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
It's Not My Affair Anymore
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can't stay here 'cause I would never get over you baby
That would do I gotta get loose
Somebody take me out of this place
Keep my eyes from seeing your face 'cause
You love her where you once love me darling
I can't believe it's true oh no.
It's not my affair anymore
You're not my man to care for
It's not my affair anymore
I'll close the door
So many things we've lefted unsaid
So many questions in my head well I never
Lock the back door ooh
And somehow you keep slipping on in taking me back once
Again to a memory trail like a shadow from a feeling
And it just grow don't I know
[Chorus]
Remember all of the laughter
Remember ooh the morning laughter remember
Moonlight the candle the shady light
Remember and it seen so right.
[Chorus]
Remember moonlight the candle light the shady light
Remember ooh and it seen so right.
[Chorus]
It's not my affair anymore.
Dolly Parton's "It's Not My Affair Anymore" is a song about a woman coming to terms with the end of a relationship. She sees her former partner with another woman, and while it hurts, she knows she needs to move on for her own wellbeing. The song's lyrics express her struggle to let go of the past, to resist the temptation to "keep slipping on in" to old memories and emotions, and to accept that she and her ex-lover are no longer each other's "affair[s] to care for."
The chorus's repetition of "It's not my affair anymore" serves as a mantra for the singer, a reminder that she no longer has a stake in her former partner's life. She must close the door on their past relationship and find a way to live without its familiar comforts and routines. At the same time, the song suggests that the singer retains fond memories of their time together, expressing nostalgia for moments like "moonlight the candle the shady light."
Overall, "It's Not My Affair Anymore" is a powerful meditation on the end of love, the inevitability of change, and the need to let go of the past to embrace the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I never knew what this could do seeing another woman with you
I didn't realize the pain of seeing you with someone else until now.
But I can't stay here 'cause I would never get over you baby
I can't stay because being around you would make it impossible for me to move on.
That would do I gotta get loose
I need to break free from this situation.
Somebody take me out of this place
I need someone to help me escape this situation.
Keep my eyes from seeing your face 'cause
I can't bear to see you with someone else.
You love her where you once love me darling
You've moved on to someone else after loving me.
I can't believe it's true oh no.
I can't believe that this is really happening.
It's not my affair anymore
This is no longer my business or concern.
You're not my man to care for
You are no longer my responsibility to take care of.
I'll close the door
I am closing the door on our relationship.
So many things we've lefted unsaid
There are many things between us that we never talked about.
So many questions in my head well I never
I have so many unanswered questions that I never got the chance to ask.
Lock the back door ooh
I forgot to lock the back door.
And somehow you keep slipping on in taking me back once
You keep finding a way back into my life, bringing back memories.
Again to a memory trail like a shadow from a feeling
Reminders of you keep haunting me like shadows.
And it just grow don't I know
These memories keep getting stronger and it's hard to let go.
Remember all of the laughter
I remember all the good times and laughter we shared.
Remember ooh the morning laughter remember
I remember the laughter from our mornings together.
Moonlight the candle the shady light
I remember the romantic moments we shared in dim lighting.
Remember and it seemed so right.
I remember how everything felt perfect between us.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JEANNE FRENCH
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.