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
I'm Doing This For Your Sake
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Copyright 1968
Someone else's arms will hold you my darling baby girl
I'll never get to see the child I've brought into this world
Because I made one mistake folks say that I'm bad
But they just don't understand the way I loved your dad
Now I thought your daddy loved me I was so sure he did
But I guess he must chenged his mind cause she left town one day
When he found out about you he just stopped and ran away
In this home so far away from home I leave my heart today
Cause home where the heart is and with you my heart will stay
Because I love you so much why I can't make you pay
So I'm doing this for your sake I'm giving you away
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's song "I'm Doing This For Your Sake" tell a heart-wrenching story of a mother who must give up her child for adoption because of the societal condemnation she faces as an unwed mother. The opening lines, "Someone else's arms will hold you my darling baby girl, I'll never get to see the child I've brought into this world" set the tone for the song and establish the singer's sense of loss and longing. The mother is forced to give up her child because she made "one mistake" and has been judged harshly for it.
The lyrics highlight the hypocrisy of a society that punishes unwed mothers while absolving the men who fathered the children. The line "But they just don't understand the way I loved your dad" makes it clear that the mother's love was genuine, but society has labeled her as "bad" nonetheless. The mother is left wondering where she went wrong and whether her love for the child's father was enough to keep him by her side.
The lyrics are emotional and impactful, and they tell a story that is sadly still relevant today. The song addresses themes of love, loss, and society's expectations, painting a powerful picture of a mother who is forced to give up the child she loves because of circumstances beyond her control.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone else's arms will hold you my darling baby girl
You will be raised by someone else and not by me, my baby girl.
I'll never get to see the child I've brought into this world
I won't be able to witness you grow up even though I'm the one who gave birth to you.
Because I made one mistake folks say that I'm bad
People judge me and think I'm a bad person because of one mistake I made.
But they just don't understand the way I loved your dad
Everyone else doesn't know my love towards your father and how much I truly loved him.
Now I thought your daddy loved me I was so sure he did
I was convinced that your father loved me deeply.
And so I gave him all my love and he said we would wed
I gave him all my love, and he promised that we would get married.
But I guess he must chenged his mind cause she left town one day
However, he must have changed his mind because he left town one day and didn't come back.
When he found out about you he just stopped and ran away
When he discovered that you existed, he just abandoned me and ran away.
In this home so far away from home I leave my heart today
As I give you away, I leave a piece of my heart in this distant home.
Cause home where the heart is and with you my heart will stay
Even though I won't physically be with you, my heart will stay with you always.
Because I love you so much why I can't make you pay
I don't want to burden you with the consequences of my actions because I love you too much.
So I'm doing this for your sake I'm giving you away
For your well-being, I'm giving you away to someone who can provide you with a better life, although it breaks my heart to do so.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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.