Here’s another edition of the Thursday Evening Post. 😎

Last week I wrote about how sad it was that Tim Curry passed away. 😞

Another celebrity who also passed away last week was the influential Dolly Parton. ☹️

I remember that my grandfather really liked her. ❤️ He was the one who I named my blue guitar after. 😃

I didn’t own any of Dolly Parton’s albums, but I was familiar with her because my grandparents enjoyed her music. 🎶

One of my ESL students (If you’d like to work with me, learn more here.) who lives abroad told me that she had first learned about Dolly Parton through songs that Parton did with Miley Cyrus. (I actually just learned that Dolly Parton was Miley Cyrus’ godmother!😯) My student had NO IDEA how FAMOUS Parton was in the US. 😁

When I was listening to an NPR story on Dolly Parton last week, I learned that Dolly Parton had a song called “Jolene” which she wrote about a bank teller who seemed romantically interested in Parton’s husband! 😮

Lyrics:

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 auburn 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 nothin’ I can do to keep
From cryin’ when he calls your name, Jolene
And I can 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 beggin’ 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 beggin’ of you, please don’t take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don’t take him even though you can
Jolene, Jolene

I had never heard this song before, and it tells such a great story!

I love the catchy rhythm, the beautiful vocals, and the poetry in the lyrics! ❤️

I was most moved by the lines:

You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
He’s the only one for me

Here Parton communicates how important her husband is to her! 💙

Which part of the song do you like the best?

Do you have a favorite Dolly Parton song?

Dolly Parton impacted so many lives, and we all can make a positive impact in this world. 💛

What can of legacy do you want to leave behind?

May you be well! ❤️

If you’d like to support my mission to share my passion for music with the world and spread joy, love, and positivity, you can do so here. Thank you so much! 💚