In The Garden

Dolly Parton sings “In The Garden,” the gospel hymn written by C. Austin Miles in 1912. Miles said he had the vision while reading the story of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, and he wrote the words within minutes. The song became one of the most recorded hymns in America and is a staple at funerals and small country churches.

The singer comes to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice she hears is that of the Son of God. The chorus is the heart of the hymn: he walks with me, he talks with me, he tells me I am his own, and the joy they share there is one no one else has known. The second verse says his voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing, and the melody he gave rings in her heart. In the last verse she would stay in the garden with him even though night is falling, but he bids her go and his voice is calling her. Parton's clear mountain voice keeps the arrangement simple, which matches the quiet words. The hymn pictures prayer as a friendship rather than a duty, and that is why it comforts people who find formal worship hard. It suits a private moment of devotion.

The voice among flowers is in Song of Solomon 2:12. Sheep who know the shepherd's voice are in John 10:3, and speaking face to face as with a friend is Exodus 33:11.