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
Rose Garden
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time
When you take you gotta give so live and let live
Or let go oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
I could promise you things like big diamond rings
But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover
So you better think it over
Well if sweet-talkin' you could make it come true
I would give you the world right now on a silver platter
But what would it matter
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time
[Brief Instrumental Interlude]
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
But if that's what it takes to hold you
I'd just as soon let you go
But there's one thing I want you to know
You better look before you leap, still waters run deep
And there won't always be someone there to pull you out
And you know what I'm talkin' about
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
[Fade]
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time
Dolly Parton's song "Rose Garden" serves as a gentle reminder of the realities of life and love. The lyrics ask for a bit of grace from the listener; Parton does not promise an easy, carefree experience. Instead, she recognizes that even though the sun shines brightly, there can still be moments of difficulty and sorrow along the way. Parton suggests that it is impossible to give without also having to take, and sometimes relationships will not thrive the way we want them to.
Parton tackles love in a realistic way, stating that sweet words and promises of wealth do not always translate into true happiness or lasting love. The song encourages the listener to live in the moment and enjoy the good times instead of bemoaning the bad. Her admonition to "look before you leap" is especially apt in a world where everything happens so quickly, and we are tempted to dive headlong into every situation. The upbeat melody and catchy chorus make this a timeless song.
Line by Line Meaning
I beg your pardon
I apologize
I never promised you a rose garden
I never guaranteed an easy and happy life
Along with the sunshine
Life has its good times
There's gotta be a little rain some time
But there will also be hardships and challenges
When you take you gotta give so live and let live
To have a good relationship you both must give and take
Or let go oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
Or accept that a relationship may need to end
I could promise you things like big diamond rings
I could make unrealistic promises
But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover
But true love is not based on material possessions
So you better think it over
So you should consider what is really important in a relationship
Well if sweet-talkin' you could make it come true
If I could win you over with just words
I would give you the world right now on a silver platter
I would give you everything you wanted
But what would it matter
But it wouldn't be genuine love
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
So let's enjoy the happy moments
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Love should not always be so sad
Come along and share the good times while we can
Let's enjoy the happy moments as much as possible
I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
I could say anything to make you happy
But if that's what it takes to hold you
But if I have to lie to keep you
I'd just as soon let you go
I would rather end the relationship
But there's one thing I want you to know
But I want you to remember
You better look before you leap, still waters run deep
Be careful and don't ignore potential problems
And there won't always be someone there to pull you out
And sometimes you will have to face problems alone
And you know what I'm talkin' about
You know what I mean
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
So let's enjoy the happy moments
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Love should not always be so sad
Come along and share the good times while we can
Let's enjoy the happy moments as much as possible
I beg your pardon
I apologize
I never promised you a rose garden
I never guaranteed an easy and happy life
Along with the sunshine
Life has its good times
There's gotta be a little rain some time
But there will also be hardships and challenges
Contributed by Miles F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@juancamacho5746
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain sometime
When you take you gotta give so live and let live or let go
Oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
I could promise you things like big diamond rings
But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover
So you better think it over
Well, if sweet-talkin' you could make it come true
I would give you the world right now on a silver platter
But what would it matter
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
But if that's what it takes to hold you
I'd just as soon let you go
But there's one thing I want you to know
You better look before you leap, still waters run deep
And there won't always be someone there to pull you out
And you know what I'm talking about
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain sometime
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
@robmassetti6243
Reminds me of childhood. When life was good, nice, honest and kind. How I miss those days…
@mariannepiiksi5317
I know right 🤔🤔
@bernadettepotenti301
me too
@matthewgregory8218
I miss how stuff use to be. My gf and I were happy, but we broke up and Not as happy anymore. I am also struggling in school and risking disconnecting from the program.
@robmassetti6243
The world changed in 2,000 for the worst:( GB everyone xo
@tsomoza
This was my daughters favorite song. She was only 2 when the song was released but she knew the words and could sing along with it. She passed away in July 2020 but this brings her back to me whenever I hear it.
@mimizee6548
I’m so sorry hun 🥺
@tsomoza
@@mimizee6548 Thank you. It's really difficult to lose a child.
@bigfoot060775
@@tsomoza, so if I'm doing the math correctly, she'd have been about 52? That's so young. I'm very sorry for your loss!
@dawnsmith1796
@@tsomoza so sorry to hear! Sending Much Love xx xx