Jolene
Glee Cast Lyrics


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Shannon
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can

Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of golden hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene
He talks about you in his sleep
And there's nothing I can do to keep
From crying when he calls your name, Jolene
And I could easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can

You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
He's the only one for me, Jolene
I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do, Jolene

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene




Please don't take him even though you can
Jolene (Jolene) Jolene

Overall Meaning

The song "Jolene" by Dolly Parton has been covered by many artists and the Glee cast version adds a unique interpretation to the track. The lyrics tell the story of Shannon pleading to Jolene not to take her man because of Jolene's captivating beauty. Shannon acknowledges Jolene's beauty with lines such as "Your beauty is beyond compare" and "With flaming locks of golden hair" but still pleads with Jolene not to take her man. Shannon's desperation shows through lines such as "And I cannot compete with you, Jolene" and "But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene." She recognizes that Jolene could easily take her man but is hoping that Jolene will choose not to.


The song's chorus is a powerful plea for Jolene not to take Shannon's man, even if she is capable of doing so. The repetition of Jolene's name in the chorus adds emphasis to the desperation in Shannon's plea. The song's instrumentation is minimalistic, featuring mainly acoustic guitar and drums which add to the emotional weight of the song. The Glee cast's harmonies add a layer of depth to the song, creating a haunting and melancholic tone that highlights Shannon's desperation.


Line by Line Meaning

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Shannon is repeating Jolene's name as a way of emphasizing her plea to Jolene.


I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man
Shannon is asking Jolene not to take her man away from her.


Please don't take him just because you can
Shannon is pleading with Jolene not to steal her man simply because she is able to do so.


Your beauty is beyond compare
Shannon acknowledges Jolene's beauty.


With flaming locks of golden hair
Shannon is commenting on Jolene's beautiful hair.


With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Shannon is describing Jolene's physical features.


Your smile is like a breath of spring
Shannon praises Jolene's smile and compares it to a refreshing spring breeze.


Your voice is soft like summer rain
Shannon is praising Jolene's voice by comparing it to the soothing sound of summer rain.


And I cannot compete with you, Jolene
Shannon admits that she can't match up to Jolene's beauty and charm.


He talks about you in his sleep
Shannon's man talks about Jolene even when he is asleep.


And there's nothing I can do to keep
Shannon feels helpless and unable to stop her man from thinking about Jolene.


From crying when he calls your name, Jolene
Shannon feels emotional and saddened when her man mentions Jolene's name.


And I could easily understand
Shannon can see why Jolene could easily steal her man away.


How you could easily take my man
Shannon acknowledges that Jolene has the power to take her man away.


But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene
Shannon wants Jolene to understand the depth of her feelings for her man.


You could have your choice of men
Shannon admits that Jolene has many options when it comes to choosing men.


But I could never love again
Shannon feels that she could never love anyone else besides her man.


He's the only one for me, Jolene
Shannon proclaims that her man is the only one she loves and wants to be with.


I had to have this talk with you
Shannon is having this conversation with Jolene because it is important to her.


My happiness depends on you
Shannon feels that her happiness depends on Jolene's decision regarding her man.


And whatever you decide to do, Jolene
Shannon is leaving the decision of what to do with her man up to Jolene.


Please don't take him even though you can
Shannon is making a final plea to Jolene not to take her man, even though she has the ability to do so.


Jolene (Jolene) Jolene
The repetition of Jolene's name at the end of the song reinforces the importance of her decision to Shannon and emphasizes the emotional weight of the situation.




Contributed by Caden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Kitty Spo0ks

Dolly's voice was sweet and savoury of envy in Jolene so it was nice hearing this version because it's so sorrowful and heartfelt

Lourdes Wictória

A voz da Dolly é super suave e a música já é linda mas quando a Beast começou a cantar eu berrei perfeição aq

Catrina Lawrence

she's a very nice woman and I hope she's founds someone who cares about her 😊 Nice Singer

john dean

One of the best songs ever written.

Mel

Shanon Beiste is the most Underrated character of the show 💔 I love her she’s strong and so nice

Patricia Gerß

*he

Patricia Gerß

@rohan for what? he came out as trans in the show (i think it was the fifth or sixth season). also his name is sheldon now.

Mel

@Patricia Gerß true. I don’t really like the season 5 and 6 I watched only once so I forgot.

Susanne Bemis

me too

5 More Replies...

RAIANE

Eu conheci essa música através desse seriado, anos depois conheci meu marido e ele tbm amava essa canção ❤️🇧🇷
#coronavaipassar

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