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
Home
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tears minglin' with the rain
I'm so lonesome I could cry, just like old Hank
Starin' down on the city street
Feelin' empty and incomplete
There's a place I need to be to fill my tank
A place I can go where I can be free
Where I can be happy and I just be me
Where the warm wind's blowin' and the river's flowin' along
Like a lazy bum in the midday sun
And I've gone fishin' with my pole at the fishin' hole
Where I can lay down my heavy load
And know that I am always welcome home
I left home I was seventeen
I had a lot of ambitious dreams
Seen a lot of those dreams come true, I've had good luck
I ain't complain' that's for sure
I got a lot to be thankful for
One of those things is a magic door that opens up
Back to the time when I was a kid
To the sounds of crickets and the katydids
It's called ho-o-ome
On the front porch swingin'
And the fern pots hangin'
Ho-o-ome
With the church bells ringin'
And voices singin'
Those old songs that mend my mind like a stitch in time
Where the tea is sweet and the love complete
Oh me, I wanna go ho-o-ome
I often think about where I have been
Where I am goin' and that's about when I think about
Ho-o-ome
Where the soul finds comfort and the heart finds pleasure
Ho-o-ome
Where the depths of love is hard to measure
It's ho-o-ome
I hear you callin', I hear you callin'
I'll never be lost as long as I know
There's place like that where I can go
Where I can restore my weary soul
On the mountain slopes in the soft blue smoke
Of ho-o-ome
Home sweeet home. Ho-o-ome
Back to the hills with the whippoorwills
Of ho-o-ome
With the fireflies blinkin' and the night stars winkin'
Ho-o-ome
Honeysuckle vine and Muscadine wine
At ho-o-ome
Where the ginseng grows in the shady groves of ho-o-ome
With family and friends and joy that never ends
Ho-o-ome
There's no place like it, no place like it
Ho-ome
In Dolly Parton's song "Home," the singer expresses feelings of loneliness and incompleteness while looking out of her windowpane. She yearns to return to her childhood home, where she can be free and happy, and where her soul can be comforted and her heart can find pleasure. The singer acknowledges the success she has achieved in her life but stresses that there is no place like home.
The first verse of the song depicts the singer's current situation as tearful and lonely, just like how the country singer Hank Williams sang about in his song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." The second verse portrays the singer as being thankful for the accomplishments that she has made in her life, yet recognizes that she still longs to return to her childhood home where her heart feels mended like a stitch in time.
The chorus of "Home" describes the singer's home as a place where the warm wind blows, the river flows lazily, and she can go fishing at the fishing hole. She can lay down her heavy load and feel welcomed. The singer also mentions the porch swing, fern pots, the ringing of church bells, and the songs that mend her mind.
"Home" by Dolly Parton is a song that expresses a longing for a place where the heart finds peace and the soul finds rest. The song evokes feelings of nostalgia and paints an idyllic picture of a small-town home that harbors a treasure trove of happy childhood memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Lookin' outta my windowpane
I am feeling lonely and sad as I stare out of my window
Tears minglin' with the rain
I am crying and my tears are falling like the rain outside
I'm so lonesome I could cry, just like old Hank
I am feeling so alone that I could cry just like how Hank Williams used to sing about his loneliness
Starin' down on the city street
I am looking down at the busy city street below
Feelin' empty and incomplete
I am feeling like there is something missing and I am not whole
There's a place I need to be to fill my tank
I am longing to be at a special place that will make me feel better
A place I can go where I can be free
I am searching for a place where I can feel free and be myself
Where I can be happy and I just be me
I am hoping to find joy and contentment by being my true self in this special place
Ho-o-ome
This special place that I am longing for is home
Where the warm wind's blowin' and the river's flowin' along
At home, there is a warm breeze and a flowing river that give me comfort
Like a lazy bum in the midday sun
At home, I can relax and be lazy, just like on a hot afternoon
And I've gone fishin' with my pole at the fishin' hole
At home, I can go fishing at a nearby spot where I can unwind and have fun
Where I can lay down my heavy load
At home, I can rest and let go of my worries
And know that I am always welcome home
At home, I feel loved and welcomed no matter what
I left home I was seventeen
I left home when I was just seventeen years old
I had a lot of ambitious dreams
I had big dreams and aspirations when I left home
Seen a lot of those dreams come true, I've had good luck
Over time, many of my dreams have come true and I've been lucky
I ain't complain' that's for sure
I am not complaining about my life and I am grateful for what I have
I got a lot to be thankful for
I have many things to feel grateful about
One of those things is a magic door that opens up
One of the things I am grateful for is having a special place like home that I can return to
Back to the time when I was a kid
At home, I can go back to a time when I was young
To the sounds of crickets and the katydids
At home, I can listen to the familiar sounds of crickets and katydids
It's called ho-o-ome
This special place that I am longing for is home
On the front porch swingin'
