Coat Of Many Colors: Dolly's Story

Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors is an autobiographical song about her mother stitching together a coat for her from rags. As she sewed, Parton's mother told her the biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. Excited about the coat, Parton wore it to school, only to be laughed at and bullied by her peers. The song reflects on how, despite their lack of money, Parton's family was rich in love and creativity. It is one of Parton's favourite songs out of the 3000+ songs she has written.

Dolly Parton's autobiographical song

Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" is an autobiographical song detailing her childhood and her mother's love and creativity. Growing up in poverty in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, as the fourth of 12 children, Parton's mother crafted her a coat stitched together from rags.

As she sewed, Parton's mother told her the biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors from Genesis 37. Excited about her new coat, Parton rushed off to school, only to be met with ridicule and bullying from her classmates. They laughed at her coat, but Parton felt rich with her mother's love sewn into every stitch. She tried to explain to her peers that they were only poor if they chose to be and that they were rich in ways that mattered more than money.

The song is a favourite of Parton's from her extensive songwriting catalogue. She has said that it "teaches about bullying, about love, about acceptance, about good parents". After her mother's death in 2003, it became difficult for Parton to perform the song, and it was months before she could sing it without crying.

The biblical story of Joseph

"Coat of Many Colors" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Dolly Parton. The song is autobiographical, inspired by a coat Parton's mother made for her out of rags. As she sewed, she told Parton the biblical story of Joseph and his "coat of many colors".

Joseph was one of the twelve tribes of Israel and a son of Jacob and Rachel. Jacob showed extra affection to Joseph, who was born to him in his old age, by presenting him with a specially crafted garment—a "coat of many colors". This favoritism sparked jealousy in his brothers, especially the sons of Jacob's other wife, Leah.

Joseph's brothers' ill feelings were exacerbated when he told them of dreams he had, in which he ruled over them. In one dream, the brothers' bundles of wheat bowed to Joseph's bundle. In another, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars (symbolizing his parents and brothers) bowed to him.

When Joseph was seventeen, his brothers threw him into a pit and sold him to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites or Midianites, who brought him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, one of King Pharaoh's ministers. In Egypt, Joseph found favor with Potiphar and was appointed head of his estate. However, when he refused the advances of Potiphar's wife, she turned the tables on him, and he was sent to prison.

In prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams of the king's cupbearer and baker, correctly predicting that the cupbearer would be released and the baker hanged. When Pharaoh himself had two dreams that none of his advisors could explain, Joseph was summoned and interpreted the dreams as predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Impressed, Pharaoh appointed Joseph as his second-in-command and tasked him with preparing for the famine.

Meanwhile, Joseph's family in Canaan was suffering from the famine. Jacob sent his sons, except for Benjamin (Joseph's only full brother), to Egypt to buy grain. When they arrived, they prostrated themselves before Joseph, but did not recognize him. Joseph decided to test his brothers' characters by placing a silver cup in the sack of his youngest brother and accusing him of theft. When Judah offered to stay in Benjamin's place, Joseph revealed his true identity to his astonished siblings.

Joseph invited Jacob and his household to live in Goshen, Egypt, where they were provided for during the remaining five years of famine. Joseph ruled Egypt until his death at the age of 110. His story is told in Genesis chapters 37, 39-47, and it serves as a testament to the operation of divine providence.

The coat made from rags

Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" is a deeply personal song about her childhood. The second verse of the song describes how Parton's mother stitched together a coat for her from rags given to the family. Despite their poverty, Parton's mother told her the biblical story of Joseph and his "Coat of Many Colors" as she sewed.

The coat was made from a box of rags that had been given to the family. Parton's mother sewed the rags together, piece by piece, with love. Each piece was small, but together they formed a coat that kept Parton warm as the weather turned colder. The coat was made from many different colours, and Parton's mother blessed it with a kiss.

Parton was proud of the coat and excited to wear it to school. However, her classmates teased her for wearing a coat made of rags. They did not understand that material wealth is not the only kind of wealth, and that Parton's family was rich in love and creativity. Parton tried to explain to her classmates that her mother had sewn love into every stitch of the coat, and that it was worth more than all their clothes.

The ridicule she faced

"Coat of Many Colors", written and recorded by Dolly Parton, is a song about her childhood. The fourth of 12 children, Parton grew up in poverty in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. The song describes a coat that Parton's mother made for her out of rags given to the family. As her mother sewed, she told Parton the biblical story of Joseph and his "coat of many colors". Excited about her new coat, Parton rushed to school, only to be met with ridicule and laughter from her classmates. They made fun of her for wearing a coat made of rags.

Parton tried to explain to her classmates that, despite her family's lack of money, they were rich in other, more important ways. She told them about the love her mother had sewn into every stitch of the coat. However, her classmates did not understand, and Parton felt confused and hurt by their reaction. She recalled wondering why this was happening to her and struggled to come to terms with the bullying.

The experience of being ridiculed for her coat left a deep impact on Parton. Even after she became a huge star, she never got used to the bullying she endured as a child. Writing "Coat of Many Colors" was a cathartic experience for her, helping her make sense of her painful memories and find meaning in her suffering. She reflected on how the ridicule she endured gave her the opportunity to write the song, which has since become a source of comfort and inspiration for many people.

The song concludes with Parton singing about the valuable lessons she learned from this experience:

> "But they didn't understand it, and I tried to make them see. One is only poor, only if they choose to be. Now I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could be. In my coat of many colors, my mama made for me."

The song's legacy

"Coat of Many Colors" is one of Dolly Parton's favourite songs from her extensive catalogue of music. It is also one of her most well-loved hits. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it 263rd on their list of the "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The same magazine ranked it second on a list of the 50 best Dolly Parton songs, commenting that:

> "Had it been the only song she’d ever written, the expression of overwhelming pride and crushing anguish ... would have secured her indelible legacy."

The song was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2011, recognising it as a recording that is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or informs or reflects life in the United States".

The song inspired a 1996 children's picture book, with illustrations by Judith Sutton, and an NBC TV movie in 2015, which drew 13 million viewers and earned NBC its best total-viewer results since 2009.

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