Long before her passing, Dolly Parton had already chosen a song she hoped would be part of her final farewell. The choice was not one of her biggest hits, but an old gospel hymn with a deeply personal connection to her family.
In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Parton was asked which song she would want played at her funeral. Her answer was “If We Never Meet Again,” a country-gospel hymn written by Albert E. Brumley.
Parton explained that the song held special meaning because it had been her father Lee Parton’s favorite. She also revealed that the hymn had been performed at his funeral after his death in 2000, making the song an especially emotional family tradition.
The hymn’s message centers on saying goodbye while holding onto the hope of meeting again beyond this life. That message clearly resonated with Parton, whose music was deeply influenced by the gospel songs she heard growing up in East Tennessee.
Interestingly, Parton did not choose “I Will Always Love You,” despite that song becoming one of the most recognizable compositions associated with her name. She acknowledged that people would naturally expect it to be played because of its enormous cultural impact.
“I Will Always Love You” had already taken on another layer of emotion after Whitney Houston’s death in 2012. Parton recalled becoming overwhelmed when she heard the song being played during Houston’s funeral, realizing that her friend and fellow artist was truly gone.
For her own farewell, however, Parton wanted something more personal. “If We Never Meet Again” connected her final wishes to her father, her childhood and the gospel traditions that shaped her musical identity.
The choice also reveals something about Parton that could easily become overshadowed by her enormous career. Behind the glamorous costumes, chart-topping songs and worldwide fame was an artist whose strongest influences remained rooted in family, faith and the community where she grew up.
Parton ultimately received the private farewell she had requested. She was laid to rest in Nashville in a small family service, with her final resting place beside her husband, Carl Dean. Reports indicate that the song she had chosen years earlier was part of the personal wishes surrounding her goodbye.
Today, the story behind “If We Never Meet Again” gives fans a more intimate way to remember Parton. Rather than leaving behind only a famous song, she left a deeply personal musical wish—one connected to the father she loved and the family memories that remained important to her throughout her extraordinary life.
Compiled from various sources.
