Dolly Parton’s 3 Most Touching Songs About Her Humble Roots

Our roots don’t have to define us, but you don’t have to run away from them either. That’s one message Dolly Parton spoke about again and again, both in her songs and off stage. The country superstar had humble beginnings, growing up in a one-room cabin with 11 siblings. When she was younger, the idea of becoming a music legend might’ve been a faraway glittering dream. But she achieved that goal, becoming the quintessential underdog-to-hero story.

But even though Parton overcame her situation, she never lost sight of what that experience taught: being rich is a state of spirit, family is uber important, whatever that looks like, and no life is too small to be extraordinary. Her music radiates those messages. Revisit three songs below that are touching tributes to life spent in East Tennessee with the Partons.

[RELATED: Who Is Dolly Parton’s Family? Everything To Know About Her 11 Siblings, Parents, and Late Husband Carl Dean]

“Coat Of Many Colors”

We have to start here with “Coat Of Many Colors”. No song better sums up the life lessons that Parton picked up from her parents than this one. The lyrics talk about taking dignity in the face of poverty and understanding that richness can be a state of mind. This song feels like the quintessential Parton track, summing up her infectious outlook on life.

“Although we had no money / I was rich as I could be / In my coat of many colors / My momma made for me,” the lyrics read. This song celebrates her mother and this pivotal life lesson. It certainly was a piece of what made the Parton puzzle sparkle with kindness and understanding.

“My Tennessee Mountain Home”

“My Tennessee Mountain Home” is Parton’s love letter to her hometown. “Honeysuckle vine clings to the fence along the lane / Their fragrance makes the summer wind so sweet / And on a distant hilltop, an eagle spreads its wings / And a songbird on a fencepost sings a melody,” the transportive lyrics read. You can nearly feel the running water of a little brook, see an eagle fly, and hear bugs chirp in the warm southern sunset when this one comes on. Parton does wonders with this simple song, taking us with her on a trip back to childhood.

“In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)”

“We’d get up before sunup to get the work done up / We’d work in the fields ’til the sun had gone down. / We’ve stood, and we’ve cried as we’ve helplessly watched / A hailstorm a-beatin’ our crops to the ground / We’ve gone to bed hungry many nights in the past / In the good old days when times were bad,” Parton sings in “In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)”.

This song takes the listener into Parton’s life growing up, acknowledging the hardships that came with their rural upbringing. While the first two songs on this list are markedly upbeat, this song isn’t afraid to get a little hopeless. That’s one of the things that was so great about Parton; she was a dynamic artist with plenty to say.

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