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
Laugh The Years Away
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
WITH DOLLY PARTON
(Howard Tuck)
« © '73 Owepar Publishing »
A corporation owns the factory I work in
Someone else owns the house we call our home
The bank owns the car we drive around
We've got love happiness surrounds us
And we thank the Lord for every single day
And with love we'll always have each other
And together we can laugh the years away
We're so thankful for our lovely children
And I work hard to keep new shoes upon their feet
But sometimes they've not too much on our table
But we've got something that's mighty hard to feed
We've got love happiness surrounds us...
We've got love happiness surrounds us...
In Dolly Parton's "Laugh The Years Away," she expresses the concept of ownership and how material possessions don't necessarily define someone's happiness. The first stanza highlights the different things that others own, such as a corporation owning the factory she works in and someone else owning the house they call home. However, despite not owning those things herself, she emphasizes the importance of having something she can call her own, which is love. Parton suggests that love is something that nobody can take away and it is essential in bringing happiness into life.
The second stanza talks about the struggles that come with providing for her family. While she works hard to put new shoes on her children's feet, sometimes there isn't enough food on the table. However, despite the financial difficulties, her family remains grateful for the love and happiness that surrounds them. They believe that they can "laugh the years away" as long as they have each other.
The song captures an essential message of happiness being rooted in love and connection rather than having material possessions. The lyrics take a simple concept and turn it into an anthem of appreciation for the things that truly matter in life.
Line by Line Meaning
A corporation owns the factory I work in
The factory I work at is owned by a corporation.
Someone else owns the house we call our home
We do not own the house we live in. Someone else does.
The bank owns the car we drive around
The car we have is owned by the bank.
And we've got something we can call our own
Despite not owning much, we have something we can call our own.
We've got love happiness surrounds us
We may not have many material possessions, but we have love and happiness in our lives.
And we thank the Lord for every single day
We are grateful for each day and thank God for all the blessings in our lives.
And with love we'll always have each other
Love will keep us together and we will always have one another.
And together we can laugh the years away
Despite the struggles we face, we can find joy in each other's company and laugh as we face the years ahead.
We're so thankful for our lovely children
We are grateful for our children and the joy they bring to our lives.
And I work hard to keep new shoes upon their feet
I work hard to provide for my children's needs, including new shoes.
But sometimes they've not too much on our table
We may face financial struggles at times and have limited resources to provide for our family.
But we've got something that's mighty hard to feed
Our love and our family bond are precious and cannot be easily sustained or nourished with material possessions.
We've got love happiness surrounds us...
Despite our struggles, we have love and happiness in our lives.
We've got love happiness surrounds us...
Despite our struggles, we have love and happiness in our lives.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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.