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
Tall Man
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And every time my sweet pass by I'd throw some kisses down
And if he wants more kisses here's all he has to do
Just come up here that kissin' tree and I'll give him some kissin' to
I love a tall man he ain't a small man my man is all man and the only man for me
Now I wish I was a kissin' tree out on the lone prairie
And everytime my sweet pass by he'd steal a kiss from me
And if he wants more kisses here's all he has to know
I love a tall man he ain't a small man my man is all man and the only man for me
And the only one for me ooh
The lyrics to Dolly Parton’s song “Tall Man” are about a woman who is deeply in love with a tall man. She wishes she could become a “kissing tree” so that she could give him kisses every time he passes by. The woman is so enamored with her tall man that she imagines herself being a tree that constantly showers him with kisses. She even suggests that if he wants more kisses, all he has to do is visit her in the form of a kissing tree.
The song continues with the woman’s fantasies of being a kissing tree in different settings such as the “lone prairie” or “down in a Texas town.” The song’s lyrics are playful and whimsical, and they capture the sheer joy and delight of being in love. The woman’s love for her tall man is all-consuming, and she is willing to become a tree just to be able to give him kisses.
In the end, the woman professes her love for her tall man again, highlighting how he is the only man for her. The song encapsulates the intensity of infatuation and the desire to do everything possible to please and show love to the object of one’s affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I wish I was a kissin' tree a growin' in the ground
I yearn to be a tree that can bestow kisses on my beloved whenever they pass by me.
And every time my sweet pass by I'd throw some kisses down
Whenever my sweetheart comes by, I would shower them with kisses from my branches.
And if he wants more kisses here's all he has to do
If my beloved desires more kisses, there's a simple solution.
Just come up here that kissin' tree and I'll give him some kissin' to
All they have to do is come to me, the kissin' tree, and I'll give them all the kisses they desire.
I love a tall man he ain't a small man my man is all man and the only man for me
I greatly admire a man who is tall and robust, in particular, my man is the epitome of masculinity and the only one for me.
Now I wish I was a kissin' tree out on the lone prairie
Currently, I long to be a kissin' tree situated on the solitary grassland.
And everytime my sweet pass by he'd steal a kiss from me
Upon every encounter, my lover would steal a kiss from me as they traverse by the prairie.
And if he wants more kisses here's all he has to know
If my love craves more kisses, the key is to realize one thing.
Just plant me down in a Texas town and watch them kisses grow
They just have to plant me the kissin' tree in a Texas town, and they will see the kisses flourishing.
I love a tall man he ain't a small man my man is all man and the only man for me
Once again, I reiterate that a tall, strapping man is my preference, and my true love is the embodiment of all my desires.
And the only one for me ooh
And I mean it with all of my heart that they are the only one for me, ooh.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maian Chapman
This song is to cute