Dolly Parton is one of the most prolific songwriters in the history of modern music. Since making her debut onto the country music scene in the mid-1960s, the charismatic and multi-talented Tennessee native has become a pop culture icon.
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Although she’s known for her soaring vocals, colorful fashion choices, and quotable bits of wisdom, the 77-year-old record-breaker is a true songwriter at heart. Here are six of the most captivating and memorable lyrics written by country music icon Dolly Parton:
1. Just a wild mountain rose / Needing freedom to grow / So I ran fearing not where I’d go / When a flower grows wild / It can always survive / Wildflowers don’t care where they grow (“Wildflowers”)
Penned by Parton and included on Trio, her celebrated collaborative album with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, “Wildflowers” is a stunning metaphor-driven tune about branching out and searching for space to bloom.
2. A kaleidoscope of colours, you can toss her round and round / You can keep her in your vision, but you never keep her down (“Eagle When She Flies”)
A sweeping celebration of femininity, determination, and perseverance, “Eagle When She Flies” is the stunning title track from Parton’s thirty-first album, released in 1991.
3. Tumble out of bed / And stumble to the kitchen / Pour myself a cup of ambition / And yawn and stretch and try to come to life (“9 to 5”)
Although Parton originally penned “9 to 5” specifically for the 1980 film of the same name, the song’s message has evolved far beyond a simple movie soundtrack. Her clever, detailed recounting of a woman’s day at the office and its many frustrations has become a timeless anthem for anyone waiting for change in the workplace.
4. If I should stay / Well I would only be in your way / And so I’ll go, and yet I know / I’ll think of you each step of the way (“I Will Always Love You”)
In 1973, Parton wrote and recorded “I Will Always Love You” as a departing message to her longtime creative partner, Porter Wagoner. Her ability to aptly describe immense emotion allows the complicated intensity to shine through every line of this classic track.
5. Although we had no money / I was rich as I could be / In my coat of many colors / My momma made for me (“Coat of Many Colors”)
Parton has a way of writing songs that feel like a story told by a close friend. “Coat of Many Colors,” an autobiographical tale of the handmade coat her mother lovingly crafted for her, is told through simple terms but in a way that immediately tugs at your heartstrings.
6. Your smile is like a breath of spring / Your voice is soft like summer rain / And I cannot compete with you / Jolene (“Jolene”)
It isn’t easy to convey the mesh of emotions felt by someone in fear of losing her lover to another, but Parton does it with ease in her legendary track “Jolene.” Instead of tearing down her appearance, she paints a picture of her physical beauty while also pleading for her to set her romantic sights elsewhere.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
