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
Mule Skinner Blues
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good morning to you, sir
Hey, hey, yeah
Do you need another mule skinner
Down on your new mud run?
Hey, hey, yeah
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
He-he-he-he-he-he
Well, I'm a lady mule skinner
From down old Tennessee way
Hey, hey, I come from Tennessee
I can make any mule listen
Or I won't accept your pay
Hey, hey, I won't take your pay
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
He-he-he-he-he-he
Well, hey, hey, little water boy
Won't you bring your water 'round?
Hey, hey
If you don't like your job
Well, you can throw your bucket down
Throw it down, boy, throw it down
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
He-he-he-he-he-he
Well, I've been working down in GeorgiaAt a greasy spoon cafe
Hey, I've been working in Georgia
Just to let a no good man
Call every cent of my pay
Hey, hey, and I'm sick of it
And wanna be a mule skinner
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
He-he-he-he-he-he
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
He-he-he-he-he-he
Mule skinner blues
The song "Mule Skinner Blues" tells the story of a lady mule skinner, who comes from Tennessee and is looking for work. The mule skinner is confident in her skills and assures the captain that she can make any mule listen, and won't accept payment if she doesn't succeed. The song also features a water boy, who is asked to bring water and told that he can quit if he doesn't like his job. The mule skinner then reveals that she has been working in Georgia at a greasy spoon cafe, where a no good man has been taking all of her pay. She is fed up with this job and wants to become a mule skinner.
The lyrics of "Mule Skinner Blues" reflect the harsh reality of working-class life in the early 20th century. The song celebrates the hard-working and independent spirit of the mule skinner, who is determined to make a living and provide for herself. The water boy represents the idea that even the lowest jobs have value, but that workers should have the right to leave a job they don't like.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, good morning, captain
Greetings, Captain
Good morning to you, sir
Greetings to you, Sir
Hey, hey, yeah
Expressing excitement
Do you need another mule skinner
Are you in need of another mule handler?
Down on your new mud run?
Are you on a new project where you need a mule handler?
Hey, hey, yeah
Expressing excitement
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
Sound effect for joyfulness
Well, I'm a lady mule skinner
I am a female mule handler
From down old Tennessee way
From Tennessee
Hey, hey, I come from Tennessee
Expressing hometown pride
I can make any mule listen
I have the ability to train any mule
Or I won't accept your pay
I will not take payment if I fail to train your mule
Hey, hey, I won't take your pay
Stressing on no payment without success
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
Sound effect for joyfulness
Well, hey, hey, little water boy
Addressing a young water seller
Won't you bring your water 'round?
Can you bring water over here?
If you don't like your job
If you dislike your job
Well, you can throw your bucket down
You have the option of quitting
Throw it down, boy, throw it down
Telling the boy to quit his job
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
Sound effect for joyfulness
Well, I've been working down in Georgia
I have been working in Georgia
At a greasy spoon cafe
At a roadside diner
Just to let a no good man
Just to allow a man with no good intentions
Call every cent of my pay
To take away every penny of my earnings
Hey, hey, and I'm sick of it
Expressing aversion
And wanna be a mule skinner
And want to become a mule handler
Yodel-a-ee-he-he
Sound effect for joyfulness
He-he-he-he-he-he
Sound effect for joyfulness (repeated)
Mule skinner blues
A song about the life of a mule handler
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jimmie Rodgers, George Vaughn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pdxrobert6795
Her voice is otherworldly, but that backing band is on straight fire as well.
@abigailcaraballo2623
Amen
@harrypalms9491
Why isn’t this song more popular?? This is an iconic performance!!
@daffydilly1
It WAS popular years ago, sung by Jimmie Rodgers.
@kellyshomemadekitchen
@@daffydilly1 as well as the Osborne Brothers. I think even Merle Haggard recorded it. It’s an amazing song regardless of the singer 😊
@marthavalor7003
Agreed.
@BH-zx4dm
Heard it for the first time today on Willie's Roadhouse!!! Love it! Great way to start my day at 5 am!!!
@djpanebouef9939
I was very popular when I was very young..
@YeahNahMaybe947
Dolly's better than a national living treasurer, that voice is gift to the world from God.
@susiebrown4988
The energy in her vocals!