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

Tennessee Homesick Blues
Dolly Parton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

New York City ain't no kinda place for a country girl with a friendly face
If you smile, people look at you funny, they take you wrong
The greenest state in the land of the free
And the home of the Grand Ole' Opry is calling me back to my Smokey Mountain home
I wish I had my ol' fishin' pole, and a-sittin' on the banks of the fishin' hole
Eatin' green apples and waitin' for the fish to bite
Life ain't as simple as it used to be, since the big apple took a bite outa me
And Lord I'm so Tennessee homesick that I could die

But I ain't been home in I don't know when
If I had it all to do over again
Tonight I'd sleep in my old feather bed
What I wouldn't give for a little bitty taste
Of mama's homemade chocolate cake
Tennessee homesick blues is runnin' through my head

Mama you can float my feather bed
Just as soon as I can I'm a gonna head
Back to the Tennessee hills and it better be soon
Daddy you can load the rifles up
We're gonna load them dogs on my pickup truck
And head out to Calhoon County and catch us a 'coon

But I ain't been home in I don't know when
If I had it all to do over again
Tonight I'd sleep in my old feather bed
Eatin' grits and gravy and country ham
Go to church on Sunday with dinner on the ground
Tennessee homesick blues is runnin' through my head

And I ain't been home in I don't know when
If I had it all to do over again
Tonight I'd sleep in my old feather bed
Good Lord have mercy on a country girl
Tryin' to make a livin' in a rhinestone world
It's hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world
Tennessee homesick blues is runnin' through my head.

I've got those Tennessee homesick blues runnin' through my head
Tennessee homesick blues

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Tennessee Homesick Blues convey the loneliness and struggle experienced by a country girl who is trying to make it in New York City. She talks about how the city is not a friendly place for her and how she misses the simplicity of her Smokey Mountain home. The song is filled with nostalgia for her childhood, as she wishes she was sitting on the banks of a fishing hole with her old fishing pole and eating green apples.

The singer of the song also talks about how she wishes she had taken a different path in life and had never left home. She longs for the comfort of her old feather bed and the taste of her mother's homemade chocolate cake. The song ends with the singer expressing her desire to return home to Tennessee, where she can go to church on Sundays and enjoy the company of her family.

The lyrics of Tennessee Homesick Blues are relatable to anyone who has left home and experienced the pressures of big city life. The song touches on themes of homesickness, regret, and the longing for a simpler life. Overall, Tennessee Homesick Blues is a beautiful, heartfelt song that showcases Dolly Parton's talent as a songwriter.

Line by Line Meaning

New York City ain't no kinda place for a country girl with a friendly face
Being a friendly person in New York City can be misunderstood, especially if you're a country girl.

The greenest state in the land of the free
Tennessee is a beautiful and lush state, full of life and freedom.

And the home of the Grand Ole' Opry is calling me back to my Smokey Mountain home
The call of Tennessee, a place full of music and nature, is too strong for Dolly to ignore.

I wish I had my ol' fishin' pole, and a-sittin' on the banks of the fishin' hole
Dolly yearns for the simpler times of her childhood, where fishing and nature brought her joy.

Life ain't as simple as it used to be, since the big apple took a bite outa me
Living in the fast-paced and complex city of New York has changed Dolly and made her long for her simpler life in Tennessee.

And Lord I'm so Tennessee homesick that I could die
Dolly's longing for her home state is so strong that she feels like she may not be able to go on without it.

But I ain't been home in I don't know when
Dolly hasn't been to Tennessee in a long time and she misses it terribly.

If I had it all to do over again
Dolly regrets not spending more time in Tennessee and wishes she could go back to experience it again.

Tonight I'd sleep in my old feather bed
Dolly dreams of sleeping in her cozy bed back home in Tennessee.

What I wouldn't give for a little bitty taste
Dolly wishes she could have even a small taste of her mother's delicious chocolate cake.

Of mama's homemade chocolate cake
Dolly's mother's chocolate cake is a symbol of her love and comfort from home.

Mama you can float my feather bed
Dolly asks her mother to prepare her bed for her, as she plans to come back to Tennessee soon.

Just as soon as I can I'm a gonna head
As soon as Dolly is able, she plans to make her way back home to Tennessee.

Back to the Tennessee hills and it better be soon
Dolly anxiously anticipates her return to the beautiful hills of Tennessee.

Daddy you can load the rifles up
Dolly's father is tasked with preparing for their hunting trip in Tennessee.

We're gonna load them dogs on my pickup truck
Dolly plans to bring her hunting dogs with her on her trip back to Tennessee.

And head out to Calhoon County and catch us a 'coon
Dolly and her father plan to hunt for raccoons in Calhoon County, a traditional pastime in Tennessee.

Eatin' grits and gravy and country ham
Dolly looks forward to enjoying delicious southern cuisine when she gets back home to Tennessee.

Go to church on Sunday with dinner on the ground
Dolly describes a traditional southern church gathering, where everyone brings food to share and eat together on the ground.

Good Lord have mercy on a country girl
Dolly asks for God's grace to help her navigate the challenges of being a country girl in a world full of flashy and superficial things.

Tryin' to make a livin' in a rhinestone world
Dolly struggles to balance her humble roots with the materialism of show business, which she calls a 'rhinestone world.'

It's hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world
Dolly acknowledges the difficulty of maintaining true authenticity and goodness in a world that values glitz and glamour over substance.

I've got those Tennessee homesick blues runnin' through my head
Dolly's reoccurring feelings of longing for her home state of Tennessee are like a song, playing over and over in her mind.

Tennessee homesick blues
The title of the song, which encapsulates Dolly's sorrow and longing for her home state of Tennessee.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dolly Parton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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