Released: February 2, 1970

Songwriter: Dolly Parton

I know this dress I'm wearing doesn't hide the secret
I have tried concealing
When he left he promised me that he'd be back
By the time it was revealing
The sun behind a cloud just casts the crawling shadow
Over the fields of clover
And time is running out for me I wish
That he would hurry down from Dover

He's been gone so long
When he left the snow was deep upon the ground
And I have seen a spring and summer pass
And now the leaves are turning brown
And any time a tiny face will show itself
Because waiting's almost over
But I won't have a name to give
It if he doesn't hurry down from Dover
From Dover, from Dover

My folks weren't understanding when they found out
They sent me from the home place
My daddy said if folks found out
He'd be ashamed to ever show his face
My mamma said I was a fool
And she did not believe it when I told her
That everything would be all right
Because soon he would be coming down from Dover

I found a place to stay out
On a farm takin' care of that old lady
She never asked me nuthin'
So I never talked to her about my baby
I sent a messgae to my mom
With a name and address of Ms. ol' Grover
And to make sure he got that information
When he came down from Dover

I loved him more than anything
And I could not refuse him when he needed me
He was the only one I'd loved
And I just can't believe that he was using me
He couldn't leave me here like this
I know it can't be so, it can't be over
He wouldn't make me go through this alone
Oh he'll be coming down from Dover

My body aches the time is here
It's lonely in this place where I'm lying
Our baby has been born but something's wrong
It's much too still I hear no crying
I guess in some strange way she knew
She'd never have a father's arms to hold her
And dying was her way of telling me
He wasn't coming down from Dover

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