Part 3
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But here's the thing that really gets me. She's also writing children's books. 'I Am a Rainbow' came out in 2009, aimed at kids from birth to age five. She says it's easy because she thinks like a child. 'There's eight children in my family younger than me, and I've got all these nieces and nephews that I'm very devoted to.' She wants to spend her second childhood in the children's world. That's not a side hustle—that's a homecoming.
She even turned 'Coat of Many Colors' into a children's book years ago. It sold like crazy. And she's not done. 'I do want to write more,' she says. 'It doesn't take me long to write the children's things.' This is a woman who can write a devastating country ballad in two hours and then pivot to a rhyming picture book without missing a beat. Versatility isn't just a buzzword for her—it's a way of life.
Now, let's talk about the other side of Dolly. The political side. She was excited about Obama's election. She hoped for unity. And then she cracked a joke about a woman in the White House: 'Every 28 days, those terrorists better run deeper into them woods.' It's classic Dolly—down-to-earth, a little risque, and completely disarming. She's not preaching; she's connecting. That's a skill most politicians would kill for.
She also cares deeply about the environment. Specifically, protecting the Great Smoky Mountains from pollution. 'We're just screwing ourselves royally,' she says. No filter. No corporate speak. Just a woman who loves her home and isn't afraid to call out the nonsense. That's the same honesty that made 'I Will Always Love You' so powerful. She doesn't dress things up. She tells you the truth, even when it's ugly.
And then there's piracy. She wants to preserve her work and supports efforts to control it. That's not just about money—it's about respect. She understands the value of intellectual property because she's been creating it since she was a kid. Every song, every book, every theme park ride is a piece of her. When someone steals it, they're stealing a piece of her life. That's why she's so protective. It's not greed; it's self-preservation.
But let's bring it back to the song. 'I Will Always Love You' was a goodbye. A resignation letter set to music. She wrote it to leave Porter Wagoner, and it softened everything between them. They stayed friends until he died. She was with him the day he passed. That's the miracle of art: it can turn a painful ending into a beautiful beginning. The song didn't just free her—it healed them both.
And then Whitney Houston took it and made it the most famous love song in the world. Dolly's reaction? 'I got mine. Thanks to Whitney Houston.' She's not bitter. She's grateful. She knows that a great song belongs to everyone who sings it. That's the ultimate lesson: let go of your work, and it will come back to you multiplied.
So what does Dolly Parton's story teach us? It teaches us that art and business aren't enemies. That creativity and work ethic can live in the same person. That you can be a mogul and a child at heart. That you can fight for what you believe in and still laugh about it. And that even the most painful goodbye can become the most enduring love song.
Dolly wrote a song to leave a man, and it became the most famous love song in the world. That's the power of honesty in art. And as Dolly would say, 'I got mine. Thanks to Whitney Houston.' So next time you hear that opening note, remember: it's not just a love song—it's a resignation letter that changed music forever.
