“9 to 5” —Dolly Parton, a Labor Day Tribute—
Dolly Parton 1946 - 2026
In an interview, the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns commented about Dolly Parton:
“She never saw ‘them’, she only always saw ‘us’.
She wanted us to always be our best selves.
She never sang a wrong note:
—in her music
—in her life.”
On this Labor Day weekend, it is appropriate to remember the passing of Dolly Parton, a person who was connected deeply with the labor movement by writing and performing the iconic anthem “9 to 5,” which amplified the struggles and demands of working women across the U.S. and served as the theme song of the 1980 film 9 to 5.
Pour yourself “a cup of ambition” as the song “9 to 5” tells us in its opening lines! ☕️✨
Sit back and take in our celebration of the wonderful artist and human being, Dolly Parton, who passed after a brief battle with cancer last Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean was an American singer-songwriter, having written over 3,000 songs, 450 of which she said have been officially recorded. She was also an actress, playwright, and businesswoman.
Dubbed the "Queen of Country" Parton was one of the most successful country music performers in history. Her musical genres also spanned bluegrass, pop, and gospel.
She was known for her cultural influence and philanthropy via Dollywood and the Dollywood Foundation as well.
Dolly Parton, Publicity Shot, 1977 - Public Domain
Source:Wikipedia
THE FILM: 9 to 5
In 1980, Dolly Parton made her film debut at the age of 34 in the film 9 to 5, playing in the role of Doralee Rhodes, alongside Jane Fonda as Judy Bernly and Lily Tomlin as Violet Newstead.
THE THEME SONG 🎶
Dolly Parton wrote and performed the iconic hit title song, "9 to 5," for which she used the clicking of her long acrylic fingernails to mimic the sound of a typewriter for its rhythmic beat. The song earned an Academy Award nomination along with two Grammy Awards.
While she would never call herself a feminist, her song certainly encompasses a very strong feminist message!
It has provided the world with an anthem for anyone who has ever felt under-appreciated, promotionally overlooked or underpaid due to sexism, or patriarchally boxed in and stymied on the job.
~~~~~~
In a delightful 2013 interview on 60 Minutes Australia with Australian journalist Ray Martin, Dolly Parton spoke about her life and about her creative process.[1] (Skip upfront ads to get to the interview.)
She shared with him her moment of joy at her “discovery” of the word “ambition” as the perfect rhyme to “kitchen” in her song.
While she says in the interview that she had always been particularly good at rhyming words, she does credit a power higher than her own that brought the word “ambition” to her.
“That word just rolled out,” she said. “Every once in a while when I am writing, I come across a line and I have to say, ‘Whoa! Thank you, Lord, ‘cause I know I wouldn’t have thought of that!’”
“9 to 5” Lyrics (for guitar)
by Dolly Parton
THE FILM
Feminist Literature / Political Fable: While written as a comedy, the underlying thematic framework of the feminist satirical film 9 to 5 served as a progressive text advocating for labor reforms like equal pay, childcare, and flexible work hours.
The film is listed and described in ads this way:
Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him. Comedy, Empowering
Use of Satire: The narrative uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize and expose corporate sexism, inequality, and the absurdity of bureaucratic power dynamics.
Use of Farce: The plot hinges on highly improbable coincidences, mistaken identity, and chaotic physical comedy, such as accidentally poisoning the boss with rat poison and stealing a corpse from a morgue.
Revenge Fantasy: In their fantasy revenge scenes the under-appreciated female office workers successfully overthrow and punish their oppressor boss who holds institutional power.
The film was directly inspired by a real-life grassroots labor movement called 9to5, which was founded by Boston clerical workers in 1973. [2]
The Movement Founders: Clerical workers Karen Nussbaum and Ellen Cassedy started the group in Boston, Massachusetts, after meeting while working at Harvard University.
The Issues: Women faced rampant low pay, lack of upward mobility, forced personal errands for bosses, unequal treatment, and daily disrespect.
