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
Slow Healing Heart
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I made my escape from the rain
Still a prisoner of hurt
I had months worth of work
Just freein' my mind of the pain
I had hours of sittin' alone in the dark
Listenin' to sad songs and comin' apart
Woe is a slow healing heart
A slow healing heart dyin' to mend
Longin' for love, lonely again
When the spirit is broken
And the memories start
Nothin' moves slower
Than a slow healing heart
How I prayed for blind faith to lead me
To places where I'm not afraid
Now I'm doin' fine both in body and mind
Some hurts take longer to fade
But there's a part of my feelings ever on guard
Against looks that are tender and words that are hard
'Cause I still remember those cutting remarks
Oh, it's painful a slow healing heart
A slow healing heart dyin' to mend
Longin' for love, lonely again
When the spirit is broken
And the memories start
You know nothin' moves slower
Than a slow healing heart
Oh, nothin' moves slower
Than a slow healing heart
In Dolly Parton's song "Slow Healing Heart," the singer describes the pain and difficulty of leaving a relationship that had caused significant emotional damage. When she left, she was "walkin' wounded" and had to work for months to free her mind from the pain caused by her past relationship. She spent hours in the dark, listening to sad songs and crying, while her spirit remained broken. Despite her efforts to move on, her heart remains slow to heal, always on guard against any potential hurt.
The lyrics convey a message of resilience and the importance of taking time to heal after experiencing heartbreak. The singer of the song is depicted as someone who has gone through a great deal of pain but is still rebuilding herself. She is cautious about putting herself in situations where she may be hurt again, but she is also allowing herself to move forward and heal.
Overall, "Slow Healing Heart" is a powerful song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the process of healing. It emphasizes the importance of taking time to recover and rebuild after a breakup, as well as the resilience that is needed to start anew.
Line by Line Meaning
When I left, I left walkin' wounded
When I left, I left with emotional wounds
I made my escape from the rain
I left a bad situation behind
Still a prisoner of hurt
Still emotionally trapped in pain
I had months worth of work
I spent a lot of time healing and recovering
Just freein' my mind of the pain
Just trying to let go of the emotional pain
I had hours of sittin' alone in the dark
Spent a lot of time alone and feeling sad
Listenin' to sad songs and comin' apart
Listening to sad music and falling apart emotionally
Lord knows I made crying an art
Cried a lot and became very good at it
Woe is a slow healing heart
Healing emotional pain is a slow and difficult process
A slow healing heart dyin' to mend
An emotionally wounded heart longing to heal
Longin' for love, lonely again
Craving love and companionship, feeling alone
When the spirit is broken
When a person is emotionally shattered
And the memories start
And past memories flood back
Nothin' moves slower
Healing emotional pain is a slow process
Than a slow healing heart
It takes time for a broken heart to mend
How I prayed for blind faith to lead me
I prayed for faith to help me through the tough times
To places where I'm not afraid
To find a place where I feel safe and secure
Now I'm doin' fine both in body and mind
Now I am physically and mentally healthy
Some hurts take longer to fade
Some types of emotional pain take longer to heal
But there's a part of my feelings ever on guard
But I'm always cautious and wary of getting hurt again
Against looks that are tender and words that are hard
I'm wary of both kind and hurtful gestures
Oh, it's painful a slow healing heart
Healing emotional pain is a painful process
You know nothin' moves slower
Healing emotional pain is a slow process
Than a slow healing heart
It takes time for a broken heart to mend
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
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.