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
Daddy Come And Get Me
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In this mental institution, lookin' out through these iron bars
How could he put me in here, how could he go that far
Yes I need help but not this kind, he didn't love me from the start
But it's not my mind that's broken, it's my heart
Oh Daddy come and get me and take me home with you
I'm depending on you Daddy, there's nothing I can do
But Daddy I can't come to you, you'll have to come to me
When he said he loved another, I was crazy with jealousy
That's 'cause I was crazy over him and I couldn't stand to set him free
And I couldn't stand to lose him and I cried and cried for days
And he said that I was crazy but he just put me in here to get me out of his way
Daddy come and get me
Oh Daddy come and get me and take me home with you
I'm depending on you Daddy 'cause there's nothing else I can do
And you said that I could come to you if I ever was in need
But Daddy I can't come to you, you'll have to come to me
Oh Daddy, come and get me
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's song "Daddy Come And Get Me" explore the mental and emotional distress of a woman who has been placed in a mental institution by a man who she has been in love with but who did not reciprocate those feelings. In the first verse, the singer expresses confusion and disbelief that she has been put in such a place and questions why the man would go so far as to do this to her. She acknowledges that she needs help, but not the kind she has been given. She shares that her mind is not the issue, but rather it is her broken heart that has caused her to suffer so greatly.
In the chorus, the singer calls out to her father, asking him to come and get her and take her home. She expresses her dependence on her father and the fact that there is nothing she can do to get out of her current situation. She reminds her father that he had promised her a safe haven should she ever be in need, but now she is unable to come to him, so he must come to her.
In the second verse, the singer shares that her emotional instability arose from jealousy towards the man she loved. She admits that she couldn't bear to let him go because she was so in love with him. When he expressed his love for another, she became distraught and cried for days. However, instead of receiving the help and support she needed from this man, he instead chose to have her institutionalized.
Overall, the lyrics to "Daddy Come And Get Me" paint a vivid picture of the despair and heartbreak experienced by the singer. She is desperate for help and for someone to come to her aid, but feels trapped and helpless in her current situation.
Line by Line Meaning
In this mental institution, lookin' out through these iron bars
I'm currently in a mental institution and confined to a small space with iron bars as windows.
How could he put me in here, how could he go that far
I can't believe my partner put me in this situation and went to the extreme of committing me to a mental institution.
Yes I need help but not this kind, he didn't love me from the start
I admit that I'm struggling and need help, but not the kind that involves being locked up in a mental institution. I realize now that my partner never truly loved me from the beginning.
But it's not my mind that's broken, it's my heart
Even though I'm locked up in a mental institution, my mind isn't the problem. It's my broken heart that's causing me this pain.
Oh Daddy come and get me and take me home with you
I'm pleading with my father to come and rescue me from this mental institution and take me back home with him.
I'm depending on you Daddy, there's nothing I can do
I'm at my wits' end and have no other options, so I'm completely relying on my father to save me from this situation.
And you said that I could come to you if I ever was in need
My father promised to be there for me when I was in need, and I'm now calling on that promise to rescue me from this situation.
But Daddy I can't come to you, you'll have to come to me
Unfortunately, I can't physically come to my father for help, so he'll have to be the one to come to me in this mental institution.
When he said he loved another, I was crazy with jealousy
When my partner told me he loved someone else, I became consumed with jealousy and acted irrationally.
That's 'cause I was crazy over him and I couldn't stand to set him free
My actions stemmed from my intense love for my partner, which made it impossible for me to let him go.
And I couldn't stand to lose him and I cried and cried for days
The thought of losing him caused me so much sadness and despair that I cried for days on end.
And he said that I was crazy but he just put me in here to get me out of his way
Although my partner called me crazy, he really just put me in this mental institution to remove me from his life and go about his own business without me getting in the way.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOROTHY JO HOPE, DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eloisebush4595
Real music.we dont realise how lucky we were to grow up on such beautiful music.this song still tears me up .beautiful.
@robertaelder3015
Why has 16 people gave the thumbs down on this song this is real country music straight from the heart every girl and woman should understand the words are true it's tearful but I do love all dolly patrons songs she sings straight from the heart love you dolly parton for ever from roberta
@dianarussell6047
Probably because the message is sad and they thumbs down the behavior of her husband
@Kima-tt8rq
2020 im still listening to this. so amazing
@johnlewandowski5385
OF COURSE! Classics NEVER go out of style and legends NEVER die! This song is truly sung from the heart and with a pure voice(a novelty today)! Even though I am a guy, this song resonates with me because my Daddy was always there for his daughters AND sons! Mine passed away two years ago! I miss him!
@lennybuttz2162
I was 16 or 17 the first time I heard this song, I'm 63 now.
@janetbrown4190
I had a daddy that would do anything for me. He's been in Heaven since 2006. He was a loving daddy to us all. This has always been one of my favorites by Dolly. Thanks for posting. "Daddy, come and get me and take me home with you.I'm depending on you daddy..cause there's nothing I can do...You said that I could come to you if I ever was in need, but daddy I can't come to you, you'll have to come to me"...Daddy come and get me.
@ramblinman884
I remember hearing this when I was about 3 or 4 years old living on a mountain top in East Tennessee with my mom and dad. Only remembered the title and that I loved the song. Mom and dad are long gone now, but the memories remain, and I still love the song.
@oaklj4
Truly heart breaking!!! I am not a girl but I know my Father would come and get me any time any place!!! He's the greatest Dad I can name! There is so much soul in this song it makes me cry every time I hear it. Thank u Dolly, I love it to death!!!!
@johnlewandowski8624
Great to hear from another guy that this song resonates with! My Daddy, may he rest in peace, was there for his daughters AND sons!