The Connection to Jane Fonda: Nussbaum met actress Jane Fonda through anti-Vietnam War activism. Fonda was so captivated by the organizing stories of these women that she decided to turn their experiences into a Hollywood feature film. [3]
A VERY DIFFERENT TAKE ON DOLLY PARTON
Jesuit priest and author Fr. James Martin, S.J. offered a surprising viewpoint when he paid tribute to Dolly Parton in an article that was published in America Magazine under the title, “The holiness of Dolly Parton” [4] on August 27, 2026, and on his Substack entitled, “Let us now praise holy women” [5] on August 26, 2026.
Fr. Martin explained that he had grown up with Dolly Parton’s songs, which were regularly playing on the radio in his childhood home, and he was a big fan of her music.
He penned that it was his view that “people gravitated toward her not just for her talent and charity, but because she embodied a visible sense of ‘holiness.’"
“When you read even cursorily about her life,” he wrote, “what becomes obvious is a Christian faith that led to a lifetime of kindness and charity, often behind the scenes.”
He explored how “she radiated a deep, spiritual grace that touched people like a divine presence.”
We saw in Dolly Parton something more than talent, something more than wit and something more than even charity: we saw holiness.
Holiness calls to us because it’s a quality of the divine….
Drawing Parallels to Jesus/ The Pull of Love
Fr. Martin compares the way people loved Dolly to the crowds who followed Jesus in the Bible:
It’s not just the healing that people wanted; it was the innate desire to be near holiness: to be near compassion, near acceptance, basically, near love.
People wanted to be near [Dolly Parton] because she offered pure acceptance, compassion, and love.
He concluded his tribute by thanking her for showing people what it truly means to live out a Christian life through gentle kindness instead of judgment:
"Thank you, Dolly, for teaching me about the Christian life".
—Fr. James Martin, S.J. is editor-at-large of America Media; founder of Outreach ministry; consultor to the Vatican Dicastery for Communication. His latest book is Work In Progress.
~~~~~~
ON WHAT GROUNDS DO FR. MARTIN’S VIEWS OF DOLLY PARTON REST?
A partial list:
Dolly Parton's extensive philanthropic legacy spanned education, medical research, and disaster relief, reflecting her deep commitment to helping others.
MAJOR PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES [6] [7]
The Dollywood Foundation: Established in 1988, it was initially focused on improving educational opportunities and support in her home region of Servier County, Tennessee.
Among its early efforts was the "Buddy Program," in which seventh- and eighth-grade students paired with a friend and pledged to support each other in remaining in school and graduating from high school.
The program famously lowered local high school dropout rates from 35% to 6% by offering $500 cash incentives to graduates.
The Foundation encourages the community to develop additional initiatives to sustain the improvement, and also offers local high school graduates $15,000 scholarships.
Imagination Library: Parton’s literacy program, which is part of the Dollywood Foundation, was founded in 1995 in honor of her father who never learned to read or write.
It mails one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten. Over 1,600 local communities provide the Imagination Library to almost 850,000 children each month across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and Ireland. The program has gifted over 300 million free books to children under five globally.
Awards for Literacy Work: Dolly Parton received awards for her literary efforts that include the Association of American Publishers Honors Award (2000), Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval (2001), and Parents as Teachers National Center—Child and Family Advocacy Award (2003).
Being a Model: Parton became so effective at distributing her own money that the ultrawealthy asked her to distribute theirs. In 2022, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his future wife, Lauren Sanchez, gave her $100 million to distribute to causes of her choosing. And this summer, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce gave her Imagination Library $2 million to fund the distribution of children’s books. [New York Times]
HEALTHCARE AND MEDICAL RESERCH
COVID-19 Vaccine Funding: Dolly Parton donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020, which directly helped fund the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
DISASTER RELIEF AND COMMUNITY AID
Disaster Relief Funds: She raised $13 million through the My People Fund for Tennessee wildfire victims in 2016.
The fund provided $1000 a month for six months to over 900 families affected by the wildfires, culminating with $5,000 to each home in the final month due to increased fundraising, totaling $10, 000 per family—part of a relief effort that ran to $12.5 million.
