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 Can't Help Myself
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't help myself I love you and nobody else
Wanna tell in and out my life you come and go
Leaving just your picture behind
and I kissed it a thousand times
When you snap your finger or wink your eye I come a running to you
I'm tied to your apron strings and there's nothing I can do
Sugar pie honey bunch I'm weaker than a man should be
I can't help myself I'm a fool in love you see
Wanna tell you I don't love you tell you that we're through and I've tried
But every time I see your face I get all choked up inside
When I call your name girl it starts the flame burning in my heart
tearin it all apart no matter how I try my love
I cannot hide 'cause
Sugar Pie Honey Bunch you know that I'm weak for you
Can't help myself I love you and nobody else
Sugar Pie Honey Bunch do anything you ask me to
Can't help myself I want you and nobody else
Sugar Pie Honey Bunch you know that I love you
You know that I love you
Can't help myself, no I can't help myself
Dolly Parton's song "I Can't Help Myself" is a love song with catchy lyrics and upbeat melody that captures the essence of being in love. The song's sound is a perfect mixture of 1950s doo-wop and country music genres. The chorus, "Sugar pie honey bunch, you know that I love you, I can't help myself, I love you and nobody else," carries the main message of the song - the singer is hopelessly in love with her partner and cannot resist them. Throughout the song, Parton sings of the intense emotions she feels when she is with her lover, and despite trying to resist her feelings, she is unable to do so.
The first two lines of the song convey a sense of affection towards a loved one that extends beyond the singer's control. The phrase "sugar pie honey bunch" is a term of endearment that emphasizes how sweet and lovely her partner is. The next three lines tell us that the singer's partner comes and goes but leaves behind a photo which the singer kisses repeatedly, indicating her deep love for them even in their absence. The singer is helpless to resist her partner, and is bound to them emotionally. The phrase "tied to your apron strings" means that the singer is under the control of her partner, much like a child is tied to their mother's apron strings, and cannot do anything about it.
In summary, in "I Can't Help Myself," Dolly Parton skillfully conveys the agony of being in love with someone so much that they cannot be without them, no matter how much they try.
Line by Line Meaning
Sugar pie honey bunch you know that I love you
My beloved, you know how deeply I care for you.
I can't help myself I love you and nobody else
It's impossible for me not to love you, and I don't love anyone other than you.
Wanna tell in and out my life you come and go
You drift in and out of my life, and I wish I could express how much that affects me.
Leaving just your picture behind and I kissed it a thousand times
When you're gone, all I have is a photo of you that I kiss repeatedly to feel closer to you.
When you snap your finger or wink your eye I come a running to you
I'm so responsive to your slightest gestures that you have only to clap your hands or wink at me, and I'll come rushing to you.
I'm tied to your apron strings and there's nothing I can do
I'm like a child who can't break free from their mother's apron strings, and I'm helpless to resist you.
Sugar pie honey bunch I'm weaker than a man should be
My love for you has sapped my strength, and I'm not as tough as a man ought to be.
I can't help myself I'm a fool in love you see
My love for you has made me a fool, unable to control my emotions.
Wanna tell you I don't love you tell you that we're through and I've tried
I want to tell you that I don't love you anymore and that we're over, but I've already tried and failed to do so.
But every time I see your face I get all choked up inside
However, every time I glimpse your face, I'm overwhelmed by emotion and can't speak.
When I call your name girl it starts the flame burning in my heart
Just saying your name is enough to ignite a fire within me that I can't control.
Tearin it all apart no matter how I try my love I cannot hide 'cause
Despite my best efforts, my love for you is breaking me apart, and I can't keep it hidden.
Can't help myself I want you and nobody else
I can't help but want you, and I don't want anyone else beside you.
Sugar Pie Honey Bunch do anything you ask me to
I love you so much that I would do absolutely anything you asked of me.
You know that I love you, Can't help myself, no I can't help myself
You're well aware of my love for you, and I can't resist falling more deeply in love with you every day.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edward Jr. Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
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.