Owei Lakemfa wrote about Dolly Parton’s songs and charity
Nigerian outlet Premium Times Nigeria published a column by Owei Lakemfa about the work, charitable initiatives and themes of poverty in the songs of country performer Dolly Parton.
The author focused on the composition Coat of Many Colors, released in 1971. As Lakemfa writes, in it Parton combined her own story of a childhood in poverty with the biblical story of Joseph. The song tells of clothing that a mother sewed for her child from pieces of fabric and of the child’s reaction to the mockery of peers.
Themes of work and poverty
The columnist also mentioned the songs Daddy’s Working Boots, 9 to 5, Poor Folks Town and My Tennessee Mountain Home. In his view, in these works Parton addressed the lives of workers, a lack of money, love and rural life. In My Tennessee Mountain Home, the author notes, she celebrates nature and peaceful life in rural Tennessee.
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Lakemfa asserts that material wealth is not the only measure of well-being. He connects this idea with Parton’s charitable activities, including the Imagination Library program aimed at combating childhood illiteracy, the Dolly Parton Scholarship, and support for hospitals and other vital projects.
Songs about relationships
Separately, the author analyzes the compositions Jolene, The Bargain Store and I Will Always Love You. He interprets Jolene as a story in which the lyrical heroine combines vulnerability with psychological confrontation with a rival. In The Bargain Store, according to Lakemfa, the heroine offers her beloved the chance to accept her past experiences. In I Will Always Love You, he sees a decision to leave a relationship after realizing that love alone is not enough.
In the column, Parton is described as a songwriter, composer and performer. Lakemfa writes that she has ten Grammy awards and that the number of her nominations for the award is 55. The author believes that her songs will retain their significance for future generations.
