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
Time And Tears
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't lie awake all these nights to have you come walking back in
I didn't change my whole life around, not to mention my dreams and my plans
To have you come back with your same ol' act thinking that I'll understand
Time and tears have mended the pain
Healed all the hurt and changed everything
Time and tears I'm happy to say
Time and tears have washed you away
I didn't think that I would survive the day that you walked out on me
I truly was more dead than alive; and the pain, Lord I couldn't believe
I asked God to please have mercy on me and to ease all the feelings I felt
Then I saw the light, now I'm more than alright;
I'm much better off since you left
Time and tears have mended the pain
Healed all the hurt and changed everything
Time and tears have carried me through
Time and tears got me over you
Time and tears and somebody new
Time and tears is all that it takes
To mend shattered hopes or a heart when it breaks
Time and tears have carried me through
Time and tears got me over you
Time and tears and somebody new
Time and tears, time and tears got me over you
Time and tears, got me over you
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's song Time and Tears is about moving on from a painful breakup. The singer addresses an ex-lover who has returned after she had cried and suffered after their split. She explains that she had spent sleepless nights and shed many tears to come to terms with the breakup and rebuild her life. She refuses to accept the ex-lover's typical behavior, believing that he expects to pick up where they left off. The singer acknowledges that she has been able to heal and move on thanks to time and tears.
She says that the tears have been able to mend and heal the pain, change everything and wash away the ex-lover. The singer had believed that she would never get over her ex-lover, but time and tears proved her wrong. She has now found someone new and much happier since her ex is out of her life. The phrase "time and tears" is used throughout the song as a metaphor for the healing process of a broken heart.
In summary, Time and Tears by Dolly Parton is a song about overcoming heartbreak and moving on. The singer has been able to rebuild her life and find happiness with someone new. She attributes her healing to time and tears, which have ultimately helped her get over her past relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't cry all of these tears just to have you show up here again
I won't let you in now that you have returned, this is not how I planned my life to be.
I didn't lie awake all these nights to have you come walking back in
I have moved on, don't expect me to be your emotion dumpster by walking back into my life.
I didn't change my whole life around, not to mention my dreams and my plans
I have reworked my life without you, don't assume that you have a role to play in it.
To have you come back with your same ol' act thinking that I'll understand
I am not the same person you left behind, I am free from your influence.
Time and tears have mended the pain
Growing out of pain is inevitable and time heals everything.
Healed all the hurt and changed everything
With time, a person is capable of coming out of difficult situations to emerge stronger than before.
Time and tears I'm happy to say
The passage of time has brought relief and joy in my life.
Time and tears have washed it away
Pain subsides with the passage of time and faded memories.
Time and tears have washed you away
Memories of you fade with time and eventually cease to haunt me.
I didn't think that I would survive the day that you walked out on me
When you left, I thought my world was shattered, but I realized that life has a way of moving on.
I truly was more dead than alive; and the pain, Lord I couldn't believe
I was blindsided by your departure, and the grief was crushing.
I asked God to please have mercy on me and to ease all the feelings I felt
I needed divine intervention to cope with the pain and to move on with my life.
Then I saw the light, now I'm more than alright;
I emerged from the darkness and found strength to move on.
I'm much better off since you left
Leaving me was the best thing that ever happened to me, and now I am in a better place.
Time and tears have carried me through
The journey of life is a progression through pain and recovery, with each stage leading to healing.
Time and tears got me over you
With time and tears, I was able to leave you behind and move on with my life.
Time and tears and somebody new
New relationships help to heal old wounds and create a new future.
Time and tears is all that it takes
The healing process takes time, and moving on requires the willingness to grieve and recover.
To mend shattered hopes or a heart when it breaks
The process of healing involves rebuilding a broken heart and restoring hope for the future.
Time and tears, time and tears got me over you
With the passage of time and emotional healing, I was able to overcome the pain of your departure.
Time and tears, got me over you
Time and the process of grief allowed me to move on from the pain of our relationship ending.
Contributed by Madelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.