For her entire career, Dolly Parton made a point to stay out of American politics. However, when the “queen of country” became fed up, she decided to release a song attacking politicians. She guarantees that it “speaks to everyone.”
Dolly Parton has broken her silence on American politics. This move shocked many after Dolly publicly avoided speaking out in the past. “I had said upfront, I am not being political,” Dolly once said. “I don’t do politics. I’m not getting into any of that. Because I have a lot of fans out there, and I don’t want to offend anybody.”
In another interview, the Grammy winner echoed those sentiments. “My mother was a Democrat and my daddy was a Republican, so I’m a hypocrite,” Dolly said in 2017. “I’ve got as many Republican fans as Democrats, and I don’t want to make any of them mad at me, so I don’t play politics.”
However, with her song World on Fire, the country music legend is lashing out at politicians on both sides of the aisle. Fox News reported that the lyrics of the song include: “Don’t get me started on politics / Now how are we to live in a world like this/ Greedy politicians present and past / They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit ‘em in the a**.”
When asked in an interview which politicians she was calling out, Dolly replied, “All of ’em. Any of ‘em. I don’t think any of ‘em are trying hard enough,” she said. “I’m sure we’re all trying, but I just really think – I think often that they worry more about their party than they do about the people,” she said. “If we just do what we felt was the right thing, rather than who’s going to lose, or who’s going to win this, or who’s going to look better if they do this,” she declared. “None of them are working from the heart.”
Dolly Parton further elaborated on why she decided to write this song in a statement posted on her website. “This is a song I felt very inspired to write. I think it speaks about everything and to everyone this day and time,” she wrote. “I hope it is something that will touch you and maybe touch enough people to want to make a change for the better.”
Although Dolly has broken her silence on politics, she’s not lecturing Americans. She is still not taking sides because she is attacking politicians on both sides of the aisle. What irks many Americans is when a celebrity pushes a political agenda down their throats. Many haven’t forgotten the 2017 Emmy Awards when Dolly’s former 9 To 5 costars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin launched an attack on Donald Trump, and the country star refused to take part.
“Parton refrained from the political talk and looked visibly shocked by her co-stars’ comments,” Classic Country Music reported. “She actually tried to lighten the mood by saying a joke at her own expense. Even though she didn’t utter a word about politics, people still ripped on Dolly and flooded her social media with negative comments.”
However, Dolly remained classy by speaking kindly of Jane Fonda. “I happen to see a side of Jane that I guess most people don’t,” she once explained. “She is very intelligent but she is also very shy. She is just like a little girl. I tell you, I just fell in love with that side of her. We don’t discuss what I believe and what she believes. But our friendship is strong enough now that if we ever did discuss it, I would tell her what I think.”
“Dolly is a person of heart and spirit,” Jane Fonda told The New Yorker in 2018. “She’s not a political person, but we need more like her. She is profound and she has a really, really huge heart, and she’s really smart and deeply spiritual.” It’s true, Dolly Parton is very vocal about her Christian faith. “Every single day, before I do anything, I wake up and thank God for the night and ask Him to bless the day,” she said in a 2022 interview.
She added, “And bring all the right stuff in. And just to guide me, lead me. And I always pray that He’ll let me uplift mankind and glorify him.” In a time when celebrities are more political than ever and shy away from matters of faith, Dolly’s stance is so refreshing, and a very American one too. Good for Dolly for attacking all the corrupt politicians on any side of the political spectrum, and speaking out for the glory of God.
