Dolly Parton Gets Emotional About the ‘Gift’ That’s Shaped Her Life at ACM Honors 2026: ‘It’s My Personal Time With God’
The country icon shares why songwriting is her “therapy” and “joy” while accepting the ACM Poet’s Award
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our editorial team.- Dolly won the ACM Poet's Award for helping to shape country music with her songs.
- She keeps notepads and tape recorders to capture melodies when they come.
- Dolly uses songwriting as reflection and therapy; small ideas can become songs.
Dolly Parton has spent seven decades turning life, love and heartache into lyrics, cementing her place as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. With more than 3,000 songs to her name, it’s safe to say she has a way with words—and her latest honor is a beautiful testament to that gift.
At the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Honors on August 19, Parton was presented with the ACM Poet’s Award, a special honor celebrating a country artist whose exceptional contributions have made a lasting impact on the genre.
Parton accepted the award via a video message, saying, “I’ve been able to do many things throughout my life, but at my core, songwriting has always been the most important part of who I am creatively. Every dream that I’ve ever had and all of the dreams that I’ve been able to see come true in life, well they all started with a song.”
Why Dolly Parton says songwriting is her “therapy”
It’s hard to imagine a world without Dolly Parton’s music. The country icon has given us some of the most beloved songs in music history, from “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” to the deeply personal “Coat of Many Colors.”
But songwriting has always been about more than creating music for Parton—it’s also been a deeply personal outlet and a gift she’s given herself along the way. During her acceptance message at the ACM Honors, Parton opened up about what songwriting means to her and why she continues to cherish it.
“Songwriting has been my therapy,” Parton explained. “Songwriting has been my release, my joy. Songwriting has been a gift from God that has allowed me to touch people with words and music.”
This isn’t the first time the country star has opened up about what songwriting means to her. “I really think of myself as a songteller, because I write songs, but I tell stories,” Parton said in a previous interview. She noted that when she is creating a song, it’s her “quiet time,” as well as her “personal time with God.”
Dolly shares her songwriting process
“I got notepads and pencils everywhere…I have my tape recorders wherever I’m at,” Parton said of her songwriting process. “I never know, I don’t wanna lose a melody… sometimes a tune will come to me, sometimes the words, sometimes they come together. Things just fly at me and I try to reach out and get them when they come by because I don’t want to miss it.”
How long did it take her to write ‘I Will Always Love You’?
As for one of her biggest hits, “I Will Always Love You,” Parton said it was one of those rare songs that seemed to write itself. “It just came out. I wrote that song in just—I didn’t time it because I didn’t know at that time it was going to be such a big hit, but I bet that song didn’t take me more than an hour to write the melody and the whole song.”
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