The great Dolly Parton made the world a brighter place - Susan Morrison

No family gathering was complete without at least three mournful dirges about ol’ hound dawgs, bad men doing ya wrong or women being told to put their sweet lips a little closer to the phone. I remember thinking that was just boggin’, given my exposure to the greasy apparatus housed in British public telephone boxes.

Dolly Parton performing at Glastonbury in 2014. Tributes have been paid to her this week from across the world after her death.

Dolly, though, wasn’t the crying sort. None of that weeping in a bar and comfort in a bottle. When she confronted Jolene, that Jezebel with flaming locks of auburn hair and eyes of emerald green, she did battle face-to-face. I like to think that ivory skinned strumpet headed for the hills when Dolly was finished with her.

And if ever there was an anthem for the working classes, it’s 9-to-5. It might not be today’s work pattern, but the manager class is still out there and ‘they still use your mind and they never give you credit’. But remember, ‘you’ve got dreams he’ll never take away’. Floppy fringed poets have won awards for less powerful verses.

Ms Parton was a pocket rocket with endless talent and kindness. She was a cracking actress. She was the very definition of a Steel Magnolia, but in ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ she sang, danced, acted and best of all, got to snog Burt Reynolds. Seriously, I would've. Always had a weakness for a man with a moustache….

Dolly gave books away like water to kids who had no access to them. She knew that education was a ladder out of poverty. She was right. Still is. Put a book in a child's hands and light up the screens in their minds.

Let’s not leave it to Dolly. There’s bound to be a kid or two in your life, perhaps there’s a nearby nursery or a wee play group. Buy a book and gift it in memory of a very great lady.

Ah, Dolly, we will always love you. You made the world a brighter place. Thank you.