Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S… Read Full Bio ↴Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S.) is an American country singer, songwriter, composer, producer, entrepreneur, author and actress.

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

But You Know I Love You
Dolly Parton Lyrics

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When the mornin' sun
Streaks across my room
And I'm wakin' up
From another dream of you
Yes, you know I'm on the road
Once again it seems
All that's left behind
Is a chain of broken dreams

But you know that I love you
You know that I love you
Oh, I love you

And how I wish that love
Was all we'd need to live
What a life we'd have
'Cause I've got so much to give
But ya' know I feel so sad
Down inside my heart
That the dollar sign
Should be keepin' us apart

But you know that I love you
You know that I love you
Oh, how I love you

And if only I could find my way back to the time
When the problems of this life
Had not yet crossed my mind
And the answers could be found in children's nursery rhymes
I'd come runnin' back to you
I'd come runnin' back to you

But you know we can't
Live on dreams alone
Got to pay the rent
So I must leave you all alone
'Cause you know I made my choice many years ago
And now this travelin' life
Well, it's the only life I know

But you know that I love you
You know that I love you
Oh, I love you
But you know that I love you
You know that I love you
Oh, how I love you
But you know that I love you
You know that I love you
Oh, how I love you

But you know I love you
But you know I love you
Oh, I love you
But you know that I love you
But you know that I love you
Oh, how I love you

But you know that I love you
But you know that I love you

Overall Meaning

Dolly Parton’s “But You Know I Love You” is a love song that explores the challenges of being in a relationship where ambition and commitment towards work, and other practicalities such as money, put a strain on a relationship. The song opens with melancholic imagery, the morning sun streaking across someone’s room, signals the start of a new day, yet brings with it more dreams of someone who’s not physically present. The first verse implies a sense of isolation for the singer, who’s seemingly always traveling and leaving behind a shattered dream.

The second verse expresses a sense of longing for a simpler life, where love is all that matters. The singer asks why they can’t live on love alone and suggests that they could have a wonderful life together if that were the case. But the reality of the situation is brought back to the forefront in the lyrics “But ya' know I feel so sad, down inside my heart, that the dollar sign should be keeping us apart.”

The third verse sees the singer delve deeper into the longing for something that cannot be as reality sets in, she sings: “And if only I could find my way back to the time when the problems of this life had not yet crossed my mind and the answers could be found in children's nursery rhymes." The singer wishes to go back to a happier time when everything was simpler, and life was enjoyable. The final verse acknowledges the choice the singer has made to lead a life of traveling. It’s a decision that ultimately isolates them from loved ones, which the singer recognizes is hard for their partner. Yet, she ends with the reassuring words - “But you know that I love you.”

But You Know I Love YouDolly Parton Lyrics

Romy K.

on Gypsy Joe And Me

But You Know I Love You
Dolly Parton Lyrics