Dolly Parton’s Hidden Tattoo Collection

For years we heard the rumors. The word on the street was that Dolly Parton, the queen of country music, kept her arms covered because she had fully tattooed arms that she didn’t want to make public. It was the kind of urban legend that had just enough credence to it, it sounded believable but nobody had any evidence one way or the other. 

While those of us here at Inked really wanted the rumor to be true, it was still just a rumor, until yesterday’s episode of “Good Morning America.” The country music legend confirmed the existence of her ink during an interview with Robin Roberts. 

“I got them to cover scars or things,” Parton explained. “If I have to get a scar for any reason, I never can kind of get rid of that purple look. So I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to kind of decorate these with some flowers or little butterflies or whatever.’”

It certainly comes of no surprise that Parton would choose to get some tattoos of butterflies. “Love is Like a Butterfly” is one of the singer’s most beloved songs, and her Dollywood theme park uses a butterfly in its logo. 

Unfortunately, Parton didn’t follow up on her remarks by rolling up her sleeves and showing off her tattoo collection. 

The 73-year-old legend is having a bit of a career resurgence these days. She’s been looking back on her life and career on a hit podcast from WNYC’s Jad Abumrad called “Dolly Parton’s America.” In addition to the podcast, there’s also a Netflix series based on her songs entitled “Heartstrings” that coming out later in the month and an ABC special entitled “Dolly Parton: Here She Comes Again!” airing tonight. 

Even with all of that going on, Parton is still writing songs and hitting the road with tour dates scheduled through December. Go out and catch a true American legend if she comes to your town. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll catch a glimpse of her tattoos.