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
Traveling Man
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Selling goods from house to house
Now I knew my mama would never stand
For me stepping out with no traveling man
Mama bought things that he was a'selling
But mama didn't know and I sure wasn't telling
That behind her back I was making plans
To meet somewhere with that traveling man
But a girl needs arms to hold her
Mama didn't know 'cause I didn't told her
But mama wouldn't understand
Me stepping out with a traveling man
Mama didn't allow me a'going courting
And I'd tell lies that I reckon I oughtn't
Oh but she'd a'give me the back a' her hand
If she'd a'seen me with that traveling man
So I tell my mama that I reckon I oughta
Go to the spring and fetch us some water
What mama didn't know is I had a plan
To meet down there with that traveling man
Now I make plans to run away
With that traveling man on a Saturday
Well Saturday's here and here I stand
And there goes my mama with that traveling man
Oh that traveling man was a two-time lover
He took my love then he took my mother
But I didn't know 'cause mama didn't told me and I don't understand
My mama running off with my traveling man
Mama, you know you oughtn't a'done that
You just like my daddy
He run off before I ever knowed him
You done run-off with my traveling man
And I really don't think I ever knowed you either
Oh there goes my mama with my traveling man
And I'm really gonna miss that traveling man
Mm-hm
The song "Traveling Man" by Dolly Parton tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a traveling salesman. The lyrics describe the young woman's dilemma as she attempts to balance her love for the salesman with her mother's disapproval of him. The man she loves is older and considered a traveling womanizer, but the girl sees in him an opportunity for romance and something different from her ordinary life. She sneaks around behind her mother's back to spend time with him, lying and making excuses so that she can see him. The chorus of the song states, "Mama wouldn't understand, me stepping out with a traveling man."
The end of the song takes an unexpected turn, as the young woman's mother runs off with the traveling man. She realizes that her mother had been seeing him behind her back all along, and that he may not have been the faithful lover that she imagined him to be. The lyrics also touch on themes of abandonment and loss, as the woman reflects on the fact that she never really knew her father and now feels betrayed by her mother.
Overall, the song is a poignant and emotional exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships. It offers a window into the struggles of a young woman who is trying to find her place in the world, while also dealing with the pressures and expectations of her family.
Line by Line Meaning
The man I loved ran a salesman route
The man I loved was a traveling salesman who went from house to house to sell goods.
Selling goods from house to house
The man I loved was a salesman who sold goods by going from one house to another.
Now I knew my mama would never stand
I knew my mother would never approve.
For me stepping out with no traveling man
She wouldn't want me to be going out with a traveling salesman.
Mama bought things that he was a'selling
My mother bought the goods that the traveling salesman was selling.
But mama didn't know and I sure wasn't telling
I didn't tell my mother that I was secretly seeing the traveling salesman.
That behind her back I was making plans
I was secretly making plans to meet with the traveling salesman.
To meet somewhere with that traveling man
I wanted to meet with the traveling salesman in secret.
Oh the traveling man was a good bit older
The traveling salesman was quite a bit older than me.
But a girl needs arms to hold her
But I needed someone to hold me.
Mama didn't know 'cause I didn't told her
My mother didn't know because I never told her.
But mama wouldn't understand
My mother wouldn't be able to comprehend my feelings and desires.
Me stepping out with a traveling man
Me secretly meeting with the traveling salesman.
Mama didn't allow me a'going courting
My mother didn't allow me to go on dates and have a romantic relationship.
And I'd tell lies that I reckon I oughtn't
I would lie to my mother, which I knew wasn't right.
Oh but she'd a'give me the back a' her hand
If my mother found out about my secret relationship, she would have hit me.
If she'd a'seen me with that traveling man
If she saw me with the traveling salesman, she would have been furious.
So I tell my mama that I reckon I oughta
So I told my mother that I needed to go the spring to fetch water.
Go to the spring and fetch us some water
I used the excuse of needing to fetch water to meet the traveling salesman.
What mama didn't know is I had a plan
My mother was unaware that I had an ulterior motive.
To meet down there with that traveling man
My plan was to meet the traveling salesman at the spring.
Now I make plans to run away
I made plans to run away with the traveling salesman.
With that traveling man on a Saturday
We planned to run away on a Saturday.
Well Saturday's here and here I stand
The planned Saturday has arrived, and I am waiting.
And there goes my mama with that traveling man
My mother ran away with the traveling salesman instead of me.
Oh that traveling man was a two-time lover
The traveling salesman was a two-timing man who cheated on me and my mother.
He took my love then he took my mother
He had a romantic relationship with me and then with my mother.
But I didn't know 'cause mama didn't told me and I don't understand
I didn't know about my mother's relationship with the traveling salesman, and I don't understand why she would choose him over me.
My mama running off with my traveling man
My mother eloped with the traveling salesman I had pursued.
Mama, you know you oughtn't a'done that
Mother, you shouldn't have done that.
You just like my daddy
You are similar to my father, who left before I met him.
And I really don't think I ever knowed you either
I don't think I ever really knew you.
And I'm really gonna miss that traveling man
I will miss the traveling salesman I fell in love with.
Mm-hm
Interjection indicating agreement.
Contributed by Lila B. 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.