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
My Dear Companion
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
© 1976 Geordie Music Pub Co.
Oh have you seen my dear companion
For he was all this world to me
I hear he's gone to some far country
And that he cares no more for me
I'd fly to a high and lonesome place
I'd join the wild birds in their crying
Thinking of you and your sweet face
Oh have you seen my dear companion
For he was all this world to me
But now the stars have turned against me
And he cares no more for me
Oh when the dark is on the mountain
And all the world has gone to sleep
I will go down to the cold dark waters
And there I'll lay me down and weep
Oh have you seen my dear companion
Oh have you seen my dear companion
Oh have you seen my dear companion
For he was all this world to me
The song "My Dear Companion" is a beautiful and mournful lament by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, written by Jean Ritchie. The song is a plea for a lost lover or companion, who was the entire world to the singer. The lyrics suggest that the companion has gone to a far-off country and does not care for the singer anymore. The singer expresses her longing for her companion and wishes she were a bird who could fly to a high and lonesome place to join the wild birds in their crying, thinking of her companion and his sweet face. The song ends with the singer expressing her heartbreak, saying that she will lay down and weep by the cold dark waters.
The lyrics are simple, but they convey a depth of emotion that is palpable. The singer's longing and sadness are evident, and the use of the natural world to express her emotions adds to the song's beauty. The song is a perfect example of how country music can evoke a deep sense of melancholy and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh have you seen my dear companion
The singer is asking if anyone has seen their loved one.
For he was all this world to me
The singer's companion was everything to them.
I hear he's gone to some far country
The singer has heard that their loved one has left for a faraway place.
And that he cares no more for me
The artist believes that their companion no longer loves them.
I wish I were a swallow flying
The artist wishes they could escape and fly away like a bird.
I'd fly to a high and lonesome place
If the singer were a bird, they would fly to a lonely place where they could be alone with their thoughts and emotions.
I'd join the wild birds in their crying
The singer would join the other birds in expressing their sorrow and pain through cries and calls.
Thinking of you and your sweet face
The artist is constantly thinking of their companion and their kind face.
But now the stars have turned against me
The artist feels like the universe is working against them in their loss and heartache.
And he cares no more for me
The artist still believes that their companion no longer loves them.
Oh when the dark is on the mountain
The singer thinks of the times when everything is dark and deserted, perhaps symbolizing their emotional state.
And all the world has gone to sleep
When everything is silent and at rest, like the world at night, the artist feels alone and abandoned.
I will go down to the cold dark waters
The singer will seek out a lonely and reflective place, perhaps by a cold and dark body of water.
And there I'll lay me down and weep
The singer will cry and release their emotions as they lay down by the water.
Oh have you seen my dear companion
The singer repeats their plea, hoping that someone will have seen their loved one.
For he was all this world to me
Reiterating the importance of the artist's companion in their life.
Lyrics © ESTATE OF JEAN RITCHIE PICKOW
Written by: JEAN RITCHIE
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.