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 Mystery of the Mystery
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There are so many things that I don't understand
And I search my mind to try to find an answer
But the more I search the less I seem to find out why
Like where where the wind goes, how does life begin
What happens when we die
The mystery of the mystery must stay unknown
Great minds have tried but they will not find
The answer to the mystery of the mystery
Man will seek the mystic rails of the mystery
But their silent halls reveal not a sound
Many men will give their lives just to try to find
The answer to a mystery in their mind
The mystery of the mystery must stay unknown
Only God can know and man must not see
Great minds have tried but they will not find
The answer to the mystery of the mystery
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's "The Mystery of the Mystery" present a contemplation on the nature of the unknown. The song is presented as a conversation between two individuals, with Wagoner posing a series of existential questions, such as where the wind goes, how life begins, and what happens when we die. Despite searching for answers, Wagoner ultimately concludes that the mystery must remain unknown.
The verses of the song also touch upon the theme of mortality, with Wagoner acknowledging that many men give their lives in the pursuit of answers to the mystery. Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that accepting the limitations of human knowledge and placing trust in a higher power is the only way to find peace in the face of the unknown.
Overall, "The Mystery of the Mystery" presents a thought-provoking meditation on the human desire for understanding and the limitations of our knowledge.
Line by Line Meaning
There are so many things that I don't understand
I am confused about many things in life and I don’t have an explanation for them.
And I search my mind to try to find an answer
I try to find an explanation for my confusion by contemplating and thinking.
But the more I search the less I seem to find out why
The harder I try to understand, the more confusing it gets.
Like where where the wind goes, how does life begin
Questions like where the wind comes from or how life originated are puzzling me.
What happens when we die
The biggest question that I can’t seem to find an answer for is what happens after death.
The mystery of the mystery must stay unknown
There are some things in life that can never be fully understood and should be accepted as a mystery.
Only God can know and man must not see
We can’t know everything and only God knows the answer to the mysteries of life. Man should accept that and not try to see beyond what is given to us.
Great minds have tried but they will not find
Even the greatest thinkers and philosophers in this world have failed to find answers to some of the mysteries of life.
The answer to the mystery of the mystery
There can be no explanation or answer to some of the mysteries of life because they are beyond human comprehension.
Man will seek the mystic rails of the mystery
People will still search for meaning in the unknown world of mystery and try to understand it.
But their silent halls reveal not a sound
Despite their extensive search attempts, there will still be no answers or explanations that can be found.
Many men will give their lives just to try to find
People will devote their whole lives just to find answers to mysteries that cannot be solved.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PORTER WAGONER
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.