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
The Greatest Days of All
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On my only Sunday dress
And the roof leaked in my shoes
And when they dried they were too small
And the rats chewed a great big hole
In my only winter coat
And at night I'd hear them gnaw
But I still say those were the greatest days of all
Some happy and some sad
Some good and some bad
But I still say those were the greatest days of all
I used to wait by the garden gate
Where the hummingbirds came ev'ry day
To kiss the yellow roses
Growing up the garden wall
And in the tall grass I would lie
'Til ev'ning shadows brought the night
Through the window of my room
I'd hear the whippoorwill's sad call
But I still say those were the greatest days of all
Some happy and some sad
Some good and some bad
But I still say those were the greatest days of all
Now as I make my way
Along the busy city sidewalks
My head arouring from the deafening city sound
You can't hear a whipporwill in this noisy city
And tall green grass don't grow
Along the sidewalks of this town
And hummingbirds don't fly around
These artificial roses
Like they did around the garden wall
And, oh, so often in my mind
I'll go back to another time
And I still say those were the greatest days of all
I still say those were the greatest days of all
Too-roo, too-roo too
La, rah, rah, la, di, rih, rih, rah
La, rah, rah, la, la
The song "The Greatest Days of All" is a beautiful recollection of the memories and experiences of Dolly Parton's childhood. It is a nostalgic reflection on the happy and sad moments she experienced while growing up in a humble and simple environment. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyric as Dolly describes a mud dauber building its nest on her only Sunday dress, while the roof leaked in her shoes, and rats chewed a hole in her only winter coat. Despite these challenging circumstances, Dolly remembers these days as the greatest of all.
In the following verses, Dolly brings to life some of the delights and joys that shaped her childhood memories. She recalls waiting by the garden gate, watching the hummingbirds, and listening to the whippoorwill's call. These images evoke a sense of peace, tranquility, and harmony that is only found in nature. As Dolly navigates the busy and noisy sidewalks of the city, she realizes how much she longs for the peace and serenity of her childhood days.
Overall, the song suggests that it is the simple and pure moments of life that matter the most. Dolly celebrates the beauty of her past and acknowledges the importance of preserving those memories. She reminds us that it is crucial to cherish and embrace those moments that have shaped us into who we are today.
Line by Line Meaning
A dirt dobber built its nest
Even though a dirt dobber built its nest on my only Sunday dress, I still cherish the memories of the past.
On my only Sunday dress
Despite the dirt dobber building its nest on my only Sunday dress, I have fond memories of the past.
And the roof leaked in my shoes
Although the roof leaked in my shoes, I have many happy and sad memories from the past that I treasure.
And when they dried they were too small
Even when my shoes dried and became too small, I still believe that the past was the best time of my life.
And the rats chewed a great big hole
Despite the rats chewing a big hole in my only winter coat, I still think that the past was the greatest time of my life.
In my only winter coat
Even though the rats chewed a hole in my only winter coat, I still remember the past as the best time of my life.
And at night I'd hear them gnaw
Although I used to hear rats gnawing the paper on my bedroom wall at night, I still hold the past close to my heart.
The paper on my bedroom wall
Even when rats chewed on the paper on my bedroom wall at night, I still believe that the past was the greatest time of my life.
But I still say
Despite all the hardships, I still maintain that the past was the best time of my life.
Those were the greatest days of all
I firmly believe that the past was the most wonderful time of my life, filled with both happy and sad memories.
Some happy and some sad
The past was a time mixed with both joy and sorrow.
Some good and some bad
The past had its ups and downs, but I still hold onto the belief that it was the greatest time of my life.
I used to wait by the garden gate
I often waited by the garden gate in the past, eagerly anticipating the arrival of hummingbirds and yellow roses.
Where the hummingbirds came ev'ry day
I looked forward to each day when the hummingbirds would visit the garden gate.
To kiss the yellow roses
I loved watching the hummingbirds kiss the yellow roses that grew up the garden wall.
Growing up the garden wall
I have fond memories of the yellow roses growing up the garden wall in the past.
And in the tall grass I would lie
I often lay in the tall grass, with evening shadows bringing the night, looking up at the sky, enjoying moments of peace.
'Til ev'ning shadows brought the night
I spent a lot of time in the past lying in the tall grass, watching the sky until the evening shadows brought the night.
Through the window of my room
I would often gaze out through the window of my room, enjoying the beauty of nature in the past.
I'd hear the whippoorwill's sad call
I have memories of hearing the whippoorwill's sad call through the window of my room in the past.
Now as I make my way
Although I am walking along a busy city sidewalk in the present, my mind is still in the past.
Along the busy city sidewalks
I am currently walking on the busy city sidewalks of the present, but my heart still yearns for the past.
My head arouring from the deafening city sound
The deafening city sounds are confusing and disorienting me in the present.
You can't hear a whipporwill in this noisy city
It's impossible to hear the whippoorwill's sad call in the noisy city of the present.
And tall green grass don't grow
In the present, there is no tall green grass growing as there was in the past.
Along the sidewalks of this town
The sidewalks of the present town where I am walking are void of tall green grass like in the past.
And hummingbirds don't fly around
Hummingbirds no longer fly around like they used to in the past.
These artificial roses
Unlike the natural, growing roses in the past, these roses are artificial, lacking the real beauty of nature.
Like they did around the garden wall
Hummingbirds don't fly around these artificial roses like they did around the natural roses growing up the garden wall in the past.
And, oh, so often in my mind
Even though I am in the present, I often find myself thinking about the past.
I'll go back to another time
In my mind, I frequently travel back to the past, reliving the joys and sorrows of that time.
And I still say
Even though I am in the present, I still hold onto the belief that the past was the greatest time of my life.
Those were the greatest days of all
Despite my present circumstances, I am convinced that the past was the most wonderful time of my life.
I still say
Despite everything in the present, I still maintain that the past was the greatest time of my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dolly Parton
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.