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
Gypsy Joe And Me
Dolly Parton Lyrics
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We might have slept in a rail yard or camped by the river bank
We fed ourselves from the fruit of the land
And quenched our thirst with rain
We never did allow no roots to grow beneath our feet
Life just had no pattern for Gypsy Joe and me
All we had was each other and the rags upon our back
But we had all we needed and the rest we didn't need
Life was free and simple for Gypsy Joe and me
Now Gypsy was my little dog, I found by the road in a ditch
And so I named him Gypsy, cause that name just seemed to fit
Oh and Joe he was my man, the flower of my soul
Thou he never said he loved me, I just always seemed to know
While standing by the highway, thumbin' for a ride
The speeding wheels of a passing car, took Gypsy's life
I lost him where I found him and his loss was misery
Now there's no more Gypsy, there's just Joe and me
Well the winter came and the snow did fall
And the night was cold and still
And the rags we wore were not enough
And Joe he caught the chill
And he told me how he loved me
And in my arms he went to sleep
Now there's no more Gypsy, no more Joe, there's just me
While standin' here on the edge of this bridge
Lookin' down I see
The face of Joe and Gypsy, lookin' back at me
And somewhere in the distance I can hear them callin' me
Tonight we'll be together again
Gypsy, Joe and me
In "Gypsy Joe and Me," Dolly Parton sings about the life of two drifters who work with what they have and depend on each other, never settling down in one place. They dwell in abandoned shacks, sleep in rail yards, camp by riverbanks or anywhere they find themselves at the end of the day. Gypsy Joe and Me survive on the fruit of the land and quench their thirst with rainwater because they never let roots grow under their feet. The singer emphasizes the freedom and the simplicity of their lives, in contrast to the materialism of society. Joe and Gypsy are enough for each other, even though the singer implies that Joe might have some problems expressing his love for her.
Parton introduces Gypsy, who was her little dog she found on the roadside, and who became her companion. Joe, on the other hand, is the flower of her soul, and he never says he loves her, but she knows it. And just like any passionate relationship, the two are forced apart. Gypsy dies under the wheels of a speeding car as the two were hitch-hiking on the highway, and Joe succumbs to the cold and the frostbite. The two drifters who were inseparable cease to exist, leaving the singer with only the memory of the two people she loved in her mind.
The lyrics to "Gypsy Joe and Me" reflect the transitory existence of people who choose to live outside of mainstream society. They long for freedom and an unattached life, with the company of their dogs and their loved ones. The song is a reminder of the shortness of life and the importance of companionship, even if it's only for a little while.
Line by Line Meaning
We might have slept in a rail yard or camped by the river bank
We didn't have a permanent place to live, so we slept wherever we could find shelter, like in a rail yard or by a river.
We fed ourselves from the fruit of the land
We survived by finding fruits and other edible things that we could pick from the land.
And quenched our thirst with rain
We drank rainwater when we were thirsty.
We never did allow no roots to grow beneath our feet
We didn't stay in one place for too long, so we never had a sense of belonging or a place to call home.
Life just had no pattern for Gypsy Joe and me
Our lives had no structure or predictability; we simply lived day by day, never knowing what would happen next.
All we had was each other and the rags upon our back
The only thing we had was each other and the clothes on our backs.
The closest thing to a home we new was some abandoned shack
We never had a real home, but sometimes we found an abandoned shack that we could stay in for a while.
But we had all we needed and the rest we didn't need
We didn't need much to be happy; we were content with what we had.
Life was free and simple for Gypsy Joe and me
Our lives were simple and uncomplicated, and we were happy that way.
Now Gypsy was my little dog, I found by the road in a ditch
I found a small dog abandoned in a ditch by the side of the road.
And so I named him Gypsy cause that name just seemed to fit
I named the dog Gypsy because he seemed to fit in with our nomadic lifestyle.
Oh and Joe he was my man, the flower of my soul
Joe was my partner and my soulmate, and I loved him deeply.
Thou he never said he loved me, I just always seemed to know
Joe never said he loved me, but I could feel it in his actions and the way he looked at me.
While standin' by the highway, thumbin' for a ride
We often had to hitchhike to get around and find new places to stay.
The speeding wheels of a passing car took Gypsy's life
A car hit and killed Gypsy while we were standing by the side of the road.
I lost him where I found him and his loss was misery
I found Gypsy alone and abandoned, and losing him was devastating for me.
Now there's no more Gypsy, there's just Joe and me
Without Gypsy, it's just me and Joe again.
Well the winter came and the snow did fall
When winter came, it was cold and snowy.
And the night was cold and still
The nights were especially cold and quiet.
And the rags we wore were not enough
Our clothes were not warm enough to protect us from the cold.
And Joe he caught the chill
Joe got sick from being out in the cold for too long.
And he told me how he loved me
Joe finally expressed his love for me.
And in my arms he went to sleep
Joe passed away while I was holding him.
Now there's no more Gypsy, no more Joe, there's just me
I lost both Gypsy and Joe, and now I'm alone.
While standin' here on the edge of this bridge
I'm standing on a bridge.
Lookin' down I see
When I look down, I see something.
The face of Joe and Gypsy, lookin' back at me
I see the faces of Joe and Gypsy reflected in the water.
And somewhere in the distance I can hear them callin' me
I feel like Joe and Gypsy are reaching out to me from beyond.
Tonight we'll be together again, Gypsy, Joe, and me
I'll be reunited with Gypsy and Joe in the afterlife.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Romy K.
As a matter of fact she's contemplating suicide standing on the bridge, that's how they'll be together again.