She later donated $2 million for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in 2024, $1 million personally and another $1 million through her various businesses and the Dollywood Foundation.
Disaster Relief Award: In 2018, the FBI honored Parton for her wildfire aid, awarding her the 2018 Director’s Community Leadership Award in a ceremony at FBI headquarters and bestowed by Director Christopher Wray.
COLLEGE ATTENDANCE SUPPORT
Starting February 28, 2022, employees of Dollywood, a theme park co-owned by Parton’s entertainment company, who decided to go to college would have their tuition fee, books, and other associated fees, paid for by the theme park.
WILDLIFE ASSISTANCE
Partnership Award: Awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2003 for her environmental efforts in sheltering and preserving bald eagles at her Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.
LGBTQ+ ADVOCACY
Parton was known for her long history of openly supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and her example helped pave the way for Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, and younger country artists to do the same.
She publicly came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2009, and voiced her support for the trans community after a series of anti-trans measures came into law in Tennessee in 2023.
The Tennessee Equality Project described her as “the outsider who made it big by being herself, and leading with love.” They said the LGBTQ+ community “always felt that she had our back, and it mattered.”
HONORS AND AWARDS
Major Humanitarian Honors
PEACE THROUGH MUSIC AWARD: Presented on October 25, 2024, by the U.S. State Department and the Recording Academy, honoring her global contributions to unity and cross-cultural exchange.
MusiCares PERSON OF THE YEAR: In 2019, she became the first country artist chosen for this honor by the Recording Academy, celebrating both her creative accomplishments and her widespread charity work.
WOODROW WILSON AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE: Given in 2007, this award recognized her deep civic engagement and commitment to improving lives in Tennessee and across the nation.
NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS: Awarded by the U.S. President in 2004, this is the highest honor given to artists by the United States government.
THE CARNEGIE MEDAL OF PHILANTHROPY: Received this prestigious international award in 2022 for her lifelong commitment to giving.
The award honors individuals who use their private wealth for the public good, inspired by Andrew Carnegie's philosophy.
When accepting the medal, Dolly Parton said: “I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will.”
GRAMMIES
Dolly Parton achieved 11 competitive Grammy Awards (including her 2011 Lifetime Achievement Grammy) and 55 Grammy nominations across her seven-decade career, making her the third-most nominated female artist in Grammy history behind Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
Grammy Hall of Fame Inductions
In addition to her individual trophies, two of her original 1974 musical pieces have been formally inducted into the permanent Grammy Hall of Fame. These are "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You."
Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville StarWalk for Grammy Winners: In 1984, Dolly Parton was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk, and in 1988 a star on the Nashville StarWalk.
…these are just a few of her philanthropic actions and her awards; there are many more, too many to name here.
Instagram message from Dolly Parton’s younger sister, Stella Parton, August 25, 2026:
Poignant Facts:
The President of the United States, honoring the memory of Dolly Parton, ordered the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff at the White House and all public buildings and grounds at all military posts and naval stations and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories and possessions from August 25 until sunset September 1, 2026.
On the evening following the announcement of Dolly Parton's death, the Empire State Building in New York City [8] and the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago [9] were illuminated in pink colors starting at 9:25 PM (EDT), an allusion to her song “9 to 5.”
Empire State Building, NYC 9:25 PM - August 26, 2026
Other locations paid tribute as well. Here are just a few:
Tennessee: Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse and local institutions across her home state lit up in pink. Fans gathered for memorials at Dollywood and at her home. Outgoing Cocke County, Tennessee mayor officially proclaimed September 25 (written as 9-25) as annual Dolly Parton Day.
London: The King’s Guard band performed a rendition of “9 to 5” outside Buckingham Palace.
Manhattan has officially proclaimed September 25 (9/25) Dolly Parton Appreciation Day across the borough.
NEWS FLASH!
An Odd Coincidence!
