New From Mike & Marty: “Coat Of Many Colors”

We’ve got another new tune from Mike & Marty, this one a Dolly Parton classic – “Coat of Many Colors”. Not having any other paper at hand, Parton famously wrote the lyrics to this song down on a dry cleaning receipt while on tour in 1969.

This is a favorite song of many. The coat of many colors here is not the Biblical coat given by Jacob to Joseph in the book of Genesis, though it’s referenced in the lyrics.

Rather, the song tells of Dolly’s mother making a special coat for her as a girl. It’s a gift of love from a mother to a daughter, made out of a donated pile of rags. And it’s apparently a true story, as Parton told the Tennessean in 2015:

“The song means so much to me personally because it is a true story from my childhood, about a little ragged coat that Mama made for me, and tried to make me feel proud of it by telling (me) the story of Joseph from the Bible.”

“The song is really, really special, and we’ve made it into a movie now, and hopefully through the years, people will be able to see that and connect with family. It kind of takes me back in time. That song will always be very special to me.”

Does the coat still exist?

“Well, you know what, I do not have the original coat, because when we were growing up, Mama made scraps out of everything. Everything was tore back down and (used for) whatever. My mother, years ago when the song became a hit, she made a little mockup, a little replica of what she remembered in her mind that the coat was.”

“The (original) coat probably turned into a quilt, or a baby blanket or something else after that (laughs). I have a school picture that I had made in the coat … it had patches all over it. Anyhow, she made a (new) coat that we have at the museum now.”

In this version, Marty sings a great lead, while Mike plays guitar and sings backup. Here are the heartfelt lyrics:

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

Back through the years
I go wonderin’ once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall a box of rags that someone gave us
And how my momma put the rags to use
There were rags of many colors
But every piece was small
And I didn’t have a coat
And it was way down in the fall
Momma sewed the rags together
Sewin’ every piece with love
She made my coat of many colors
That I was so proud of

As she sewed, she told a story
From the Bible she had read
About a coat of many colors
Joseph wore and then she said
Perhaps this coat will bring you
Good luck and happiness
And I just couldn’t wait to wear it
And momma blessed it with a kiss

My coat of many colors
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

So with patches on my britches
And holes in both my shoes
In my coat of many colors
I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

And oh, I couldn’t understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told ’em of the love
My momma sewed in every stitch
And I told ’em all the story
Momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes

But they didn’t understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
Made just for me

A side note, as you can see in this song, the brother and sister – like their sibling Rose and her husband Ben – are no longer dressing in Old Order Amish clothing, and we can assume they are also no longer Amish. They still make great music though and so I plan to keep sharing it 🙂

And speaking of Ben and Rose, their first big hit song happened to be a Dolly Parton tune, and they followed it with another.

Enjoy a listen to Mike and Marty’s take on “Coat of Many Colors” here. They did a great job with it and I suspect this is going to become one of their most-viewed songs.

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