Free Essay Example - "Coat of Many Colors"

As many people say, songs serve different purposes. Some may listen to a specific song to get educated, others for pleasure, while others may listen to a song to relieve stress and boredom. By listening to a song and getting the real meaning of the singer's lyrics gives one the motivation to want to listen to the song countless times, mostly when the song is educative. Dolly Parton sang the song Coat of Many Colors to remember her youthful days when their family was striving in abject poverty. As Parton puts it, her mother received a box of rags from a donor, and since it was during the winter and she had no money to buy her daughter a new coat, she decided to sew one from the rags. However, the rags had different colors (Parton, 2016). While sewing the coat, Parton's mother told her of the story from the Bible. The story was related to Joseph, whose father made him a similar coat out of love for him. Similarly, Parton's mother made the coat as a sign of love for her daughter. Parton's mother intended to make Parton proud and happy. She blessed the coat with a kiss, and Parton could not wait to wear it (Parton, 2016). This paper aims to analyze the song Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton and get the real meaning of the lyrics out of it. Also, the paper targets to give the song's reflection of an individual's daily life.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Reflection of the Song Coat of Many Colors

Parton, as proud as she was in her coat, hurried to school. But after getting to school, things turned opposite of her expectations. Perhaps she thought that the other pupils would appreciate and commend her coat. However, they bullied her and made fun of her coat. For her, the coat was a great achievement and a source of joy (Herek et al., 2016). She ignored the bullying from her fellow schoolmates and told them that she felt rich in her coat.

Morals from the Song

Parton did not sing the song Coat of Many Colors to remember her childhood moments but had an important message to every individual who listens to the song. Going more rooted to the real meaning of the song's lyrics, one finds out some eminent guiding morals in life. First, Parton confesses that she felt rich in her coat made from rags (Herek et al., 2016). This statement proves that one needs to be content with the little he has. Joy in life does not come from amassing great riches but from appreciating what one has, however small. The critical point here is self-acceptance. However, after realizing your state, one should focus on future progress. Maintaining the status quo does not make one unique but increases the vulnerability of bullying.

Second, Parton's song teaches that the environment in which one grows plays a significant role in shaping a person's life. Parton's song makes it clear that her parents could not afford to buy her a new coat, keeping in mind that it was during the fall (Herek et al., 2016). This confession proves that Parton was used to the harsh conditions of life, and getting a ragged coat was a great achievement for her. The questions that arise at this point are, what if the rags were not donated? What could have befallen Parton if she decided to survive through the winter without a coat? Answering the mentioned questions, the rags came as a surprise, meaning no one expected the donation. So, it is right to believe that this was not the first winter for Parton to survive without a coat. She was psychologically prepared to face the fall just as before. This is why she got overjoyed after acquiring a "new" coat because she knew that she would meet the winter with some confidence. The joy and pride she got by wearing the coat were clear evidence that she had transformed into a new life stage. The pride and joy came from her mother, who encouraged her while sewing the coat.

Work Cited

Dolly Parton - Coat Of Many Colors - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_-YbWHs6DEHerek, S. F., Hickman, H. F., Lind, A. A., Long, P. K., McRaney, G. A., Nettles, J. A., (Firm), P. W. (2016). Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors. Warner Home Video.

Parton, D. (2016). Coat of many colors. NY, NY: Grosset & Dunlop, an imprint of Penguin Random House.