The title track of Dolly Parton‘s 38th solo album, Little Sparrow, still resonates today. The meaning of the song can be interpreted differently by each listener, of course, but its haunting melody and hopeful message are universal.
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The album, produced by Steve Buckingham, was the second of three that took Parton back to her bluegrass roots. Utilizing traditional instrumentation, the album is comprised of interesting covers in addition to Parton originals. Some of the Parton-penned songs make their debut on the album, while some had been released before and reconfigured with the bluegrass treatment. Parton originally cut “Down from Dover” in 1969 and included it on her 1970 album The Fairest of Them All, while “My Blue Tears” was originally recorded in 1971 and was featured on the Coat of Many Colors LP.
Little Sparrow was released by Sugar Hill Records in 2000. The album peaked at No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Inspiration for the Song “Little Sparrow”
Dolly credited her Uncle Bill Owens with the inspiration for writing the song. When she was just 11, Owens helped Dolly write one of her first songs, “Puppy Love,” and she recorded it in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for Goldband Records. A couple years later, Owens helped get the young singer a slot performing on the Grand Ole Opry. Johnny Cash introduced her, and she received three encores.
After high school, Parton and Owens signed a deal with Combine Music and wrote “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” which became a Top 10 country hit for both Bill Phillips (1966) and The Kendalls (1980), and was also recorded by Loretta Lynn, the Osborne Brothers (not to be confused with Brothers Osborne), Ricky Skaggs, and Crystal Gayle.
The return to her musical roots at the dawn of the 21st century, then, was calculated. She wanted to implement the instruments of the mountain music she grew up with when she was coming up with her Uncle Bill.
Fragility
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Precious, fragile little thing
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Flies so high and feels no pain
Parton recounted that the idea for “Little Sparrow” came from a bird outside her window singing as a storm raged: “It started me thinking about life and how fragile it is. I thought about how happy that little bird must have been to have found a dry spot on my windowsill. So, the whole idea of the song was birthed from that moment.”
The vulnerability of a sparrow is a symbol of Parton’s feeling of fragility. The singer related to a tender moment in nature as she watched a bird fly, seemingly unaffected by its surroundings.
Warning
All ye maidens heed my warning
Never trust the hearts of men
They will crush you like a sparrow
Leaving you to never mend
They will vow to always love you
Swear no love, but yours will do
Then they’ll leave you for another
Break your little heart in two
Parton doesn’t hide the fact that she is comparing the tiny bird to her own heart. This passage is very pessimistic. The acceptance that a broken heart is part of life is somehow reassuring. The message is not very hopeful, as it guarantees misery.
Redemption
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Flies so high and feels no pain
If I were a little sparrow
O’er these mountains, I would fly
I would find him. I would find him
Look into his lying eyes
I would flutter all around him
On my little sparrow wings
Parton doesn’t have the bird exact revenge. She rises above it. Just as the sparrow sang as the storm raged around it, her heart can heal and grow from the experience. Femininity, strength, and resilience are implied in the words of this song. The fragile sparrow can fly on past the storm and sing its song again.
Defiance
I would ask him, I would ask him
Why he let me love in vain
I am not a little sparrow
I am just the broken dream
Of a cold, false-hearted lover
And his evil, cunning scheme
The sparrow confronts the man as Parton continues the theme. A broken heart can be overcome. The tiny bird can be so fragile as never to survive the blowing winds and raging storms. But Parton points to the strength of the little sparrow as it flies in the face of all that and pushes forward. A broken heart is inevitable, but picking yourself up and moving on is the message here.
The title song bookends the album. An instrumental reprise finishes the record with an instrumental take on the melody from Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Jerry Douglas on resophonic guitar.
Parton said, “I believe Little Sparrow has more depth, breadth, and soul than all the other albums I have done. Hopefully, it captures the best of everything I’ve ever lived or felt, written, or sung. I also think this is Steve Buckingham’s best work as a producer.”
The album garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album, and her version of “Shine” by Collective Soul earned a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Photo by J. P. Aussenard/WireImage
