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
God
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I see God when the eagle starts to fly
I see God in a little baby's smile
I see God and he makes my life worthwhile
Yes I see God when the bridegroom meets his bride
I see God in a father's loving eyes
I see God when a mother starts to cry
(I see God) where the people meet to pray
(I see God) in the things they do and say
(I see God) when the little children play
I see God and I know he's near all way
I see God, yes I see God
Dolly Parton's song, "God's Coloring Book" is a beautiful ode to nature and the idea that God's creations can be seen all around us in the form of colors. The song opens with the singer walking in a field and sitting on a log. She takes the time to observe and admire the colors around her, from the gold of sunlight to the various shades of flowers growing along the stream. As she looks around her, she realizes that she is viewing God's coloring book.
As the song progresses, she continues to appreciate the colorful world around her, including the gray in an old man's hair, the pink in a baby's cheeks, and the purple haze at sunset. She sees God everywhere and knows that each new day is just another page in his coloring book. She turns her face towards the sky and says a silent prayer, acknowledging that God is all around her and each day is a gift.
The song is a lovely reminder of the beauty that surrounds us every day and the idea that nature is God's artwork. It encourages listeners to slow down and appreciate the colors in the world around them as a way of connecting with the divine.
Line by Line Meaning
Today as I was walking
As I was strolling around
In the fields just down the way
In the nearby meadows
I sat down on a fallen log
I took a seat on a felled tree
To pass the time away
To spend my time meaningfully
And as I looked around me
As I surveyed my surroundings
The more that I did look
The deeper I gazed
The more I realize that I am viewing
I came to comprehend that I'm witnessing
God's coloring book
Nature is God's canvas
I saw a golden ray of sunlight
I witnessed a beam of light
A silver drop of dew
A tiny pearl of moisture
A soft, white floating cloud
A gentle, buoyant white vapor
Sailing cross the sky 'a blue
Drifting through the blue heavens
A yellow dandelion
A bright, yellow wildflower
Pretty evergreen
A beautiful evergreen tree
And some red and orange flowers
And a few crimson and tangerine blossoms
Growing wild along the stream
Thriving unrestrained by the flowing waters
The greyness in an old man's hair
The silvery shade of an elder's hair
The pink in baby's cheeks
The rosy hue of an infant's face
The blackness in a stormy sky
The dark intensity of a tempestuous climate
The brown in fallen leaves
The warm tone of the fallen foliage
And the multicolored rainbow
And the vivid spectrum of colors in the arc
Stretched out across the sky
Expanding across the firmament
And the purple haze at sunset
And the purplish mist at dusk
Just before the night
Right before the darkness
Then I turn my face toward the sky
I then gaze upward
And say a silent prayer
And offer a silent plea
Though God doesn't speak to me
Although God remains silent with me
I see him everywhere
I see His presence in all places
He is all around me
His presence surrounds me
He's everywhere I look
I see Him in everything around me
And each new day is but a new page
Every new day is a fresh canvas
In god's coloring book
In this artwork crafted by God
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dorothy Jo Hope
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jjadedboii8013
Hello God, are you out there?
Can you hear me, are you listenin' any more?
Hello God, if we're still on speakin' terms
Can you help me like before?
I have questioned your existence,
My resistance leaves me cold
Can you help me go the distance?
Hello God, hello, hello
This old world has gone to pieces
Can we fix it, is there time?
Hate and violence just increases
We're so selfish, cruel and blind
We fight and kill each other
In your name, defending you
Do you love some more than others?
We're so lost and confused
Hello God, are you out there?
Can you hear us, are you listenin' any more?
Hello God, if we're still on speakin' terms
Can you help us like before?
Oh, the free will you have given
We have made a mockery of
This is no way to be livin',
We're in great need of your love
Hello God
Hello God, can you grant us
Love enough to make amends
(Hello God) Is there still a chance
That we could start again
Hello God, we've learned our lesson
Dear God, don't let us go
More than ever
Hello God, hello, hello
Hello God, we really need you
We can't make it without you
(Hello God) We beseech you
In the name of all that's true
Hello God, please forgive us
For we know not what we do
Hello God, give us one more chance to prove ourselves to you
Hello, God; hello, God
@chizukwanwugo3981
Anyone listening in 2024?
@EmilyNyakundi
Why not
@annrosemaina1624
Ooh yes!
@prudencenmunyuki2723
March 2024, here I am
@chemutaidiana
March 24 here
@tripplelaughter
My all time favorite 1:06
@Deprincehenry
who is here in 2021, happy 75 years old DOLLY PARTON, master piece!!!
@gettotvmachukimedia7891
Strong she is
@lorinegatwiri8426
She is always on top.
@bethwambani1037
Meeee