Down from Dover is a song written and performed by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

, originally released on Parton's album '' The Fairest of them All'' (1970). It was later recorded by many other artists, including

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer, actress, film producer and author. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato) and is known for her 1965 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walki ...

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

and

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

(on her 2008 covers album '' Easy Come, Easy Go'').

Theme

''Down from Dover'' is a tale of a pregnant teenager who's been rejected by her lover and family after her pregnancy is revealed. She moves to work with an elderly woman, while still silently hoping for the father to return from a place called Dover. In the end, the girl goes into labour when there's no one else around. The story ends in a sad note, as the baby turns out to be stillborn, with the narrator taking it as a sign that the baby's father won't be returning from Dover. The idea for the song came to Parton as she rode through

Dover, Tennessee Dover is a city in and the county seat of Stewart County, Tennessee, west-northwest of Nashville on the Cumberland River. Fort Donelson National Cemetery is in Dover. The population was 1,442 at the 2000 census and the 2010 census showed a pop ...

on her tour bus. The song was controversial for the times and Parton has stated in recent interviews that mentor (and uncredited producer)

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Por ...

told her that she'd never get played on the radio with story songs like that. Although the song and its parent album weren't a big commercial success, they are still considered as highlights from Dolly's early career.

All Music Guide AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the data ...

says that ''Down from Dover'' was "crystallizing Dolly’s eye for detail" and labels it as "the peak of the album".

Remake

Dolly Parton re-recorded the song in 2001 for her album ''

Little Sparrow ''Little Sparrow'' is the thirty-eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on January 23, 2001, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album and ...

'', with one added verse. She notably performed the song during her 1983 television special, ''Dolly in London'', filmed at London's

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following ye ...

. The song was featured as one of the episodes of Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings series on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, which premiered November 22, 2019.

References

{{Reflist Songs about pregnancy Songs about children Songs about cities in the United States Songs about Tennessee 1969 singles Dolly Parton songs Songs written by Dolly Parton 1969 songs