As we are in the midst of sadly celebrating the life of Dolly Parton, we have received more sad news: the passing of another feminist, the trailblazing journalist icon, Gloria Steinem, who passed this Wednesday, September 2 at the age of 92.
We are extremely grateful for these courageous women.
They raised awareness of oppression in different ways, one through music and one through writing, speech, and active advocacy.
It may not be mere coincidence that the deaths of the two women occurred so closely together!
To lose both Dolly and Gloria within the span of a single week feels as though it is a single event that is telling us something—offering us a chance to pay attention; to partake in a cosmic shift.
Clearly it could be a call to refocus on the unfinished business related to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
The ERA simply states:
“Equality of rights under the law cannot be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.”
.
The ERA has already achieved the required 38 state ratifications, but has not yet been certified, so people who oppose it are still arguing against it.
The call of the coincidence may be for all of us to pay attention to what is happening with the Equal Rights Amendment.
More to come on this!
Today C:WED looks at Dolly; shortly we will look at Gloria!
Notes:
Ray Martin, Australian journalist, Extended Interview with Dolly Parton, 60 Minutes Australia, YouTube, 2013.
B. Mund, “How Real Workers Inspired Dolly Parton's '9 to 5' and Changed Workplace Culture,” Parade, August 31, 2026
Amy Goodman Interview with Jane Fonda. August 31, 2026. “Jane Fonda Exclusive: Dolly Parton, a Feminist, Wrote the Anthem for Working Women with “9 to 5”. Democracy Now, democracynow.org.
James Martin, S.J., America Magazine, “The holiness of Dolly Parton,” August 27, 2026
James Martin, S.J. Substack, “Let us now praise holy women,” August 26, 2026.
Rania Aniftos, “A TIMELINE OF DOLLY PARTON’S GOOD DEEDS: A timeline of the country superstar's biggest philanthropic efforts.” August 25, 2026. Billboard, a part of PMX Global, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation.
David Gelles, “Dolly Parton’s Other Legac:y A Fortune Given Away, Dollar by Dollar,” by , New York Times, August 26, 2026.
Jessica A. Botelho, “Empire State Building honors Dolly Parton with pink ‘9 to 5’ lighting.” WHAM-TV, August 25, 2026. Wikipedia. “Dolly Parton.” Note 368.
“‘Such an inspiration’: Chicagoans pay tribute to Dolly Parton following her death,” WGN-TV. August 26, 2026. Wikipedia. Dolly Parton. Note 369.
NOTE: Data on Dolly Parton’s Support Programs, on her Achievements, and on her Awards, are generally taken from the Wikipedia article “Dolly Parton” and from some other sources.
COMMENTS
Previous Post: “Happy Birthday, Ferdinand! — Is It a “Simple” Children’s Book?” Written by Anne Andersson, August 21, 2026
— “Love the new look. I always loved Ferdinand as did any age level I taught, from 2nd graders to 5th graders!”—Maryanne V. Tuite
—Thank you. I loved the story. I had never heard of it, but the lessons will stay with me. —RE
—Hi Anne, another informative post, still smiling after learning last week the Holy Spirit could be a she! Got my attention, will take another look at HS now. ❤️ —MH
—Something interesting I found through a google search. Love, Michael 🥰❤️🐂
What are some famous sayings about bulls?
AI Overview:
Famous sayings and idioms about bulls usually describe facing tough problems, getting angry, or talking nonsense.
Common Idioms and Sayings:
(1) Take the bull by the horns: Face a hard problem directly and with courage.
(2) Like a red rag to a bull: Something that makes a person very angry right away.
(3) Baffle them with bull: Confuse people with nonsense or lies when you lack smart answers (popularized by W. C. Fields).
(4) Cock-and-bull story: A made-up story or an excuse that is clearly not true.
(5) Shoot the bull: Chat in a relaxed and casual way about unimportant things.
—”That was terrific!!!! Michael's contribution was an excellent addition . (I wish I could afford to purchase "Ferdinand" for all my nieces and their children! ) Be well. Be at peace despite the reality that surrounds us.” —LB
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