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
Medley: Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight,
Walking in a winter wonderland.
Gone away is the bluebird,
Here to stay is a new bird
As we go along,
Walking in a winter wonderland.
In the meadow we can build a snowman,
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown
He'll say: Are you married?
We'll say: No man,
But you can do the job
When you're in town.
Later on, we'll conspire,
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid,
The plans that we've made,
Walking in a winter wonderland.
Just hear those sleigh bells jingling,
Ring ting tingling too
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you,
Outside the snow is falling
And friends are calling "Yoo hoo,"
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you.
Giddy yap, giddy yap, giddy yap,
Let's go, Let's look at the show,
We're riding in a wonderland of snow.
Giddy yap, giddy yap, giddy yap,
It's grand, Just holding your hand,
We're gliding along with a song
Of a wintry fairy land.
Our cheeks are nice and rosy
And comfy cozy are we
We're snuggled up together
Like two birds of a feather would be
Let's take that road before us
And sing a chorus or two
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you.
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's Medley: Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride express the joy and romance of winter. The first stanza captures the beauty of the snow and the happiness the season brings, with the jingling sleigh bells representing the start of a new adventure. The second stanza describes the arrival of a new bird, who sings a love song to accompany the couple on their walk. They envision building a snowman and pretending he is Parson Brown, a reference to a children's game where they make believe that a snowman is asking if they are married.
In the third stanza, the couple continues their walk and dreams of facing their future plans unafraid, while enjoying the winter wonderland. The song then transitions to a description of a sleigh ride, with the snow falling and friends calling out to them. The jingling bells continue as they sing about the excitement of the ride and the enjoyment of being together, with the suggestion that they are gliding through a wintry fairyland. The final stanza has them snuggled up together, enjoying each other's company and singing together as they journey forward on their snowy path.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
The sound of sleigh bells can be heard. Are you paying attention and enjoying the moment?
In the lane, snow is glistening
The snow is shining bright and reflecting light in a beautiful way.
A beautiful sight,
This winter wonderland is absolutely stunning to look at.
We're happy tonight,
In this moment, we're feeling joy and contentment.
Walking in a winter wonderland.
We're enjoying a walk in this beautiful snowy setting.
Gone away is the bluebird,
The bluebird, which is typically seen in warmer weather, is no longer here.
Here to stay is a new bird
A new bird, more commonly seen during the winter, has arrived and is staying with us.
He sings a love song,
This new bird is singing a song about love.
As we go along,
We continue to walk and enjoy the winter wonderland while the bird sings.
In the meadow we can build a snowman,
We have the option to build a snowman in this open area filled with snow.
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown
We can pretend that our snowman is a religious figure known as Parson Brown.
He'll say: Are you married?
In our pretend game, the snowman asks if we're married.
We'll say: No man,
We answer the snowman's question by saying we're not married.
But you can do the job
Even though we're not married, the snowman can still help us out.
When you're in town.
If the snowman is ever in our town, he can help us out.
Later on, we'll conspire,
We'll come up with a plan together.
As we dream by the fire
While we're relaxing by the fire, we'll make plans for the future.
To face unafraid,
We'll be brave and unafraid.
The plans that we've made,
We'll be ready to take on the plans that we've made together.
Walking in a winter wonderland.
We'll keep enjoying the winter wonderland as we walk through it.
Just hear those sleigh bells jingling,
Those sleigh bells are still ringing and jingling.
Ring ting tingling too
The bells are making a pleasant ringing and tingling sound.
Come on, it's lovely weather
This weather is perfect for what we're doing and we're enjoying it.
For a sleigh ride together with you,
We're enjoying a sleigh ride together in this lovely weather.
Outside the snow is falling
While we're riding in the sleigh, the snow is continuously falling outside.
And friends are calling "Yoo hoo,"
We can hear our friends calling out to us in excitement.
Come on, it's lovely weather
We're reminded again that this weather is truly amazing.
For a sleigh ride together with you.
We're still enjoying our time together in the sleigh ride.
Giddy yap, giddy yap, giddy yap,
We're encouraging the horses who are pulling our sleigh by using a fun phrase.
Let's go, Let's look at the show,
Let's continue our ride and enjoy the beautiful snowy scenery.
We're riding in a wonderland of snow.
We're still enjoying our ride in the snowy, wonderland setting.
It's grand, Just holding your hand,
It's really wonderful to be here with you, holding your hand.
We're gliding along with a song
We're continuing our ride while singing a cheerful song.
Of a wintry fairy land.
This winter wonderland is like a fairy tale setting come to life.
Our cheeks are nice and rosy
Our faces are red and rosy due to the cold weather.
And comfy cozy are we
Despite the cold, we're feeling comfortable and cozy together.
