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 The Sun Goes Down Tomorrow
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thumbing for a ride by the edge of the road
With a brown paper bag to hold my clothes
But tonight I'm going home where I belong
If the good lord's willing and the creek don't rise
And if my luck holds out, and I catch me a ride
When the sun goes down tomorrow, I should be home
For a country girl with a friendly face
If you smile people look at your funny, they take it wrong
They laugh at my talkin' and clothes I wear
They put me down and they call me square
But tonight I'm going home where I belong
I'm goin' back to the people I love
Back to the place that I dream of
It's true that there's no place like home sweet home
The one I want to see the most
Is the boy who begged me not to go
When the sun goes down tomorrow
Tonight I'm going back where I belong
Dolly Parton's song "When The Sun Goes Down Tomorrow" is a song about a girl who leaves her hometown to find a better life in the city. However, she learns that the city is not the friendly place she thought it would be, with people looking at her funny, laughing at her, and putting her down. She has missed her family and the people she loves and longs to go back home. The song is essentially a metaphor for people who leave their hometown to pursue their dreams, only to realize that they belong back where they came from.
The song speaks about the girl's experiences in the city and how she has missed the warmth and love of her small town. The song talks about the importance of home and the people who make it special. The girl realizes that her place is with her family and friends and the people who really care about her. The song ends with the girl saying that she is going back to where she truly belongs.
The song is a reflection of Dolly Parton's own life. She too left her small town to pursue her career in music, but she never forgot her roots. The song talks about the importance of being true to yourself and your values, no matter where you are in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Thumbing for a ride by the edge of the road
Trying to hitch a ride by the side of the road
With a brown paper bag to hold my clothes
Carrying my meager belongings in a simple paper bag
But tonight I'm going home where I belong
Finally returning to my true home
If the good lord's willing and the creek don't rise
If all goes well and everything goes according to plan
And if my luck holds out, and I catch me a ride
And if I'm lucky enough to catch a ride
When the sun goes down tomorrow, I should be home
I should finally be back home by the time the sun sets tomorrow
This big city ain't no kind of place
I'm not suited to this large, impersonal city
For a country girl with a friendly face
It's hard for me, a friendly small-town girl, to thrive in this environment
If you smile people look at your funny, they take it wrong
If I'm friendly and smile, people often misinterpret my intentions
They laugh at my talkin' and clothes I wear
They ridicule my accent and simple clothing
They put me down and they call me square
They criticize me and call me old-fashioned
But tonight I'm going home where I belong
Despite the challenges, I know where I truly belong and am headed back there tonight
I'm goin' back to the people I love
Returning to the people who mean the most to me
Back to the place that I dream of
Going back to the place that has been on my mind for so long
It's true that there's no place like home sweet home
There's nothing quite like the warmth and comfort of one's own home
The one I want to see the most
Above all, there is one person in particular I am eager to see
Is the boy who begged me not to go
That boy is the one who begged me to stay before I left
When the sun goes down tomorrow
Hopefully, by the end of tomorrow, I'll finally be back where I belong
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
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.