughter
But my grandmother was
Must be whiskey in the water
Must be bourbon in the blood
I'm a long way from Kentucky
But the hurtin's the same
Now I know why you sang that way

Oh, what ended up tough
I started out broken
What ended up lost
I started out hopin'
A lifetime of pain was three minutes long
And you weren't ashamed
When the world sang along

I ain't a coal miner's daughter
But my grandmother was
Must be whiskey in the water
Must be bourbon in the blood
I'm a long way from Kentucky
But the hurtin's the same
Now I know why you sang that way

Dear Miss Loretta
We both grew up too fast
And I wish you could tell me
How you made it last

I ain't a coal miner's daughter
But I've sung it all my life
I ain't been a widow
But I've been an ex-wife
And I hear your truth
And I feel your pain
Now I know why you sang that way
Yeah, I know why you sang that way