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
Just as Good as Gone
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you're just as good as gone
I stand here in the doorway of
The room where you lie sleeping
In hopes that I don't wake you up
With the sounds of my weeping, mmmhmm
It breaks my heart to see you lying there
'Cause you no longer want me and
I wonder what went wrong
Though you haven't left me yet
I know you're just as good as gone
There's so much more between us
Than just these lonely walls
The echoes of our dying love
Lingers in the halls, mmmhmm
Living separately together in a house
That's not a home
Though you haven't left me yet
I know you're just as good as gone
Through the eyes of a broken heart
I watch my whole world fall apart
I'm trying to revive a love that's died
Hopelessly I'm holding on to a
Love I know is gone
Gone, but not because I haven't tried
Disappearing from your door way now the
Hurt is twice as strong
Though you haven't left me yet
I know you're just as good as gone
Though you haven't left me yet
I know you're just as good as gone
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's song "Just as Good as Gone" tell the story of a relationship on the brink of collapse. The singer acknowledges that even though their partner has not physically left yet, the emotional disconnection and distance between them make it feel like they are already gone. The singer stands in the doorway of the room where their partner is sleeping, overwhelmed with sadness and the fear of waking them up with their tears. They observe their partner lying there alone, realizing that they no longer want them and wondering what led to this point.
The song expresses the pain of living in a situation where two people are physically present but emotionally absent. The singer describes the home they share as being devoid of love, filled only with lonely walls and the echoes of their dying love. They yearn for the connection they once had, trying desperately to revive a love that has already died. They hold on with hopefulness, even though they know deep down that their efforts are in vain.
These lyrics capture the heartbreaking experience of falling out of love and the struggle to accept that the relationship is coming to an end. Despite the partner's physical presence, the emotional disconnect makes it feel as though they are already gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Though you haven't left me yet
Even though you're physically still here with me
I know you're just as good as gone
I am aware that emotionally you have already left
I stand here in the doorway of
I find myself positioned in the entrance of
The room where you lie sleeping
The space where you peacefully rest
In hopes that I don't wake you up
With the desire to avoid disturbing your sleep
With the sounds of my weeping, mmmhmm
By emitting the audible manifestations of my sorrow
It breaks my heart to see you lying there
Witnessing you in that state fills me with immense sadness
Alone in the bed we used to share
Being by yourself in the place where we once found closeness
'Cause you no longer want me and
Because you no longer possess the desire for my presence and
I wonder what went wrong
I contemplate the reasons behind our current state
There's so much more between us
There exists a multitude of unresolved matters within our relationship
Than just these lonely walls
Beyond the confines of these desolate enclosure
The echoes of our dying love
The reverberations of our deteriorating affection
Lingers in the halls, mmmhmm
Persistently remains in the passages of our home
Living separately together in a house
Existing in a state of physical cohabitation without genuine connection
That's not a home
Inhabiting a space that lacks the feelings of warmth and belonging
Through the eyes of a broken heart
From the perspective of a shattered emotional state
I watch my whole world fall apart
I observe my entire existence crumbling away
I'm trying to revive a love that's died
I am attempting to rekindle a love that has ceased to exist
Hopelessly I'm holding on to a
Desperately I cling to a
Love I know is gone
Affection I am aware has vanished
Gone, but not because I haven't tried
Vanished, yet not due to lack of effort from my part
Disappearing from your doorway now the
Fading away from your entrance, now the
Hurt is twice as strong
Pain is intensified twofold
Though you haven't left me yet
Even though you're physically still here with me
I know you're just as good as gone
I am aware that emotionally you have already left
Though you haven't left me yet
Even though you're physically still here with me
I know you're just as good as gone
I am aware that emotionally you have already left
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.