1. "I'm begging of you please don't take my man"
   "You're a diva and a queen"
2. "Why you gotta be so mean?"
   "You make me want to scream, scream, scream"

In 2004, Rolling Stone named "Jolene" to its list of 500 greatest songs of all time, and it's a monster for sure. The song comes from Parton's album of the same name and earned the singer a Grammy, but not until four decades after its initial release.

1. "Looking forward to the weekend"
   "What a way to make a livin'"
2. "I could really use a day off"
   "They don't pay me enough to do this"

"9 to 5," originally written for a comedic film of the same name, grew larger than life. It went on to spawn a theater adaptation of the film and a TV series. Parton got more than a day's worth of work out of this one!

1. "Maybe you could go away"
   "Could you face another day?"
2. "I would only be in your way"
   "What would you say?"

There's no question that Houston's version brought modern acclaim to this tune that dates all the way back to 1973, when Parton originally wrote and released it herself. Houston's version was included in the soundtrack for the 1992 movie "The Bodyguard," in which she also starred.

1. "Colors of the entire rainbow"
   "Its brightness outshone the sun"
2. "And I wore it every day"
   "That I was so proud of"

"Coat of Many Colors" is considered one of Parton's most iconic tunes and, she has said, one of her personal favorites. A replica of the coat hangs in a museum at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

1. "Just when I've begun to get myself together"
   "Breaking my heart in two"
2. "I was hoping you'd stay gone"
   "I don't need you back in my life"

A Grammy winner for best female country vocal performance, "Here You Come Again" was one of Parton's successful pop crossover hits. The song was originally written with Brenda Lee in mind, but when Lee chose not to record it, Parton snatched it up.

1. "With a look on your face, oh-so-mean"
   "Your clothes are a joke and you're broke"
2. "All decked out like a cowgirl's dream"
   "Why did you wear that to our wedding?"

"Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That," released in 1989, brought Parton a No. 1 on the country music charts. It was a part of her album titled "White Limozeen." Not the correct spelling of limousine, of course, but when you're Dolly Parton you can get away with that.

1. "Ain't you got nobody to call your own?"
   "Don't go breakin' my heart again"
2. "Where, oh where, have you gone?"
   "Do you know what you've done to me?"

You'd expect "Joshua" to be about a man, wouldn't you? And, it is, but not in the sense you might expect. It's a story told from the perspective of a young girl who gets to know her curmudgeonly old neighbor.

1. "To match the grass beneath our feet"
   "The sea is white"
2. "When you leave me"
   "And the grass is blue"

"The Grass Is Blue" is a song released on an album of the same name. The tune itself is all about opposites: "Rivers flow backwards/ Valleys are high/ Mountains are level/ Truth is a lie/ I'm perfectly fine/ And I don't miss you."

1. "Don't forget the coupons"
   "Come inside"
2. "Wanna see what's on sale"
   "Head for the check-out"

In the song "The Bargain Store," Parton uses the analogy of worn and discarded clothes to describe how women feel after a toxic relationship. She sings, "If you don't mind the fact that all the merchandise is used/ But with a little mending it could be as good as new."

1. "At least mine are forgiven"
   "Just because I'm a woman"
2. "But you keep bringing it up"
   "Why wouldn't you ask"

"Just Because I'm a Woman" was perhaps a song before its time. Released in 1968, it describes a man judging a woman for her behavior in previous relationships, even though he has the same skeletons in his closet. You go, Dolly!

1. "Where my mama lived and died"
   "We live a country life"
2. "Life is as sweet as July"'
   "Life is as peaceful as a baby's sigh"

In "My Tennessee Mountain Home," Parton recounts memories from her childhood, like "Sittin' on the front porch on a summer afternoon" and "Watch the kids a' playin' with June bugs on a string." The album by the same name was released in 1973.

1. "They die so fast"
   "The color of sunshine"
2. "The way to my heart"
   "They're better than red"

She could've sung about any flower, but she chose "Yellow Roses." In the tune, she sings that a man asked her out, "Handing me a yellow rose." The song hit No. 1 on the country music charts, her 19th to do so.

