Dolly Parton

Released: September 8, 1969

Songwriter: Dolly Parton

[Verse 1]
My train of thought was broken by a sudden burst of laughter
Something badly needed to lighten up the chores
Seemed old Mrs. Bailey had accidentally fell
In the water being used to scrub the floors
Now Mrs. Bailey was the meanest matron at the home
She believed in lots of work with little play
And we laughed 'til we bent double
Though we knew we'd get in trouble
But trouble's all we had at Evening Shade

[Verse 2]
Now Evening Shade was where they claim to teach you understanding
To teach you love and keep you off the streets
And all the kids that live here are said to be a problem
Juvenile delinquents, so to speak
But understanding isn't learned from punishment and anger
An iron hand has no gentle touch and love ain't learned from hate
The reason we were there is cause we had no one who cared
But they cared even less at Evening Shade

[Verse 3]
Little Susan Bradley, one night had wet her bed
Mrs. Bailey took the razor strap and beat her half to death
And I knew that something must be done to put an end to this
And so I started talking plans with the older kids

[Verse 4]
Plans were that Joe Johnson would steal the kerosene
And I would get some matches when nobody seen
Becky Adams would make sure the kids were all outside
Billy Watson would look out for the evil eye

[Verse 5]
Now Mrs. Bailey took a nap at three o'clock each day
We knew that she'd be a-sleeping as the plans got underway
Now that it's all over and the sun is going down
There's no Evening Shade because we burned it to the ground
Evening Shade was burning just like the hell it was

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

more tracks from the album

My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy

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My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy (1969)

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Evening ShadeDolly Parton

Dolly Parton

My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy