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 House of the Rising Sun
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down in the Vieux Carr'e
A house they call the rising sun
Where love and money are made
My father he was a gambler
Mother died when I was young
And I've worked since then
At the house of the rising sun
There is a house
Down in New Orleans
They call the rising sun
It's been the ruin of many a good girl
And oh God, you know I'm one
So mothers you go telling all your daughters
Not to do what I've done
To live a life of sin, shame and strife
In the house of the rising sun
There is a house in New Orleans
They call the rising sun
It's been the ruin of many a good girl
And oh God, you know I'm one
Oh God, you know I'm one
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's version of "The House of the Rising Sun" tell the story of a woman who grew up in poverty and turned to prostitution in order to survive. She describes the house in New Orleans where she worked as the "rising sun," a place where love and money are made. She reveals that her father was a gambler and her mother passed away when she was young. As a result, she was forced to work hard to please the men who frequented the house.
The lyrics are tragic and evoke a sense of hopelessness and despair. The singer warns other women not to make the same mistakes she did and to avoid the life of sin, shame and strife that she has endured. The repeated refrain that the house has been the ruin of many a good girl highlights the devastating consequences of poverty and desperation.
Overall, the lyrics to "The House of the Rising Sun" are a powerful commentary on the hardships faced by women in poverty and the difficult choices they are forced to make in order to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a house down in New Orleans
I want to talk about a specific house that is located in New Orleans.
Down in the Vieux Carr'e
This house is located in an area of New Orleans known as the Vieux Carr'e.
A house they call the rising sun
This particular house has a nickname, which is the rising sun.
Where love and money are made
This house is where people go to make both money and to seek out the love.
My father he was a gambler
My father was someone who enjoyed gambling as a way to make money.
Mother died when I was young
Unfortunately, my mother passed away when I was still very young.
And I've worked since then
Ever since my mother passed away, I have been working tirelessly.
To please the men
I have been trying to satisfy the desires of men in general.
At the house of the rising sun
Specifically, I have been doing this work at the house known as the rising sun.
It's been the ruin of many a good girl
While this house may have been a source of money and love for some girls, it has also served as a downfall for many good ones.
And oh God, you know I'm one
I am one of those girls who has been impacted negatively by this house.
So mothers you go telling all your daughters
I implore all the mothers out there to instruct their daughters.
Not to do what I've done
Specifically, they should tell their daughters not to follow in my footsteps.
To live a life of sin, shame and strife
Rather than turn to the house of the rising sun, these young women should strive to live lives of virtue.
In the house of the rising sun
This is specifically what they should avoid, as there is much sin, shame and strife to be found there.
Oh God, you know I'm one
Once again, it is worth emphasizing my own experience as a warning to others.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Price
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.