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 Moon The Stars And Me
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As cold as that look on your face
I hear what you're saying but coming from you
Goodbye seems so out of place
Now how can you stand there and honestly say
There never wee any real promises made
[Chorus]
The stars will agree
They all heard you promise
You'd always love me
I know that it's true
But it's hard to believe
You lied to the moon
The stars and me
And what about all of those warm tender nights
Did they mean nothing to you
And where are the feelings i thought that we shared
Or have you forgotten them too
Did you think i could just put your memory behind
When your words are still so very clear in my mind
[Chorus:Repeat x2]
I know that it's true
But it's hard to believe
You lied to the moon
The stars and me
You lied
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's "The Moon, The Stars, and Me" present a heartbreaking situation of a woman being lied to by her lover. The song's central theme is the power of witness testimony, as the singer refers to the moon and stars as watching over the promises her lover made to her. The first stanza sets the tone, describing the chill in the air as cold as the look on her lover's face. She's hearing his words, but they don't align with his promises of love. He claims that there weren't any real promises made, but the singer clearly remembers differently. The chorus brings in the power of witness testimony, with the moon and stars being the witnesses to his promises. The singer struggles to believe that someone could so easily lie to her, even as the moon and stars looked on. The second verse continues to question his actions, wondering if all their tender moments didn't mean anything to him, and where his feelings for her have gone. The song ends on a note of reconciliation, recognizing the truth, but admitting it's hard to believe she was lied to.
One could explore the song's title its symbolism, as Dolly Parton uses imagery of celestial bodies to represent the broader themes of love, truth, and faith. The moon and stars serve as the caretakers of the promises made, providing an eternal presence that endures even as the couple's relationship crumbles. The celestial metaphor speaks to a deeper, more spiritual level – representing the idea of truth and hope that endures.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight i feel a chill in the air
I sense that something bad is about to happen
As cold as that look on your face
You seem to be angry and distant towards me
I hear what you're saying but coming from you
I understand what you're telling me, but I can't trust it because of the source
Goodbye seems so out of place
Leaving each other wasn't supposed to happen in our relationship
Now how can you stand there and honestly say
I don't believe that you're being truthful right now
There never wee any real promises made
You're denying that you made any promises to me
The moon is my witness
The night sky saw the promises you made to me
The stars will agree
The countless stars in the sky can back up my claims
They all heard you promise
You made vows and pledges to me under the stars and the moon
You'd always love me
You swore that you'd love me forever
I know that it's true
I'm certain that you made those promises to me
But it's hard to believe
I'm finding it difficult to reconcile your words with your actions
You lied to the moon
You broke the promises you made to me under the night sky
The stars and me
I was a witness to those promises, and they have now been broken
And what about all of those warm tender nights
The intimate moments we spent together meant something to me
Did they mean nothing to you
I'm hurt that you don't seem to value our shared experiences
And where are the feelings i thought that we shared
I can't believe that the emotions we had for each other have disappeared
Or have you forgotten them too
You seem to have moved on and left me behind
Did you think i could just put your memory behind
I'm struggling to let go of the past and the memories we shared
When your words are still so very clear in my mind
I can recall exactly what you said and the promises you made
You lied
You were untruthful and betrayed my trust
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DIANA RAE, WAYLAND PATTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rob Kc
Dec 2022 still listening
Arami Etlar
I tiamthu hre tu chhawrthlapui ka thlir changin ka duh loh ber mittui nen min hnutchhiah vangin ka dem thin che .
baby Chhakchhuak
🥺
Rocky Khiangte
I va Mizo ve..i comment dan hi ka duh chi 😊😊💖💖
Arami Etlar
@Rocky Khiangte i duh ve chu ka lawm 😏
Hnehzova Chawngthu
I tiamthu kha dawt mai mah nise ka beisei fan asin
unknown
Ava mawi em..
lizzy's Nest
Very touching song
Sibuibo Daimai
The lyrics makes me cry literally.😪😪
Biakhlui Hmar
Chung chhawrthlapui , siar leh kei hi mn lo bum reng nih hi..mi rinawmlo te hi an lo hlauhawm ber nihhi🌆🤧he hla hi ka duh lutuk♥️♥️