This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man
(Jolene)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
(Jolene)
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene (Jolene)
He talks about you in his sleep
And there's nothing I can do to keep from crying
When he calls your name, Jolene (Jolene)
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene (don't take him)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Oh, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Oh, please don't take him just because you can (don't take him)
You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
He's the only one for me, Jolene (he's the only one)
I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
Whatever you decide to do, Jolene
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
(Don't take him, don't take him, don't take him)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can (just because you can)
Jolene, Jolene (please don't take him, please don't take him, Jolene)
Jolene
Jolene
He's the only one for me
Jolene
Jolene, Jolene
Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man
(Jolene)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
(Jolene)
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene (Jolene)
He talks about you in his sleep
And there's nothing I can do to keep from crying
When he calls your name, Jolene (Jolene)
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene (don't take him)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Oh, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Oh, please don't take him just because you can (don't take him)
You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
He's the only one for me, Jolene (he's the only one)
I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
Whatever you decide to do, Jolene
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
(Don't take him, don't take him, don't take him)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can (just because you can)
Jolene, Jolene (please don't take him, please don't take him, Jolene)
Jolene
Jolene
He's the only one for me
Jolene
Jolene, Jolene
Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Lyrics submitted by Moondragon
Jolene Lyrics as written by Dolly Parton
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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As a lot of people think this song is about a loving, maybe desperate or heart-broken girl telling this other girl Jolene that her man is falling in love with to please stay away, I think that may be the true intention of the song, but for me is has a somewhat deeper meaning...
I think "Jolene" is a personification of a fear we deal with everyday, or at least we all deal with it at some point, as is it almost like a human instict: the natural fear that one day someone might come and take your loved one away, or the fear that your lover will come to love someone else and you'll be left alone, without him/her.
This "someone" could obviously be another person that your loved one falls in love with (that's the most meanigful interpretation for me), or, to be really deep, Jolene could represent Death, as at some point we will all lose our loved one(s) to. In the last case, let's hope that Jolene's a sweet, soft and tender girl as we all want out beloved to be without pain and to be happy (which is ironic when looking at the first interpretation, as naturally the song argues that the guy is falling in love with Jolene, therefore he may be happier with her, but still the singer is begging Jolene to leave her man alone because "her happiness depends on it" so that's purely from a egoistic yet well-understandable point of view).
Jolene may be sung at a uplifting, light pace but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.. And maybe that goes for Jolene (the girl) as well, though, if she really is a personification of that fear, we'll never want to get to know her. I think the song also represents us, human beings, and what we'll do when in despair, as we'd beg our "foes" to stay away from our loved ones. Kind of beautiful, really.