Dolly Parton Just Might Have the Antidote the World Needs Right Now

When times are good, songwriters write. When times are mediocre, songwriters write. And when times get tough — really, really, really tough — songwriters write. They always seem to have something to say.

Which is why Dolly Parton put some new music out into the world on Wednesday (May 27). She penned this hopeful ballad “When Life Is Good Again” while she was staying at home to help flatten the curve.

Just like the rest of us, it’s obvious that Parton is looking forward to the kind of future when we can be together, hug one another, raise a glass, and revel in the life we may have been taking for granted before the coronavirus quarantine forced us all into some kind of isolating new normal.

So with “When Life Is Good Again,” we can finally start to see a glimpse of what the world will look like on the other side of this: when we will each be a better friend, be a good person, be more thoughtful, be more in the moment, open up our hearts and let the whole world in, try to make amends, open our doors again, be a helping hand, see the world with eyes wide open, hold loved ones extra tight, eat and drink with old friends, and sing and play the mandolin.

It’s quite a to-do list she’s written out for all of us to share.

Parton even offers a fresh perspective on what we can get out of this time at home. We can use it to prepare to do better, she says, when she sings, “We need to change our ways and right our wrongs.”