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
When Someone Wants To Leave
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With all your heart and soul
And you want to keep them with you
But you know they want to go
What do you do? What do you say?
When you know they want to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
When one doesn't care at all and the other cares too much
It's a sad situation, I must say
When someone wants to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
You know how much I love you
But I know you don't love me
And I know it's just a matter of time before you leave
But I, do I stand aside and just let you walk away?
But I know you want to leave
As bad as I want you to stay
Oh, there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love
When one doesn't love at all and the other loves too much
It's a sad situation, I must say
When someone wants to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
Oh, it's a sad situation I must say
When someone wants to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's song, "When Someone Wants To Leave" describe a situation where one person is in love with another who wants to leave. It's a sad and heart-wrenching scenario where the person who loves tries to hold on, but they know deep down that they need to let go. The song reflects the duality of human emotions where one wants to keep the other person, but at the same time, they respect their decision to leave.
As the lyrics suggest, it's difficult to deal with one-sided love, where one person loves and cares too much, and the other doesn't reciprocate those feelings. The song beautifully encapsulates the feelings of despair and helplessness that come with letting someone go when one is still in love with them. It's a truthful portrayal of the reality that sometimes, no matter how much one wants someone to stay, they have to let them go their own way.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the song is its simplicity. The lyrics, melody, and instrumentation are all minimalistic, yet they manage to convey the emotions of love and loss beautifully. The song was released in 1976, and since then, it has become one of Dolly Parton's most famous songs. It has been covered by many artists over the years and is still considered a classic country love song.
Line by Line Meaning
When you love somebody with all your heart and soul
When you have a deep emotional connection with someone
And you want to keep them with you
And you want to hold onto that connection
But you know they want to go
But the other person wants to end the relationship
What do you do
What actions do you take
What do you say
What words can you use to make them stay
When you know they want to leave
When you are fully aware that they want to end the relationship
As bad as you want them to stay
Even though you want to hold onto the relationship
And there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love
There is no greater sorrow than an unbalanced love
When one doesn't care at all and the other cares too much
When one person is indifferent while the other is deeply invested
It's a sad situation, I must say
It's a heartbreaking circumstance
You know how much I love you
You understand the depth of emotion I feel for you
But I know you don't love me
But you don't reciprocate those feelings
And I know it's just a matter of time before you leave
And I'm aware that you're going to end the relationship soon
But I do, I stand aside and just let you walk away
Despite my desire to hold onto the relationship, I understand your decision and let you go
But I know you want to leave
Still, I know that you're determined to end it
As bad as I want you to stay
Even though I want you to stay by my side
When someone wants to leave
When the other person wants to end the relationship
As bad as you want them to stay
Even though you want to hold onto the relationship
Oh, it's a sad situation I must say
It's a heartbreaking circumstance
When someone wants to leave
When the other person wants to end the relationship
As bad as you want them to stay
Even though you want to hold onto the relationship
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dolly Parton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
[REDACTED]
When you love somebody with all your heart and soul
And you want to keep them with you
But you know they want to go
What do you do
What do you say
When you know they want to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
And there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love
When one doesn't care at all and the other cares too much
It's a sad situation, I must say
When you know they want to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
You know how much I love you
But I know you don't love me
And I know it's just a matter of time before you leave
But I do, I stand aside and just let you walk away
But I know you want to leave
As bad as I want you to stay
And there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love
When one doesn't love at all and the other loves too much
It's a sad situation, I must say
When someone wants to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
Oh, it's a sad situation I must say
When someone wants to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
Theodore Tutor
This song has always given me chills. It defines my first marriage so perfectly. I'm in a better place, now. So never give up.
[REDACTED]
When you love somebody with all your heart and soul
And you want to keep them with you
But you know they want to go
What do you do
What do you say
When you know they want to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
And there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love
When one doesn't care at all and the other cares too much
It's a sad situation, I must say
When you know they want to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
You know how much I love you
But I know you don't love me
And I know it's just a matter of time before you leave
But I do, I stand aside and just let you walk away
But I know you want to leave
As bad as I want you to stay
And there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love
When one doesn't love at all and the other loves too much
It's a sad situation, I must say
When someone wants to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
Oh, it's a sad situation I must say
When someone wants to leave
As bad as you want them to stay
Brigid Kandie
This is quite me now
Steveneven
There really isn’t anything as sad as one sided love. Trust me 😞
ADHD Clean-a-longs
Forever an Icon. You can't dislike Dolly Parton especially for her personality
Such a simple song but it brought back an old relationship exact feelings.
Redtail Arts
I don't like country music, but I mean come on, this is Dolly Parton we're talking about, how could I not love this girl?
FYI, Everyone's saying how they found this song, so I'll share mine: It was the credits song to Jolene: A Nightcloud and Leafpool MAP.
EeveeStudios
Me too
EeveeStudios
And I actually came back due to catching my bf cheat on me but I want him to stay with me but I don’t know if he’ll stay or if I should go
cocacolachris
Bro, I came for the same reason!! The map was SO amazing!
Eva M H
That map was great!