In 1967, Loretta Lynn made waves in country music with her unapologetic single, “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind).” Released from her studio album of the same name on Decca Records, the tune finds Lynn singing about a man who comes home after a night out on the town with only “lovin'” on the mind. The song was written by Loretta and her sister, Peggy Sue, and some of the inspiration is said to have come from Lynn’s own husband, Doolittle, who was known to drink heavily. Overall, Lynn says she wrote what she felt.
“I wasn’t trying to change anything,” she said in the liner notes for the Honky Tonk Girl box set (quote via udiscovermusic). “I was just singing about how I felt about things. I liked to play around with words. ‘Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind)’ can go both ways. It could be ‘Don’t Come Home A-Lovin’ (With Drinkin’ On Your Mind).'”
