Goodbye Dolly

A story in a single line

 I hesitate to add to the millions of words already written about Dolly Parton after her recent death. I don’t feel equipped to comment on her vocal range, her sharp wit, her enduring fame, her song writing skills, her philanthropy. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know about her book gifting programme, although I’m hugely in awe of someone who came up with such a kind and practical way to help boost child literacy.

 But something struck me this week that perhaps I am entitled to comment on: her talent for storytelling. Like a lot of people, I’ve had the words of Jolene going round in my head all week. And it occurred to me that there is a whole story in just one line, the fourth line of the song:

 Please don’t take him just because you can

 Although subsequent lines go on to elaborate on this, we already have the whole story in eight words: the poignant plea from a girl desperate to hold on to a boyfriend she already suspects is attracted to another. The knowledge that Jolene is more alluring, more experienced, and more skilled than the singer is. That word ‘can’ sums up so much – Jolene knows she can draw men to her and relishes her power. If she stole her friend’s boyfriend, she’d be doing so because of the thrill of enticing him away, not necessarily because she had any feelings for him. We already suspect the situation will end badly – the girl is too desperate, the boy too fickle, Jolene too cunning. But many of us have been there, which is why the song strikes such a strong chord. As a piece of storytelling it’s masterful, and it comes from the pen of one who wrote over 3,000 songs. What a skill. A talent like that doesn’t come along that often, and she had it in spades.

 And that’s why I will mourn Dolly Parton.