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
Do You Think That Time Stands Still
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You never gave me a reason why
My tears are dried now it's been a while
Now there you szand you're back again
Do you think that time stands still do you think that time stands still
Things have changed I've rearranged so many things
Do you think that time stands still do you think that time stands still
You won't to start where we left off
Somebody found the love you lost
Love has its price we've paid the cost
We lose and learn now it's your turn
Do you think that time stands still...
Do you think that time stands still...
Oh do you think that time stands still...
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's song Do You Think That Time Stands Still speak about a person who left without any explanation and has returned back after a while, hoping to pick things up from where they left off. However, the singer of the song has moved on and learned to live without this person, having rearranged their life and moved past their heartbreak. The lines "Do you think that time stands still? Things have changed, I've rearranged so many things" suggest that the singer has matured and grown with time, while their former lover appears to remain unchanged. The chorus repeats the question, challenging the idea that time can simply freeze in a moment and hold things in place.
The lyrics are poignant and reflective of the common human experience of love and heartbreak. The song suggests that time moves on and heals the wounds of the heart, and sometimes, people return hoping to reignite what was lost. However, in some cases, time has changed things so much that going back is impossible. The song also alludes to the idea that people can learn from their experiences and grow with time, while others may remain stagnant.
Line by Line Meaning
You left you didn't say goodbye
You departed without giving me a farewell
You never gave me a reason why
You didn't provide me an explanation for your departure
My tears are dried now it's been a while
I've adapted and overcome the pain from your absence over time
Now there you stand you're back again
You're here again after leaving before
Do you think that time stands still do you think that time stands still
Are you under the impression that time stops while you're gone
Things have changed I've rearranged so many things
My life has evolved and adapted to your absence
It never has it never will do you think that time stands still
Time does not wait for anyone
You want to start where we left off
You desire to resume where we terminated the relationship
Somebody found the love you lost
Someone else discovered the lost love you were seeking
Love has its price we've paid the cost
Pursuing love has repercussions and we've experienced the negative consequences
We lose and learn now it's your turn
We've experienced failures in our endeavors to find love, now it's your turn to experience it too
Oh do you think that time stands still...
Are you still living under the myth that time halts while you're away
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.