At home, I can relax on the front porch and swing back and forth
And the fern pots hangin'
At home, I can enjoy the sight of ferns hanging in pots
With the church bells ringin'
I can hear the sound of church bells ringing at home
And voices singin'
I can hear people singing familiar songs at home
Those old songs that mend my mind like a stitch in time
The sound of these songs give me peace and make me feel better, like how stitches fix a tear in clothing
Where the tea is sweet and the love complete
At home, I can enjoy sweet tea and feel surrounded by complete love and acceptance
Oh me, I wanna go ho-o-ome
I really want to return to my special place, home
I often think about where I have been
I often reflect on my past experiences and how they have shaped me
Where I am goin' and that's about when I think about
When I contemplate my future, I think about
Ho-o-ome
My special place, home
Where the soul finds comfort and the heart finds pleasure
At home, my soul feels comforted and my heart feels happy
Where the depths of love is hard to measure
At home, I feel surrounded by a love that cannot be measured
It's ho-o-ome
This special place that I am longing for is home
I hear you callin', I hear you callin'
I can hear home calling out to me, urging me to return
I'll never be lost as long as I know
As long as I know that I have a special place like home, I will never feel lost or alone
There's place like that where I can go
I know that there is a special place like home that I can return to
Where I can restore my weary soul
At home, I can rejuvenate my tired spirit
On the mountain slopes in the soft blue smoke
At home, I can enjoy the view of mountains and the sight of smoke rising into the air
Of ho-o-ome
My special place, home
Home sweeet home. Ho-o-ome
Home is a sweet and special place
Back to the hills with the whippoorwills
At home, I can enjoy the sound of whippoorwills in the hills
Of ho-o-ome
My special place, home
With the fireflies blinkin' and the night stars winkin'
At home, I can watch the fireflies and stars twinkling in the night sky
Ho-o-ome
My special place, home
Honeysuckle vine and Muscadine wine
At home, I can enjoy the scent of honeysuckle and the taste of Muscadine wine
At ho-o-ome
My special place, home
Where the ginseng grows in the shady groves of ho-o-ome
At home, I can find ginseng growing in the cool and shady groves
With family and friends and joy that never ends
At home, I can be surrounded by loved ones and happiness that will never disappear
Ho-o-ome
My special place, home
There's no place like it, no place like it
There is no other place like home
Ho-ome
My special place, home
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON, KENT WELLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lidia_90
Lookin' outta my windowpane
Tears minglin' with the rain
I'm so lonesome I could cry, just like old Hank
Starin' down on the city street
Feelin' empty and incomplete
There's a place I need to be to fill my tank
A place I can go where I can be free
Where I can be happy and just be me
Home
Where the warm wind's blowin'
And the river's flowin' along
Like a lazy bum in the midday sun
And I've gone fishin' with my pole at the fishin' hole
Where I can lay down my heavy load
And know that I am always welcome home
I left home I was seventeen
I had a lot of ambitious dreams
Seen a lot of those dreams come true
I've had good luck
I ain't complain' that's for sure
I got a lot to be thankful for
One of those things is a magic door that opens up
Back to the time when I was a kid
To the sounds of the crickets and the katydids
It's called
Home
On the front porch swingin'
And the fern pots hangin'
Home
With the church bells ringin'
And voices singin' those
Old songs that mend my mind like a stitch in time
Where the tea is sweet and the love complete
Oh me, I wanna go home
I often think about where I have been
Where I am goin' and that's about when I think about
Home
Where the soul finds comfort and the heart finds pleasure
Home
Where the depths of love is hard to measure
It's home
I hear you callin', I hear you callin'
I'll never be lost as long as I know
There's place like that where I can go
Where I can restore my weary soul
On the mountain slopes and the soft blue smoke
Of home
Home sweet home
Home
Back to the hills with the whippoorwills of
Home
With the fireflies blinkin' and the night stars winkin'
Home
Honeysuckle vine and Muscadine wine at
Home
Where the ginseng grows in the shady groves of
Home
With family and friends and joy that never ends
Home
There's no place like it, no place like it
Home
@mariochavez1253
She is more than 300 millions dollars lady. She is humble and so country. Learn it! 😊😊😊😊😊😊
@DollyParton-lj7zd
Thank you so much for your love, like’s and comments on my YouTube channel, I hope you don’t stop showing your love and support. 💕Love
@georgilazarov6632
QUEEN OF COUNTRY!!! 👑🌞🍂
@jodistokes8329
AMEN
@gavengudger8810
Dolly is the queen of pop country. Reba Mcentire is the queen of real country music
@puchwatanzania2665
We were trying to clean out mouth.. Nice VX car for everyone from Japan.. Good luck in your further studies.......
https://youtu.be/6yo0SEzxTMI
@maimiehendersonmcdade3941
Queen of country indeed fantastic singer
@laurapadgett385
@@gavengudger8810 silly comment. Reba would agree.
@user-ks7pb5yj4n
I love you Dolly! I am from Sevierville and you have been part of my magic window opening to finally play music for a living! I always wondered how you did it and now I know you just always knew the Lord. It took me a long time, but I found that light that connects us all. Blessing to you always! ❤❤❤❤❤
@imanirakizaaimable7142
show me, love, if you still love her music in 2020, Dolly patron is the best singer, musician, and artist.