Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S… Read Full Bio ↴Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S.) is an American country singer, songwriter, composer, producer, entrepreneur, author and actress.

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

No Good Way Of Saying Good-bye
Dolly Parton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The truth is too painful
This moment too real
Saying good-bye
But loving you still
Too late to start over
We've tried that before
And I just don't have it in me
To try anymore

But I know I'll miss you
And I know I'll cry
I know you loved me
And I know you've tried
It's the hardest thing
I'll ever do in my life
But I know no good way
Of saying good-bye

I know I'll miss you
And I know I'll cry
I know you loved me
And I know I'll ask why
I know I'll have moments
When I'll want to die
But I know no good way
Of saying good-bye

And the longest night

I'll ever spend will be tonight
'Cause I know no good way of saying

Overall Meaning

good-bye

In "No good way of saying good-bye," Dolly Parton sings about the difficulty of parting from someone she loves. She acknowledges that the truth of the matter is too painful to confront and that the realization of the moment makes the situation too real. Dolly acknowledges that saying goodbye is not something she ever wanted to do, but still loves the person despite it all. She understands that it's too late to start over and she doesn't have it in her to keep trying anymore.

Dolly knows she will miss the person she's saying goodbye to, and she acknowledges that it will be one of the hardest things she has ever done in her life. She also understands that there's no good way to say goodbye, and that is something she will have to accept. The song has a melancholic melody that evokes a sense of loss.

Line by Line Meaning

The truth is too painful
Acknowledging the truth of the situation is unbearable

This moment too real
Accepting the present reality is overwhelming

Saying good-bye
Parting and ending the relationship

But loving you still
Despite everything, feelings of love still exist

Too late to start over
Attempted reconciliation has failed and there's no going back

We've tried that before
Past attempts to reconcile have been unsuccessful

And I just don't have it in me
The emotional strength to try again is lacking

To try anymore
There's no willingness to make another attempt

But I know I'll miss you
Anticipating feelings of longing and loss

And I know I'll cry
Expecting emotional pain and tears

I know you loved me
Acknowledging the other person's feelings of love