We're snuggled up together
We're close together, keeping each other warm and comfortable.
Like two birds of a feather would be
We feel connected to each other, just like birds of a feather would.
Let's take that road before us
We have a path in front of us that we can take.
And sing a chorus or two
As we walk, we can continue singing together.
Come on, it's lovely weather
We're still enjoying this lovely winter weather.
For a sleigh ride together with you.
We're still enjoying our sleigh ride together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE KLEINSINGER, ROBERT L. MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
whomeplay
Backwoods Barbie!
I come from a small town in the Smoky Mountains called Locust Ridge Tn.,
where the water purer and the girls prettier.
Its all about the hair, the dress and makeup, either you keep it up or you lose it,
a girl got to do what a girl got to do.
The boys grow tall like the pine trees swaying in the wind and the air so clean
it will take your breath away.
From the backwoods to Hollywood its singing is what I love to do,
you can take me out of country but you can't take the country out of me.
Mamas going to be proud of me singing my songs on stage and TV,
backwoods Barbie is what I come to be.
Its not about the money because I would sing for free,
but I can keep the money and let Jesus set me free.
I owe all to Mama, Daddy, Jesus and them Smoking Mountains Tennessee.
whomeplay
Mama's Heart of Gold!
We were raised in the Smoky Mountains and we were like a carton of eggs there were twelve of us kids!
We were numbered in the have nots and didn't know it, but we were rich because we had each other!
Daddy would hand milk the cows before the sun was up and do it all again before it went down!
We had no electric lights, but Mama would read the Good Book to us by candle light, because Daddy couldn't read!
Mama was like Jesus, not that she could walk on water or calm the sea, but that she loved all the little children, you see!
Daddy never cried, but one day Daddy was crying, I asked what's wrong, he said Mama went to live with Jesus!
You see she didn't have a lot of things, but Mama left what she had, a heart of gold for each of us to share!
So think about Mama's heart of gold, and share it wherever you go! In Memory of Dolly Parton Mama!!
whomeplay
Heartache! In the memory of Larry Parton!
Mamas so busy making ends meet, we had to help take care each other.
In a one room house we had to lay the short way in bed, light firewood to sleep.
With no electric lights went to bed like the chickens when it got dark.
We all had things to do to help Mama to do the things she had to do.
I was nine when it came my time for a baby to take care of a baby.
It was the summer of 1955 up in those Smoky Mountains of TN.
Larry was born to be my baby doll to feed and change, no throw away diapers you see.
In just four short days my baby doll Larry left to be with Jesus.
My heart was broken to my soul, because Larry was special to me.
Heartache for a nine year girl was almost to much to bare.
What got me thru was seeing my baby doll was in heaven.
My eyes would tear up knowing Larry was playing in the arms of Jesus.
whomeplay
Backwoods Barbie!
I come from a small town in the Smoky Mountains called Locust Ridge Tn.,
where the water purer and the girls prettier.
Its all about the hair, the dress and makeup, either you keep it up or you lose it,
a girl got to do what a girl got to do.
The boys grow tall like the pine trees swaying in the wind and the air so clean
it will take your breath away.
From the backwoods to Hollywood its singing is what I love to do,
you can take me out of country but you can't take the country out of me.
Mamas going to be proud of me singing my songs on stage and TV,
backwoods Barbie is what I come to be.
Its not about the money because I would sing for free,
but I can keep the money and let Jesus set me free.
I owe all to Mama, Daddy, Jesus and them Smoking Mountains Tennessee.
NOne Rose
I grew up on this album during my Christmas Childhood years, my parents were big fans of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. I loved and miss those years.
Brother To brother
I love Kenny and dolly. They make the best Christmas songs. They make the Christmas season a lot better
Short M
YES
Guitarman3200
One of the best Christmas albums ever recorded !!! This album was released in 1984...the year after I graduated. My Mom played it every Christmas and so have I every Christmas since. My daughter grew up listening to it and now our granddaughter will too. Thank you Kenny & Dolly for all the magical Christmas memories !
Edna Namaunga
I love this song it makes me happy
Cynthia Behr
Dolly! We are all celebrating your Grammy win last night with Zach! I'm listening to it on the radio this morning. You found a phenomenal new duet partner even though there's just no replacing Kenny. Congratulations beautiful lady! Jesus and Kenny are looking down and smiling.
Karen Leclair
One of my favorite Christmas albums! They're so good together. It isn't Christmas until I listen to these two. Missing you Kenny! Your voice was unique and sexy. Rip
Paul Smith
Hello How are you doing, hope you are staying safe, Merry Christmas to you 🎄
哲子仮免
Finally found this song. Thank goodness. Better save this on my christmas playlist then.
deana diedrich
Christmas is over.... but l had to play this.... so beautiful!