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
Walter Henry Hagan
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walter, Walter Henry
I say Walter Henry Hagan
You done gone and broke my heart
Walter, Walter Henry
You know that I believed you
When you swore we'd never part
And well you dang well did
You took me from my country home
When I was just a kid
And you took me off to Boston
Put a baby on my knee
Left me to dangle-dingle
So far from Tennessee
Now Patrick might have been one
But you ain't been no saint
But a good ole' Irish boy
They say we'll always have this drink
And you just won't stop chasin'
All those other woman around
A' ramblin' and a'gamblin'
Throwin' Irish whiskey down
Walter, Walter Henry
Walter Henry Hagan
You don't listen when I call
Walter, Walter Henry
Of all the men I've ever loved
I loved you best of all
Oh play one for ol' Walter Henry boys
Walter, Walter Henry
Walter Henry Hagan
You done left your mark on me
Walter, Walter Henry
If you ever sober up
I'm waitin' back in Tennessee
If you ever sober up
I'm waitin' back in Tennessee
Walter, Walter Henry
Yoddle-le-ee-hee
Yoddle-le-ee-hee
Walter Henry Hagan
You done left your mark on me
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's song "Walter Henry Hagan" are about a woman's heartache caused by her lover, Walter, who has broken her heart by leaving her alone and pregnant in a strange place. The song tells the story of the singer's relationship with Walter, who took her away from her home in Tennessee when she was young and promised they would always be together. However, Walter betrayed her by leaving her alone with a baby in Boston and continuing to chase after other women.
The song touches on themes such as love, betrayal, heartbreak, and longing for home. The lyrics are emotional and raw, depicting the pain of a woman who has been left heartbroken by her lover's actions. Despite her pain, the singer still expresses her deep love for Walter and hopes that he will eventually sober up and return to her in Tennessee.
Overall, "Walter Henry Hagan" is a poignant and heartfelt song that illustrates Dolly Parton's skill in capturing the emotional complexities of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Walter, Walter Henry
Addressing Walter Henry Hagan
I say Walter Henry Hagan
Emphasizing the full name of the addressed person
You done gone and broke my heart
Expressing the feeling of being hurt by the addressed person
You know that I believed you
Stressing the trust given to the addressed person
When you swore we'd never part
Recalling the promise made by the addressed person
Well you said you had to have me
Quoting the reason given by the addressed person for their actions
And well you dang well did
Acknowledging that the addressed person succeeded in their intentions
You took me from my country home
Describing the addressed person's act of taking the artist away from her home
When I was just a kid
Clarifying the artist's young age at the time of the event
And you took me off to Boston
Narrating the addressed person's action of taking the artist to Boston
Put a baby on my knee
Referring to the birth of the singer's child
Left me to dangle-dingle
Expressing the feeling of being abandoned by the addressed person
So far from Tennessee
Describing the distance between the place of abandonment and the singer's home state
Now Patrick might have been one
Referring to another person named Patrick
But you ain't been no saint
Highlighting the addressed person's lack of virtue
But a good ole' Irish boy
Describing the addressed person's nationality and gender
They say we'll always have this drink
Reference to the stereotype of Irish people as heavy drinkers
And you just won't stop chasin'
Narrating the addressed person's habit of pursuing other women
All those other woman around
Referring to the addressed person's infidelity
A' ramblin' and a'gamblin'
Describing the addressed person's habit of wandering and gambling
Throwin' Irish whiskey down
Emphasizing the addressed person's drinking habit
Walter, Walter Henry
Addressing the person named Walter Henry Hagan again
You don't listen when I call
Stating the addressed person's lack of response
Of all the men I've ever loved
Comparing the addressed person to other men the artist has loved
I loved you best of all
Expressing the depth of the singer's affection for the addressed person
Oh play one for ol' Walter Henry boys
Asking the musicians to dedicate a song to Walter Henry Hagan
Walter, Walter Henry
Addressing the addressed person again
You done left your mark on me
Describing the lasting impact of the addressed person's actions on the artist
If you ever sober up
Hoping for the addressed person's change of behavior
I'm waitin' back in Tennessee
Stating the singer's willingness to reconcile with the addressed person
Yoddle-le-ee-hee
Lyrics to the yodeling part of the song
Walter Henry Hagan
Repeating the addressed person's full name one last time
You done left your mark on me
Repeating the previous statement for emphasis
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
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.