How Dolly Parton’s ‘Coat of Many Colors’ Changed Her Life and Touched Millions
The humble childhood coat was the inspiration for one of Dolly’s most beloved songs and lasting legacies
Key Takeaways
- Dolly Parton’s childhood coat inspired the deeply personal song “Coat of Many Colors.”
- The song transformed a painful childhood memory into a message of love and acceptance.
- Dolly’s story later became the 2015 NBC movie ‘Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors.’
Country music icon Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 80. No cause of death has been shared. Fans have been concerned about Dolly’s health over the past few months, but the news comes as a shock to music lovers everywhere.
“Global icon and humanitarian Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright and author, died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee,” her representative said in a statement earlier today. “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth and kindness that made us all feel like family.”
“Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place,” the statement continued. “Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
To honor Dolly and the legacy she left on the world, we’re taking a look back at her coat of many colors, which inspired a song and a made-for-TV movie. Read on for more.
A look at Dolly Parton’s coat of many colors
Dolly was born in Tennessee in 1946. She had 11 siblings, and the family lived in a two-room log cabin.
“I like to joke that we had two rooms and a path and running water—if you were willing to run to get it,” Dolly wrote in a Guideposts essay. “In all seriousness, though, we had everything we needed. I should say, God gave us everything we needed, and almost all of it came right from His good green earth.”
But when she was 6 or 7 years old, Dolly didn’t have a winter coat. Instead, her mother, Avie Lee Parton, knitted her a coat made out of fabric patches she found around the house.
Dolly loved the coat, but the kids at school made fun of her for it. She reflected on this in her 1971 song, “Coat of Many Colors.”
“And I didn’t have a coat/And it was way down in the fall/Momma sewed the rags together/Sewin’ every piece with love/She made my coat of many colors/That I was so proud of,” Dolly sang. “So with patches on my britches/And holes in both my shoes/In my coat of many colors/I hurried off to school/Just to find the others laughing/And making fun of me/In my coat of many colors/My momma made for me.”
Dolly later reflected on those lyrics, saying in an interview, per American Songwriter, “That story was very important to me.”
“That memory had been painful to me, but I didn’t realize it until I wrote the story. So many people wrote me and said it had healing properties for them,” she said. “They had been made fun of…and made to feel less than what they are. So I think people responded to that story for different reasons. It was a story of acceptance and hope.”
Dolly Parton’s ‘Coat of Many Colors’ hits the small screen
In 2015, decades after Dolly released the song “Coat of Many Colors,” she teamed up with NBC to release a movie called Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. It told the story of Dolly’s life growing up in Tennessee and revealed details about her patchwork coat.
“It really kind of evolves and details a lot of my whole life in bits and pieces. And it really shows family,” Parton said in 2015, per The Boot. “I don’t know if people, besides me, miss having shows like Little House on the Prairie or The Waltons, but it’s kind of like that. It just shows the simple life of back then, back when.”
“[It’s] a show about people who made me who and what I am,” she continued. “It shows that I love music, and I love my folks…It’s really got a lot of great elements.”
In the film, young Dolly was played by Alyvia Alyn Lind—the sister of Dutton Ranch star Natalie Alyn Lind. Dolly herself also appeared in the film, playing a local townsperson who young Dolly looks up to.
“She told me a lot of things (about) how to play Dolly,” Lind told Knox News in 2016. “She told me just to be myself, and just to play the role just how my heart thinks I should play the role, and she says that ‘the best you can do is the best it will be.’”
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