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

Tie a Yellow Ribbon
Dolly Parton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm comin' home, I've done my time
Now I've got to know what is and isn't mine
If you received my letter telling you I'd soon be free
Then you'll know just what to do
If you still want me
If you still want me
Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree
It's been three long years

Do ya still want me?
If I don't see a ribbon round the old oak tree
I'll stay on the bus
Forget about us
Put the blame on me
If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree

Bus driver, please look for me
'cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see
I'm really still in prison
And my love, she holds the key
A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free
I wrote and told her please

Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree
It's been three long years
Do ya still want me?
If I don't see a ribbon round the old oak tree
I'll stay on the bus
Forget about us
Put the blame on me
If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree

Now the whole damned bus is cheerin'

And I can't believe I see
A hundred yellow ribbons round the old oak tree

Overall Meaning

In Dolly Parton's song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon," the singer is returning home after having been away for three long years. He is uncertain whether or not his love still wants him, so he instructs her to tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree outside her home. If he sees the ribbon, he will know that she still wants him and he will get off the bus. However, if he doesn't see the ribbon, he will assume that she no longer wants him and he will continue on the bus.

The song is a story of forgiveness and redemption. The singer has done his time in prison and is seeking a second chance with his love. The yellow ribbon represents his hope for a new beginning and a chance to make things right.

One interpretation of the song is that the ribbon represents the ties that bind the singer to his past. By tying the ribbon, the singer's love is signaling that she is willing to let go of his past mistakes and give him another chance.

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon" was originally written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown, and was first recorded by the group Dawn in 1973. Dolly Parton's version was released in 1974 and became a hit on both the country and pop charts. The song has since been covered by numerous artists and has become a classic.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm comin' home, I've done my time
I am returning home after serving a sentence.

Now I've got to know what is and isn't mine
I have to find out if my partner still wants me or if they have moved on.

If you received my letter telling you I'd soon be free Then you'll know just what to do If you still want me
If my partner received my letter informing them of my release and still wants to be with me, they will know what to do.

Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree It's been three long years Do ya still want me?
If my partner still wants to be with me, they should tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree as a sign of their affection.

If I don't see a ribbon round the old oak tree I'll stay on the bus Forget about us Put the blame on me
If my partner doesn't tie a ribbon, it means they do not want me back and I will accept responsibility for the end of our relationship.

Bus driver, please look for me 'cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see I'm really still in prison And my love, she holds the key A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free I wrote and told her please
I am still in prison and my partner has the power to set me free. I am afraid to see if they still love me, so I ask the bus driver to locate a yellow ribbon as a sign of her love.

Now the whole damned bus is cheerin' And I can't believe I see A hundred yellow ribbons round the old oak tree
The entire bus is now cheering because they see that there are hundreds of yellow ribbons on the old oak tree, a sign that my partner still loves me and wants me back.

Contributed by Harper P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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