1. "Made of sand, made of sand"
   "But we'll just keep trying"
2. "Can you see the bigger picture"
   "Wrapped up with a bow"

Dolly teamed with Porter Wagoner in a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" in the late 1960s, a successful collaboration for the pair. It opened the door to many other duets for the two country stars.

1. "Made of sunshine and dreams"
   "Flowing back to you"
2. "That is what we are"
   "Bright and blue in the sun"

The Bee Gees are credited with writing "Islands in the Stream," though Parton and fellow country singer Kenny Rogers performed it as a duet in the early 1980s. The song was met with critical and commercial success.

1. "She always gave us what we needed"
   "If she did, she never did say so to Daddy"
2. "She couldn't afford them anyway"
   "The finer things in life never missed her"

Both Parton and Emmylou Harris released versions of "To Daddy," a song that Parton wrote about her own parents' relationship struggles. Harris' version climbed to No. 3 on The Billboard Hot Country chart.

1. "There's no stopping us now"
   "Then we let our hair hang down"
2. "You never know what could happen"
   "We shut the party down"

Written by Kenny O'Dell, "Behind Closed Doors" has been performed by many country singers, including Parton. Dolly's version continues, "Then he makes me glad that he's my man/ And no one knows what goes on behind closed doors."

1. "That she's made you shed a tear"
   "You're comin' back 'round here"
2. "She's made you cry again"
   "There's a tear in your beer"

"Before the Next Teardrop Falls" was recorded by Parton in the 1990s. It is featured on her album "Treasures," which includes many of her favorite covers. The song begins, "If she brings you happiness/ Then I wish you both the best."

1. "By leaving her on the banks alone"
   "After she broke my heart"
2. "Pushed her into the raging waters"
   "Because she would not be my bride"

"Banks of the Ohio" is all about a marriage proposal gone wrong. Recorded by Parton for her "Blue Smoke" album, it is considered a "murder ballad," which — thankfully — is a pretty small niche.

1. "All I can do to love you completely"
   "All I can do to avoid your stares"
2. "All I can do to keep from letting it show"
   "All I can do to keep you out of my heart"

A song from Parton's career in the mid-1970s, "All I Can Do" describes the singer's reluctance to fall in love: "It's all I can do to keep from falling in love with you/ All I can do to keep from letting it show."

1. "Tomorrow in the glistening sun"
   "In the twenty-first century"
2. "Raining, snowing, sleet and sun"
   "Gotta grab her before she's gone"

"After the Gold Rush," written by Neil Young, is a song about ... well, what IS it about? Turns out, neither Young nor Parton, who recorded a version with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, had any idea!

1. "I ain't nobody's fool"
   "Doesn't mean I'm not smart"
2. "Don't think I'm dumb"
   "Doesn't mean I have more fun"

Dolly may be known the world over for her blond hair, but in this song she makes it clear: she's no "Dumb Blonde." Of course she's not! She has built an empire, which even includes a theme park!

1. "Could one tender lie do?"
   "Could you do to my heart?"
2. "Do you think I can handle?"
   "Am I supposed to accept?"

Dolly Parton recorded "A Tender Lie" for her album "Little Sparrow." The song details a difficult parting: "As you walk away/ As we say goodbye/ What I wouldn't give/ For a tender lie."

1. "Of ham and beans and cornbread"
   "Of true love straight from you"
2. "Of a carefree Tennessee childhood"
   "Of Mama's homemade chocolate cake"

Part of the soundtrack for the movie "Rhinestone," "Tennessee Homesick Blues" was written and recorded by Parton in 1983. In this song, Parton is thinking back on her life in Tennessee while she's in the big city.

1. "Makes me do what I do"
   "Is all the reason I need"
2. "Makes my life worthwhile"
   "I'll change my hairstyle"

Parton recorded this song alongside Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt for the group's "Trios" album. The lyrics to "To Know Him Is to Love Him" were written by Phil Spector, inspired by an inscription on his father's headstone.

