Dolly Parton Chose the Song for Her Own Funeral Years Ago — And Left Another Recording Locked Away Until 2046
Dolly Parton spent decades turning the most personal parts of her life into songs, so it seems fitting that she also gave careful thought to the music that would remain after she was gone.
The country legend, who died on August 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer, had already decided years earlier which song she wanted at her funeral.
It was not the one most people might expect.
And in another remarkable act of planning, Parton also recorded a song that she specifically instructed should remain unheard until what would have been her 100th birthday in 2046.
Together, the two choices reveal how deliberately she thought about memory, family and the legacy her music would leave behind.
She did not choose ‘I Will Always Love You’
In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Parton was asked which song she hoped would be played at her funeral.
The obvious answer seemed to be “I Will Always Love You.”
Parton wrote and originally recorded the song herself before Whitney Houston’s version turned it into an international phenomenon.
She even acknowledged that it would almost certainly be heard after her death.
“I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” Parton said.
But when asked what she personally wanted, she gave a very different answer.
Her choice was the old country-gospel hymn “If We Never Meet Again.”
The song had a deeply personal connection to her father
Parton’s choice was rooted in family rather than fame.
“If We Never Meet Again” had been her father’s favorite song.
It was also performed at his funeral.
That connection made it especially meaningful to Parton, who said she hoped it would one day be sung at her own service as well.
The hymn centers on separation and the hope of meeting again in the afterlife, giving it an obvious emotional significance for a family farewell.
For an artist whose catalog included some of the most recognizable songs in country music history, Parton’s funeral choice was strikingly private.
She did not select one of her biggest hits.
She chose something that connected her directly to her father.
Parton had thought carefully about her funeral
The decision was part of a wider set of wishes Parton had reportedly established ahead of time.
Following her death, her representatives confirmed that she wanted a small, private funeral attended by immediate family.
Her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, also shared that Parton wanted to be laid to rest in what he described as a “beautiful bed of plush cotton.”
The intimate plans were consistent with the contrast that existed throughout her life.
Parton was one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world, but many of the things that mattered most to her remained rooted in family, faith and the Tennessee upbringing she never stopped talking about.
One song is still waiting to be heard
Parton’s preparations for the future extended far beyond her funeral.
At Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, there is a locked chestnut box containing a song that the public is not supposed to hear for decades.
The unreleased track is called “My Place in History.”
Parton wrote and recorded it in 2015, the year the resort opened.
She was 69 at the time.
Rather than releasing the song immediately, she arranged for it to remain sealed until January 19, 2046 — the date that would have marked her 100th birthday.
The recording is hidden inside a musical time capsule
Inside the chestnut box is a CD containing “My Place in History.”
Parton also included a CD player.
The idea was essentially to create a musical time capsule, ensuring that future generations could open the box and hear a completely new Dolly Parton recording decades after it was made.
Of course, Parton was aware of one potential problem.
Technology changes quickly.
By the time the box is opened, CDs and CD players may seem like artifacts from another era.
She joked about exactly that possibility in her 2020 book Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.
“There’s no telling what music is going to be by then,” she wrote.
“Hopefully, it will play and the whole thing ain’t rotted.”
She once hoped she might live long enough to hear it
Parton also admitted that part of her wished she could be there when the box was finally opened.
At 69, reaching 100 was still something she could joke about as a possibility.
She hoped she might survive long enough to hear “My Place in History” alongside everyone else.
That moment will now arrive without her.
But the song will still be waiting.
On January 19, 2046, fans are expected to hear a recording Parton deliberately kept from the world for more than 30 years.
By then, generations of listeners who never saw her perform live may still receive something entirely new from her.
Two songs, two very different kinds of goodbye
The contrast between the two recordings is especially moving.
“If We Never Meet Again” looked backward.
It connected Parton to her father, his funeral and the faith that shaped her family.
“My Place in History” looks forward.
It was created for people who would still be listening long after Parton herself was gone.
One song was chosen to accompany her farewell.
The other was deliberately saved for a future she knew she might never see.
For an artist who spent a lifetime telling her story through music, it may be one of the most fitting final chapters imaginable.
Even after her death, Dolly Parton still has one more song waiting to be heard.
