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Country queen and national treasure Dolly Parton may have physically left the world on Tuesday, but her indelible mark on the world and the industry will never be forgotten. And luckily, she’s not done yet. Parton has
several posthumous projects to look forward to, one of which is a secret song.
Back in 2015, Parton and her team buried a chestnut box filled with physical copies of a brand new song in two formats, cassette and CD, along with their corresponding players, under her Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa. The time capsule is meant to remain sealed off until after the park celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2045, in time for Parton’s 100th birthday.
A placard within the box reads, “The chestnut ‘Dream Box’ is a repository of Dolly’s wishes and memories for the future. It will not be opened until Dolly’s birthday on January 19, 2046. The Dream Box itself is tribute to her original mentor and uncle, Bill Owens, who has worked tirelessly to preserve the American Chestnut tree. As a final tribute, Dolly placed a song which she has written to be released as her last. Entitled ‘My Place In History,’ only Dolly will know its melody and content until 2046.”
Parton explained to Kelly Clarkson on the “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2022 that the vault track does in fact exist. She even acknowledged that she might not be around for the reveal of the unreleased track.
“They weren’t expecting me to be there at all,” Parton said. “I’m just saying, I might be there. Who knows? But the point is, there is a song – I figure it’ll probably disintegrate, probably nobody ever hears it. That’s what bothers me, to think that it’s gonna be a song that nobody’s ever gonna hear if it rots in there before they open it.”
While it’s been over 11 years since its burial, Parton insisted it was a song worth unearthing – eventually.
“It’s a really good song,” she added. “But yes, I have a song that’s buried that nobody’s gonna hear – I don’t know whose damn idea that was.”
Parton died after a “brief battle” with cancer at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, her reps said Tuesday.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement from her reps to People magazine read.
Several other endeavors remain in place after her death. Parton was working on a new Nashville museum and hotel, deals to endorse Purina dog treats and launch her Cup of Ambition coffee brand. The musical based on her life, “Dolly, A True Original Musical,” will open on Broadway on Jan. 19, 2027, which would have been her 81st birthday.