1. "The question left unanswered"
   "The memories in my mind"
2. "A chain of broken dreams"
   "The times we spent together"

"But You Know I Love You" tells the story of an individual who is sad about living life on the road and loving someone from afar. We're sure Parton and plenty of other musicians understand this all too well!

1. "Real love/ Our hearts' celebration"
   "Real love/ Not aggravation"
2. "Real love/ A conflagration"
   "Real love/ A world's configuration"

"Real Love" is another duet recorded by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, their second collaboration to reach the top of the country music charts. Years later, Parton recorded a solo version.

1. "I was thinking maybe you were"
   "You were on my mind"
2. "Would you like to come over?"
   "I like your looks, I love your smile"

"It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" is one of Dolly's more risqué tunes, in which she essentially places a — ahem — booty call. Hey, men have been singing about it for years; you do you, Dolly!

1. "And two doors down I'm puttin' on my boots"
   "And two doors down they're not aware that I'm around"
2. "And two doors down I wish they'd be quiet"
   "And two doors down I'm all by myself"

"Two Doors Down" is Dolly's take on the aftermath of a breakup. She's in an apartment and can hear a party happening "two doors down," so she sings about it, saying, "But here I am crying my heart out, feeling sorry/ But they're having a party just two doors down."

1. "It looks like the 4th of July"
   "Baby, light me up!"
2. "Fireworks shooting off at night!"
   "Light a torch for me"

You've got to go back to 1978 for this Parton tune, "Baby I'm Burnin'." The song also has the lines, "Baby I'm burnin' out of control baby/ I'm burnin' body and soul/ Hot as a pistol that flamin' desire/ Baby I'm burnin' you've got me on fire/ I'm on fire."

1. "Everywhere I've been"
   "Times of peace and struggle"
2. "Stories of my past"
   "What you can't see with your eye"

In 2002, Parton released "These Old Bones" as part of her "Halos & Horns" album. The first three lines of the song mention the title: "These old bones will tell your story/ These old bones will never lie/ These old bones will tell you surely."

1. "And I'd give him my heart"
   "And I'd love my way to fame"
2. "And I'd spend it, spend it, spend it"
   "And I'd push him in the grave"

Years before she released "I'll Always Love You," Parton sang “I’ll Oil Wells Love You," a type of parody song about finding and falling in love with a rich oilman: "He owned a lot of oil wells and his bankroll sure was healthy/ And I knew if I married him I'd suddenly be wealthy."

1. "Pack whatever you need"
   "Choo choo, a choo choo"
2. "Go bring all your good friends, too"
   "And climb aboard the train"

"Peace Train" is something of a spiritual reflection on a more peaceful world to come: "Now I've been smiling lately/ Thinking about the good things to come/ And I believe it could be/ Something good has begun." The song was written by Cat Stevens, who also released it as a single.

1. "She'll lose your mind on you"
   "You're allergic to my sweetness"
2. "It gives away our romance"
   "She'll know you've been with me alone"

Dolly seems to be admitting an affair in the song "Cologne": "You ask me not to wear cologne/ She'll know you've been with me alone/ And you can't take our secret home/ So you ask me not to wear cologne." Of course, maybe she was singing it for a friend.

1. "Wondering if they made a mistake"
   "Wishing they could go back in time"
2. "Along comes baby, makin' them three"
   "Never knowing who's listening"

Parents' impact on their children is the subject of "What Will Baby Be," another Dolly recording. In it, she sings, "A young couple marries, already fighting/ Along comes baby, makin' them three/ Trouble's all he hears from the time he's in didies/ Baby don't know just what to believe."

1. "If you only stop and dream"
   "By the light of God's love"
2. "In the sunshine of the day"
   "By one bright word or smile"

"Shine On" is an uplifting tune from Parton's 1998 album, "Hungry Again." In it, she sings, "The gift of love divine/ God gave us all a special gift/ He meant for it to shine." We love the positivity!