Released: September 8, 1969

Songwriter: Dolly Parton

[Verse 1]
Daddy I feel that I must talk to you
Are you sure this is what you want to do?
Now it's not for us kids that I beg you to stay
Please don't just walk out on Mama this way
She's mothered your children, she's spent her whole life
Trying to be a good mother and wife
And she stood by you when the rest let you down
Daddy, how can you walk out on her now?

[Verse 2]
I'm your oldest daughter, my age twenty-three
Your new love is even younger than me
She's young, she's pretty, her hands soft as dew
While Mama's are withered from working for you

[Verse 3]
Mom's not young any more like your new love
But your new love won't love you like my mama does
You've taken her best years, so don't leave her now
Please, Daddy say that you won't let her down

Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, author, and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music

Beginning her career as a child performer, Parton issued a few modestly successful singles from 1959 through the mid-1960s, showcasing her distinctive soprano voice. She came to greater prominence in 1967 as a featured performer on singer Porter Wagoner’s weekly television program; their first duet single, a cover of Tom Paxton’s “The Last Thing on My Mind”, was a top-ten hit on the country singles charts, and led to several successful albums before they ended their partnership in 1974. Moving towards mainstream pop music, Parton’s 1977 single “Here You Come Again” was a success on both the country and pop charts. A string of pop-country hits followed into the mid-1980s, the most successful being her 1981 hit 9 to 5" (from the film of the same name), and her 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers “Islands in the Stream”, both of which topped the U.S. pop and country singles charts. A pair of albums recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris were among her later successes. In the late 1990s, Parton returned to classic country/bluegrass with a series of acclaimed recordings