Dolly Parton Kept 'A Really Good Song' Hidden in a Box for 2046: 'I Wanna Go Dig That up So Bad'

The late country singer Dolly Parton may have given fans a song to look forward to after her death– but they will have to wait another two decades to hear it.

Parton had died on Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer at age 80. Years before her death, she had recorded a song and locked it in a sealed box in her DreamMore resort in Tennessee. She had strict instructions to not open it until what would be her 100th birthday in 2046.

The song, which Parton recorded in 2015, is titled 'My Place in History', and was intended to be a musical time capsule. Parton herself had spoken about resisting the temptation to retrieve the recording in the Kelly Clarkson show.

'I wanna go dig that up so bad,' she had told Clarkson in 2022. 'It's a really good song.'

Dolly Parton's Death Gives Unreleased Song New Significance

Fans have taken Dolly's word that 'My Place In History' would be a good song, but people are still speculating about what it sounds like. Unfortunately, they would have to wait; Parton was the only person who knew the answer to that question.

Parton had also expressed concern over whether people would be able to actually play the music when the time rolled around. She recorded the song on a CD, and as there would be no guarantee if people still had CD players in 2046, she put one in the 'Dream Box' along with the recording.

Parton joked about the possibility that the CD would not survive the test of time in her book. 'Hopefully, it will play and the whole thing ain't rotted', she said. She also entertained the possibility of living long enough to see the box be opened, a wish that ultimately did not come true.

Parton's Funeral Plans Resurface as Fellow Artists Mourn Her Loss

While Parton was unable to live to see her time capsule opened, several artists paid respect to the country singer and her legacy following the news of her passing.

'A world without Dolly doesn't feel possible, real, or right,' said singer Taylor Swift regarding her passing. 'But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one. She was truly the gift that kept on giving.'

'Dolly Parton had a way of making everyone feel special, and seen, and welcomed, and as if you were old friends,' said Kelly Clarkson. 'I will miss her heart and her voice as I am sure millions will. What an incredible gift and talent she was and still is with an amazing catalogue of art she has left behind for all of us.'

Before her death, Parton had already been planning her funeral, specifically requesting a specific song to play at the service. In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she responded to the idea of playing her song 'I Will Always Love You' when she dies:

'I'm sure they'll be playing 'I Will Always Love You' when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,' she said. But the song she really wanted to be played was 'If We Never Meet Again', an old country-gospel hymn that was her father's favourite song that was performed at his own funeral.

Parton's representatives confirmed that she requested a small, private service for her immediate family. She also requested to be laid to rest in a 'beautiful bed of plush cotton'.