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
Boulder to Birmingham
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got on this airplane just to fly
I know there's life below me
But all that you can show me
Is the prairie and the sky
I don't want to hear a sad story
Filled with heartbreak and desire
The last time I felt like this
And the canyon was on fire
And I stood on the mountain
In the night and I watched it burn
I watched it burn, God, I watched it burn
I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would hold my life in his saving grace
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, just see your face
(Well, you really got me this time)
You got me this time
And the hardest part
Is knowing that I survived
And I've come to listen for the sounds
Of the trucks as they move down
Out on Highway 95
And pretending it's the ocean
Coming down to wash me clear
To wash me clear, if you know what I mean
I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would hold my life in his saving grace
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, just see your face
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, just see your face
"Boulder to Birmingham" is a song about longing, loss, and struggle to move on. Dolly Parton's lyrics are powerful and poignant. It is about a woman who is trying to escape from the painful memories of a lost love. She is flying away from her past and looking for a new beginning. The song is full of vivid imagery that paints a picture of a woman who is struggling to come to terms with her past.
The first stanza sets the stage for the rest of the song. The singer does not want to hear anything that will remind her of her past love, she is seeking a new life. She is looking down at the prairie and the sky, symbolically showing that she is looking for something beyond her current reality. Her last experience of facing an intense wildfire made her realize that she needs to move on from the past. The powerful image of standing on the mountain and watching it burn speaks directly to the listener's heart.
In the second stanza, the singer thinks about what she would do to see her lost love again. She would even walk from Boulder to Birmingham just to see the person again. The repetition of the lines emphasizes the intensity of her longing. She feels that she needs to be held closely by Abraham to find salvation from her pain. The last two lines describe her longing for a cleansing that only the ocean can provide.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to hear a love song
I am not interested in being serenaded by someone.
I got on this airplane just to fly
The meaning of traveling is to discover new landscapes and experiences.
I know there's life below me
Although I'm flying above the land, I'm aware that there's still a whole world existing below the plane.
But all that you can show me
However, there's nothing you can teach or show me that I haven't already seen.
Is the prairie and the sky
All I see are grasslands and the blue sky - there's nothing else worth observing.
I don't want to hear a sad story
I'm not interested in listening to tales of heartbreak or misfortune.
Filled with heartbreak and desire
I don't want to hear about unrequited love or the desire for something that's impossible to attain.
The last time I felt like this
I recall feeling this same way before.
I was in the wilderness
I was in an isolated and uninhabited area.
And the canyon was on fire
The gorge was ablaze, and the scenery turned ominous.
And I stood on the mountain
I was on top of the highest peak, looking down at the devastation.
In the night and I watched it burn
I watched the catastrophe unfold in the dead of night.
I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I'd feel free from distress spiritual refuge.
I would hold my life in his saving grace
If I could, I'd protect myself in his saving grace.
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
I would do anything to be with you.
If I thought I could see, just see your face
Seeing your face is my biggest desire, and I'd do anything to make it happen.
You got me this time
You've truly won me over.
And the hardest part
But the hardest section of this experience is
Is knowing that I survived
acknowledging that I came out alive from this eventfull interaction.
And I've come to listen for the sounds
Consequently, I'm always listening for the sound of vehicles.
Of the trucks as they move down
I'm involved since I understand the direction they're going.
Out on Highway 95
It's exact location:
And pretending it's the ocean
I sometimes imagine it's like the ocean.
Coming down to wash me clear
When it appears, I imagine it clears all my issues.
To wash me clear, if you know what I mean
Trucking by is not a 'vacation,' but it aids me in letting go of the past.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Bill Danoff, Emmylou Harris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Craig Brown
Dolly does it again, such emotion, such rawness another one of Dolly['s cover versions delivered with full on Dolly flavours. Just like on her version of Stairway to Heaven, utter brilliance.
cxd2you
+Craig Brown ~ True that ! and 100% Dolly's Stairway to Heaven just gets to deep in me - especially towards the in her live version on "Live from London 2009" DVD-
Julia S
The mark of a truly great song is that it can be covered by numerous artists who put their own emotion into it. Of course, since it's Emmylou's song, her pain, her loss and her story I prefer her version. But to give others credit also, Dolly, The Starland Vocal Band, Abby Owens, and the Hollies do a great job also. I never tire of this moving song.
strawberryseason
You should look up the version by Scottish singer Barbara Dickson, it's also excellent.
Jancis Harvey
I think this one of the most poignant and best versions of this Emmylou Classic - I have the vinyl and its wonderful to find it again, thanks, Jancis Harvey
ReNova Recovery Institute
I dont know which version of this song I love more: Emmy Lou's painful poignancy, Baez's powerful presentation, or Dolly's raw grief. All great in their right.
Matthew McAlister
Dolly is my all-time favourite, and as much as I love this version, this song belongs to Emmylou. She wrote it and you can hear the absolute passion in her voice for her friend.
David Roga
A beautiful version with tremendous heart-rendering lament. Exquisite.
yu3p2x1
This is full of emotion for me, great version.
A Jay KUSTOMER
Some things just never age away from their beauty. Here is one of those treasures. Love you, Dolly. 1.29.2019