Why Miranda Lambert Lived off the Land When She Was Growing Up

Miranda Lambert had an interesting childhood. Her parents were private investigators who often brought home survivors of domestic violence. They also farmed their own fruits and vegetables and got their meat from Lambert’s father’s hunting efforts. Here’s a look back at what it was like growing up in the Lambert household for the future country star.

The Lamberts lived off the land 

The Lamberts were not immune to hard times. One day, Miranda’s father, Richard, decided his family would never be hungry. So he and the family did subsistence farming and lived off the land. 

“My dad’s a hunter, so we had tons of meat,” Lambert told Southern Living Editor in Chief Sid Evans on Biscuits & Jam. “And he planted a garden in a compost pile, and we raised rabbits and that was us working in that garden. My mom would literally be like, ‘Go pick out what you want for dinner. We’re having stir-fry.’”

Looking back, Lambert feels the lessons she learned from growing up with a family who farmed were “so valuable,” even if she didn’t recognize it at the time.  

“But my mom canned everything and just really learned what survival is and really took it back down to the basics, you know?” she said. “…I’m so thankful because the first thing I did whenever I became an adult is buy a farm and start a garden. I’m not very good at it. I leave town too much to grow anything, usually. But I have help, thank God.”

Miranda Lambert’s role on the family farm

Just because she and her brother were young didn’t mean they had to help out any less. It’s a lot of work to grow your own food. 

“We were all part of it,” she said. “My brother and I had to wake up every morning and feed the animals and gather the eggs and help Mom gather the veggies before school. It was such a cool way to grow up.”

Even though the Lamberts didn’t have the nicest house in the neighborhood, it was still the go-to hang out spot for all the kids. 

“Our house was the, not the fancy one,” said Lambert. “We didn’t even have central heat and air, we had window units, but it’s where all the kids wanted to come because it was homey, and it was fun, and it was free and it was in the country. And run around barefoot, and pet the goats. You know what I mean? And I feel like that foundation is such a part of me now, and who I am as an artist and as a woman.”

Miranda Lambert’s parents often housed survivors of domestic violence

In addition to helping run the family farm, Lambert’s childhood was also colored by her parents’ work and the work they brought home. They were private investigators who often hosted survivors of domestic violence. 

“We saw firsthand, with these women and children coming into our home, sitting around our dinner table, helping us do dishes, they had bruises on their face and they were battered, and abused, and their kids were, and they were living in our home, and it was just a lot to see up close,” she said. 

As tragic as the situations were, Lambert is glad her parents didn’t shield her and her brother from “real life.”

“I think that’s where I got a lot of my material for songwriting early on is seeing hard stuff,” she said.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.