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
Fisherman's Song
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sunrise hits their oilskin boots, their painted boats and me
And they seem to know the ocean like a man knows a woman
She makes him wait around for half the morning for the tide to turn
[Chorus]
Pull on the ropes, seine haul fisherman
Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day
Day's for work, night's the time to go dancing
They're drinking beer and laughing and squinting at the sun
Waiting for the gulls to tell them when the fish will come
Their faces brown and weathered from all the nets they've run
They've learned to wait, they always know that the tide will turn
[Chorus]
Now way out on the ocean the big ships hunt for whales
And the Japanese have caught so many now they hunt for snails
But my fisherman's not greedy he seems content to live
With the sun and the sand and a net full of fishes when the tide turns
[Chorus]
Oh, yes pull on the ropes, seine haul fisherman
Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day
Oh, and pull in the nets, seine haul fisherman
Day's for work, night's the time to go dancing
Dolly Parton’s Fisherman’s Song is a mesmerizing tribute to the life and work of a fisherman. As the song opens, we find the fishermen pitching pennies in the sand beside the sea. The scene is set by the captivating sunrise that hits their oilskin boots, their painted boats and the singer herself. The fishermen seem to know the ocean like a man knows a woman, with her making him wait around for half the morning for the tide to turn.
The chorus of the song pays tribute to the hard work and resilience of the fishermen. Pulling on the ropes and hauling the seine, the fishermen never catch more than they know they can sell in a day. They have learned to wait and always know that the tide will turn. The day is for work, but the night is the time to go dancing.
As the song progresses, we are taken on a journey of the fishermen’s lives. Their faces are brown and weathered from all the nets they’ve run, but they still find time to laugh, drink beer, and squint at the sun. While big ships hunt for whales way out on the ocean, and the Japanese have caught so many that they now hunt for snails, the fisherman is content to live his life with the sun and the sand, and a net full of fishes when the tide turns. The Fisherman’s Song is a beautiful tribute to the hard work and contentment of a simple life.
Line by Line Meaning
The fisherman are pitching pennies in the sand beside the sea
The fishermen are on the shore, betting money on games, while the sea is nearby.
And the sunrise hits their oilskin boots, their painted boats and me
As the sun rises, its rays illuminate the fishermen's gear and their boats.
And they seem to know the ocean like a man knows a woman
The fishermen understand the ocean well, as though they know it intimately, like a man understands a woman.
She makes him wait around for half the morning for the tide to turn
The tide is like a woman who makes the fishermen wait for half the morning before it turns.
[Chorus] Pull on the ropes, seine haul fisherman / Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day / Pull in the nets, seine haul fisherman / Day's for work, night's the time to go dancing
The chorus repeats the instructions of how the fishermen carry out their trade, with an emphasis that they only catch what they can sell for the day and the importance of having fun, especially during dancing at night.
They're drinking beer and laughing and squinting at the sun
The fishermen have beer, are in high spirits, and are looking at the sun, which makes them squint.
Waiting for the gulls to tell them when the fish will come
The fishermen are waiting for the birds to indicate when the fish will arrive.
Their faces brown and weathered from all the nets they've run
The fishermen's faces are sunburnt and aged from the work they do with nets.
They've learned to wait, they always know that the tide will turn
The fishermen have learned the value of patience and always know that the tide will eventually change.
[Chorus] Now way out on the ocean the big ships hunt for whales / And the Japanese have caught so many now they hunt for snails
The chorus continues, and the artist comments on how larger companies are hunting whales and the Japanese have resorted to hunting for snails due to the depletion of whales.
But my fisherman's not greedy he seems content to live / With the sun and the sand and a net full of fishes when the tide turns
The singer is proud of her fisherman, who doesn't seem to be greedy and is happy to live a simple life with the sun, the sand, and fish when he catches them.
[Chorus] Oh, yes pull on the ropes, seine haul fisherman / Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day / Oh, and pull in the nets, seine haul fisherman / Day's for work, night's the time to go dancing
The chorus repeats one last time, affirming that the fisherman will continue to work and have fun with dancing at night.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CARLY SIMON
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.