Loretta Lynn_ Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn [96]
The way I feel about it, I’m proud to know Jewish people. Don’t forget: Jesus was a Jew. I never knew much about their history until a few years ago. When I was first married, Doolittle told me about the war in Europe, where he served. But it just didn’t sink in what went on over there.
Then, after my songs got pretty popular, we made a big tour of Europe. They offered to take us sight-seeing in Germany, and I went along. I thought it was a beautiful country and the people all worked hard. I was enjoying myself real well until they took us to a camp they said was a prison during the war.
This guide, a German, was taking us around. He talked about ashes and bones being buried there. He showed us a big stove he said they had put Jews in. I just couldn’t believe it. I said, “You did what?”
He told me the Germans marched the Jews in there and burned ’em. I got out of there as fast as I could. I don’t like to feel hatred for anybody, and I was feeling hatred over what the Germans did. I just didn’t understand it, and I haven’t been back to Germany since. The place I want to go to is Israel. Doo and me have talked about that a lot. We were gonna go a few years ago, but they had all that trouble and we didn’t want to get caught in a skyjacking or nothing. But we’ll go there soon. That’s one of my big ambitions.
Really, all kinds of prejudice bother me. I’ve heard more than enough color prejudice from other people, but I don’t have it. I’m always happy when black people come to my shows or ask for my autograph. At the motel in Nashville they all know me. I’m very comfortable with blacks—maybe because I’m part Cherokee and we understand each other. I don’t know.
I don’t like to talk too much about things where you’re going to get one side or the other unhappy. It’s like politics. I’ve got strong opinions on a lot of things I don’t talk about. You come out for one side, the other side won’t like you. And anyway, my music has no politics.
Politicians are always asking me to support ’em, and I’ve had lots of politicians on both sides be real nice to me; there’re some that I count as my friends. But I ain’t gonna endorse ’em because that would make the other side mad at me. What party am I? Well, let’s put it this way. My Daddy was a Republican because that’s what people are up in the mountains. But that don’t mean I have to be. What party was Franklin Delano Roosevelt in? See, there’s good on both sides.
George Wallace called me up and wanted me to do a fund-raising show for him. I said politics and music mix about as well as liquor and love. George McGovern came to one of my shows and talked to Doolittle. He even led the applause when we finished our show with “God Bless America Again.”
That song now, is a perfect example of what I mean. Bobby Bare and Boyce Hawkins wrote it back in the 1960s when we had all that trouble about the war in Vietnam, and college kids were killed by the National Guard at Kent State, and there were beatings in Chicago. It looked like this country was really breaking up. Well, that song is about some person with not too much education who just can’t figure out what’s going on. So all he can say is “Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes and then, God bless America again.”
Now some people thought that song was in favor of the government and against the long-haired people. But I’m still singing that song today, and we’ve had a vice-president and then a president of the United States both quit office when they were accused of things.
And I still don’t understand what’s going on—I feel like it’s about time for honest people to start running this country. And I don’t care what party. Just get somebody that will feed the poor people and forget about these wars. I wasn’t for Vietnam. When I told that to the hippie newspaper in Atlanta, The Great Speckled Bird, all my people got nervous. Both my sons were in the service in Asia, and they said there was dope and everything. It was a big waste.
Anyway, things still ain