About The Song
You should know two things about Loretta Lynn from her 1968 hit song “Fist City.” First, her man is her man, and she’d never hesitate to beat down a b–tch when needed. She’s exactly the type of woman you’d want in your corner. Second, if you piss her so hard, you’d get a song written about you – and you’d know about it.
Everyone respected her for feistiness (as most Loretta Lynn’s songs are), and the single reached the top of Billboard’s country chart.
As Loretta Lynn said in an interview, she didn’t have to simplify her lyrics because she always wrote them plain enough. Plus, she didn’t have enough education to put big words in her songwriting.
“Fist City” is as straightforward as it gets. It’s a warning to that one female who had been making moves on her husband that she’d better stay away or face the consequences of her actions. And it wouldn’t be pretty.
According to Lynn, she could see something was going on between them whenever she saw them together. But unlike her infamous story with her husband Doo’s bus driver dalliance, she couldn’t confront this one. It would’ve been too messy.
She waited, and then the final trigger was when she heard rumors about them while she was out recording in Nashville. She drove home to Hurricane Mills that afternoon in her Cadillac, and she was just so angry that all she could think of was what she wanted to say to her.
Right after she went past Nashville, the words started to hit her – and the further and madder she got, the more the words flowed. By the end of her 75-mile drive, the song was all done. It filled three pages in her writing tablet.
She let the words sit overnight, and she looked at them refreshed the next morning. She then changed a few words to make it playable on the radio. Once set with her lyrics, she took her guitar out, played, and sang.
After the record was released, the woman stayed out for a long time. However, she came back in 1996, when Doo was on his deathbed. Lynn didn’t know who she was at first, but when she walked right past her straight to Doo, she realized it was her.
Video
Lyrics
You’ve been making your brags around town that you’ve been loving my man
But the man I love, when he picks up trash he puts it in a garbage can
And that’s what you look like to me and what I see is a pity
You better close your face and stay out of my way if you don’t wanna go to Fist City
If you don’t wanna go to Fist City, you better detour around my town
‘Cause I’ll grab you by the hair of the head and I’ll lift you off of the ground
I’m not a saint, my baby’s a saint ’cause he ain’t natty, won’t cat around with a kitty
I’m here to tell you, you gotta lay off of my man if you don’t wanna go to Fist City
Come on and tell me what you told my friends if you think you’re brave enough
And I’ll show you what a real woman is since you think you’re a hot stuff
You’ll bite off more than you can chew if you get too cute or witty
You better move your feet if you don’t wanna eat a meal that’s called Fist City
If you don’t wanna go to Fist City you better detour around my town
‘Cause I’ll grab you by the hair of the head and I’ll lift you off of the ground
I’m not a saint, my baby’s a saint ’cause he ain’t natty, won’t cat around with a kitty
I’m here to tell you, you gotta lay off of my man if you don’t wanna go to Fist City
I’m here to tell you, you gotta lay off of my man if you don’t wanna go to Fist City