Dear Miss Loretta, I ain't ever met ya But I'm lonely tonight, and I just bet ya
And I'd 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
And I'm lonely tonight, and I just bet ya
I'm a long way from Kentucky, but the hurtin's the same
Now I know why you sing that way
Oh, what ended up tough, I started out broken
What ended up long
What ended up long

I started out hoping
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
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 sing that way
I ain't a coal miner's daughter, but my grandmother was
Must be whiskey in the water, must be bourbon in the blood
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
Yeah, I know why you sang that way