About The Song
Living Between the Lines: Dolly Parton – “In the Meantime”
With wit, wisdom, and a fearless embrace of life’s chaos, Dolly Parton brings sparkling honesty to her 2022 song “In the Meantime,” featured on the album Run, Rose, Run. This lively track, full of punch and perspective, captures Dolly doing what she does best: making deep truths feel light, making humor feel healing, and making every lyric ring with human insight.
Co-written by Dolly Parton and Kent Wells, “In the Meantime” reflects on the messy, often absurd space between where we are and where we want to be—the “meantime” of everyday life. But rather than offering neat answers, Dolly leans into the uncertainty with swagger and sass, blending country sensibilities with uptempo, almost rockabilly energy. The result is a song that feels both fun and profound, toe-tapping and thought-provoking all at once.
The lyrics capture a narrator who’s trying to keep it all together: “I’m just trying to do the best I can / In the meantime.” It’s a relatable anthem for anyone who’s ever felt pulled in a dozen directions—by aging, expectations, emotions, or just the fast pace of the world. But rather than wallowing, Dolly laughs with us, reminding us to keep going, keep dancing, and keep smiling—even when life gets messy.
Musically, the track sparkles with bright acoustic guitars, sharp percussion, and just a hint of honky-tonk piano. It’s polished but rootsy, with a rhythm that drives the lyrics forward like a train that might be a little off-track but is still rolling strong. Dolly’s vocal delivery is playful and energized, full of personality and that ever-present twinkle in her voice. You can tell she’s having fun—and inviting us to do the same, even when things feel uncertain.
“In the Meantime” also stands as a clever metaphor for the transitional phases in life, those in-between moments that often get overlooked but are where most of living really happens. It’s not about arrival or perfection—it’s about showing up, laughing when you can, and being honest about how hard it is to keep it all together sometimes. This track embraces that truth with humor, humility, and Dolly’s ever-present grace.
While Run, Rose, Run ties into the novel she co-wrote with James Patterson, this song easily stands on its own as a standout piece of musical reflection. It reminds us that Dolly is more than a singer—she’s a narrator of life’s in-betweens, giving voice to the beautiful, frustrating, and fleeting moments we all share.
In “In the Meantime,” Dolly Parton once again proves that she knows how to speak to the soul—with honesty, a wink, and a melody you’ll carry long after the song ends.