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Introduction

When we think of Dolly Parton, we often picture a larger-than-life persona: a country music legend with an undeniable presence, warm heart, and unforgettable voice. However, like all of us, she’s given some thought to the inevitable – and her choice of funeral song may surprise you.

In a world where many gravitate toward songs that reflect lasting love and heartbreak, Parton’s choice is deeply rooted in family, faith, and sentimentality. The country icon has expressed a strong wish for the hymn “If We Never Meet Again” to play at her funeral, a song that takes on personal significance due to its religious origins and its connection to her family’s history.

During a 2014 conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Parton candidly shared her hopes, though she was not optimistic that her family would adhere to her request. “I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” she said, referring to the iconic ballad she wrote and made famous. “When they picked her coffin up and started in on that song, I started to cry, and I thought, ‘Oh my Lord.’ That’s when it hit me that she was really gone.”

Despite this inevitable association with her most famous song, Parton’s heart remains tied to “If We Never Meet Again,” a moving country-gospel tune that reflects the idea of reunification in heaven. She explained that it was a song her father adored, and it was also sung at his funeral in 2000. Parton’s connection to the song goes even further: decades before her father’s passing, she included the very same lyrics in her 1974 track “Sacred Memories”, from her album Love Like A Butterfly. In that song, Parton sings:

“If we never meet again this side of heaven,
I will meet you on that beautiful shore,
Where the charming roses bloom forever,

And where separations come no more.”

The lyrics reflect her spiritual upbringing and connection to her family’s church, where she first discovered music. For Parton, this song not only ties into her religious roots but also encapsulates the love and bond she shares with her late father. It’s a poignant and fitting tribute to a life well-lived and a legacy that will continue on in the hearts of those who knew her best.

As she expressed, she hopes that this hymn will be sung as she “waves goodbye to planet Earth,” a gentle reminder that her life, like the song, has come full circle. For the woman whose music has touched so many, it is only fitting that her final moments be underscored by the song that connected her to her most cherished memories.

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Lyrics

Soon we’ll come to the end of life’s journey
And perhaps we’ll never meet anymore
Till we gather in Heaven’s bright city

Far away on that beautiful shore

If we never meet again this side of Heaven
As we struggle through this world and its strife
There’s another meeting place somewhere in heaven
By the side of the river of life
(Where the charming roses bloom forever)

(And where separation comes no more)

If we never meet again this side of Heaven
I will meet you on that beautiful shore

Oh, they say we shall meet by the river
Where no storm clouds ever darken the sky
And they say we’ll be happy in Heaven
In the wonderful sweet by and by

(Where the charming roses bloom)