Parton began performing as a child, singing on local radio and television in East Tennessee. At age 12 she was appearing on Knoxville TV, and at 13, she was recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. When she graduated from high school in 1964 she moved to Nashville, taking many traditional elements of folklore and popular music from East Tennessee with her.
Parton's initial success came as a songwriter, with her songs being covered by Kitty Wells, Hank Williams, Jr., Skeeter Davis, and a number of others. She signed with Monument Records in late 1965, where she was initially pitched as a bubblegum pop singer, earning only one national chart single, "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby," which did not crack the Billboard Top 100. Additional pop singles also failed to chart.
The label agreed to have Parton sing country music after her composition "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" as recorded by Bill Phillips (and with Parton, uncredited, on harmony) went to No. 6 on the country charts in 1966. Her first country single, "Dumb Blonde" (one of the few songs during this era that she recorded but didn't write), reached No. 24 country 1967, followed later the same year with "Something Fishy," which went to No. 17. The two songs anchored her first full-length album, Hello I'm Dolly, that same year.
In 1967, Parton was asked to join the weekly syndicated country music TV program hosted by Porter Wagoner, replacing Norma Jean. She also signed with RCA Records, Wagoner's label, during this period, where she would remain for the next two decades. Wagoner and Parton immediately began a hugely successful career as a vocal duet in addition to their solo work and their first single together, a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind," reached the top ten on the U.S. country charts in late 1967, and was the first of over a dozen duet singles to chart for them during the next several years.
Parton is a hugely successful songwriter, having begun by writing country songs with strong elements of folk music in them based upon her upbringing in humble mountain surroundings. Her songs "Coat of Many Colors" and "Jolene" have become classics in the field, as have a number of others. As a composer, she is also regarded as one of country music's most gifted storytellers, with many of her narrative songs based on persons and events from her childhood.
In 1982 Dolly Parton sang her song "I Will Always Love You", for the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", starring Parton and Burt Reynolds. The song - originally composed around 1974 - made few ripples, but it wasn't until Whitney Houston re-recorded it for "The Bodyguard" a decade later, that the song made yet another international hit for Dolly Parton. She later put out her own version on the 1996 album of the same name.
In 1987, Parton left her longtime label, RCA, and signed with Columbia Records, where her recording career continued to prosper, but by the mid 1990s, Parton, along with many other performers of her generation, found that her new music was not welcome on country radio playlists. She recorded a series of critically acclaimed bluegrass albums, beginning with "The Grass is Blue" (1999) and "Little Sparrow" (2001), both of which won Grammy Awards. Her 2002 album "Halos and Horns" included a bluegrass version of the Led Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven. In 2005, Parton released Those Were The Days, her interpretation of hits from the folk-rock era of the late 1960s through early 1970s. The CD featured such classics as John Lennon's "Imagine," Cat Stevens' "Where Do The Children Play," Tommy James' "Crimson & Clover," and the folk classic "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", as well as the title track.
In 2007, Dolly paved new musical ground by forming her own record label, Dolly Records. The label's first release - Backwoods Barbie - debuted at #2 on the Billboard country albums charts and marks Parton's first mainstream country album in 17 years. Parton is touring North America and Europe throughout 2008 in support of her latest release.
1955
A Lot of You Left in Me
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I cry I cry like a little baby cause there's still a lot of you left in me
Oh there's still a lot of you left in me and I cry cause your love'll set me free
Your love'll set me free
I'll keep holding on to love that used to be cause there's still a lot of you left in me
Oh I still go on to all our favorite places and I still see all our friends we used to see
Oh but I'm thinkin' now I'm just not the same without you
Oh there's still a lot of you...
Cause there's still a lot of you left in me
In Dolly Parton's song "A Lot of You Left in Me," she is expressing the pain and lingering memories after a love has left her. The first verse implies that her lover has left her, taking their love with them, but leaving behind sweet memories. The use of the word "sweet" throughout the song could be an attempt to find a silver lining in the heartbreak.
In the chorus, she compares herself to a baby crying, emphasizing the depth of emotion she is feeling. She acknowledges that although her love has left her physically, there is still a lot of them left within her. This highlights the idea that once someone has deeply loved another, their love remains with that person even after they have moved on. The line "your love'll set me free" portrays the idea that although the love has caused her immense pain, it has also given her the ability to love fully and freely.
In the second verse, Parton states that she is still visiting places and seeing friends that they used to enjoy together, but it is not the same without her lover there. She recognizes that she is no longer the same person she was when they were together, but her attachment to them still remains. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the emotional depth and attachment she still feels towards her former lover.
Overall, "A Lot of You Left in Me" is a poignant and emotional song that speaks to the heartbreak of lost love and the way it lingers within a person even after the relationship has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh you took your sweet love from me oh you left me sweet sweet memories
You parted ways with me, taking your love with you, but left behind delightful memories of the time we spent together.
And I cry I cry like a little baby cause there's still a lot of you left in me
I weep like a child because the emotions and memories of you that linger within me are overpowering and difficult to control.
Oh there's still a lot of you left in me and I cry cause your love'll set me free
There are still remnants of you within me, and even though they cause me pain, deep down I know that your love will eventually provide freedom from this agony.
Your love'll set me free
Your love has the power to release me from this anguish and provide solace.
I'll keep holding on to love that used to be cause there's still a lot of you left in me
I will continue to cling to the love we shared in the past, despite the fact that traces of you still remain within me.
Oh I still go on to all our favorite places and I still see all our friends we used to see
I frequently visit the spots we frequented together and spend time with our mutual friends, which brings back fond memories of the days gone by.
Oh but I'm thinkin' now I'm just not the same without you
However, I am now aware that I am a different person without you in my life, and the void you have left behind cannot be filled with anything else.
And that there's still a lot of you left in me
I recognize that remnants of you still remain inside me, which make it difficult to move on from our relationship.
Oh there's still a lot of you...
Overall, the song emphasizes the lingering feelings and memories of a past relationship that continue to affect the artist long after their split.
Contributed by Caroline M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Romy K.
on Gypsy Joe And Me
As a matter of fact she's contemplating suicide standing on the bridge, that's how they'll be together again.