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
Will He Be Waiting
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The road that left me out of his love
I can still feel the tears he cried on my shoulder the day that I told him goodbye
I never should have left him never should have gone oh what a crazy fool I've been
Will he be waiting for me he will be won't he and will he take me back again
Shadows from the streets shade the path that I am walking
As I make my way back up that winding road again
And the smell of my tomorrow fills the air with sweet perfume
I wonder if he's missed me I wonder if he wants me I wonder does he love me still
Will he be waiting for me he will be won't he oh how I hope he will
He will be waiting for me he will be won't he
How could it be his love for me has faded and has died
He will be waiting for me he will be won't he
Oh will I find that this time I'll be the one to cry
Will he be waiting for me
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's "Will He Be Waiting" tell a story of a woman who left her lover and is now returning to him, unsure of whether or not he will still love her. The first verse paints a picture of the regret and sadness she feels for leaving him, and the chorus shows her hope that he will still want her back. The second verse describes her journey back to him, through the shadows of the streets and the anticipation of what lies ahead. She wonders if he has missed her, if he still loves her and if he will be waiting for her.
The song is about the uncertainty that comes with leaving someone you love and then coming back to them. The singer is unsure if her love is still reciprocated and if she will be welcomed back into his life with open arms. The use of vivid, sensory language such as the tears he cried on her shoulder and the smell of tomorrow adds to the emotional depth of the lyrics.
Overall, "Will He Be Waiting" is a poignant and relatable song about the complexities of love and the lingering feelings that can remain even after a relationship ends.
Line by Line Meaning
I can still see that lonesome road stretched out before me
I can still visualize the path that led me to heartbreak and despair.
The road that left me out of his love
It's the path on which I walked away from him and out of his affection.
I can still feel the tears he cried on my shoulder the day that I told him goodbye
Even now, I remember the sorrow that he experienced when I bid him farewell.
I never should have left him never should have gone oh what a crazy fool I've been
It was foolish of me to depart from him, and I regret doing so.
Will he be waiting for me he will be won't he and will he take me back again
I'm hopeful that he still entertains thoughts of welcoming me back into his life, where I belong.
Shadows from the streets shade the path that I am walking
As I wander the streets, the shadows cast from the buildings canopy the way forward.
As I make my way back up that winding road again
I'm retracing my steps on the serpentine, uphill journey that brought me back to him.
And the smell of my tomorrow fills the air with sweet perfume
The aroma of my future is fragrant, giving me hope that things will work out.
My heart beats faster as I'm near my journey're end
My heart races as I approach the end of this pilgrimage, when I'll finally be reunited with him.
I wonder if he's missed me I wonder if he wants me I wonder does he love me still
As I draw close to him, I wonder if he has thought of me, if he still holds affection for me.
Will he be waiting for me he will be won't he oh how I hope he will
I'm desperately wishing that he anticipates my arrival and wants to reconcile.
He will be waiting for me he will be won't he
I am convinced that he'll accept me back into his life because of how much we mean to each other.
How could it be his love for me has faded and has died
I doubt that his love for me has diminished or disappeared altogether.
Oh will I find that this time I'll be the one to cry
I'm worried that the outcome of this reunion might result in me being the one feeling heartbroken.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
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.