About The Song
“Traveling Man” (also styled as “Travelin’ Man”) is a country song written and recorded by Dolly Parton. It first appeared on her eighth solo studio album, Coat of Many Colors, which was released on October 4, 1971, by RCA Victor. The track was recorded on April 16, 1971, at RCA Studio B in Nashville and produced by Bob Ferguson. Parton wrote the song herself.
A re-recorded version with a faster tempo was released as a single on April 30, 1973, by RCA Victor (catalog number 74-0950). This version appears on Parton’s twelfth solo studio album, Bubbling Over, released on September 10, 1973. The re-recording session took place on April 9, 1973. The B-side of the single was “I Remember,” also written by Parton. Bob Ferguson again served as producer.
The 1973 single debuted at number 65 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated May 19, 1973. It peaked at number 20 on the chart dated July 14, 1973, its ninth week on the chart, and spent a total of 11 weeks on the Hot Country Songs chart. It reached number 15 on the Cash Box Country Singles chart and number 12 on the RPM Country Singles chart in Canada. The single received a BMI Country Award in 1974.
Bubbling Over peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album debuted at number 50 on the chart dated October 27, 1973, and remained on the chart for 20 weeks. It also reached number 8 on the Cash Box Country Albums chart. The album was recorded primarily at RCA Studio B in Nashville between 1971 and 1973.
The song’s narrative structure centers on a young woman who develops an interest in a door-to-door traveling salesman. She makes plans to meet him in secret despite her mother’s objections. The lyrics progress through her attempts to arrange meetings and her intention to run away with him on a Saturday. The final verses reveal a twist in which the mother leaves with the salesman instead. Parton has described the story as fictional in later interviews and in her 2020 book Songteller.
In the context of Parton’s early 1970s output, the song fits among her self-written material during the period when she was still collaborating frequently with Porter Wagoner while building her solo catalog. Coat of Many Colors was her eighth solo album and featured a majority of Parton-written tracks. The title track from that album became one of her signature songs, while “Traveling Man” served as an album track before its later single release in re-recorded form.
The 1971 album version runs approximately 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The 1973 single version is shorter, approximately 2 minutes and 12 seconds, reflecting the faster tempo arrangement. Both versions were produced under Bob Ferguson’s supervision during Parton’s RCA Victor years. Session details for the original recording place it among tracks cut in the spring of 1971 for the Coat of Many Colors project.
Chart performance for the single is documented in Billboard archives and contemporaneous country chart publications. The peak of number 20 placed it outside the top 10 but confirmed radio and sales support in 1973. Canadian RPM data and Cash Box rankings provide additional verification of its regional performance. No Billboard Hot 100 crossover is recorded for either version of the song.
The track has appeared on various Parton compilations and reissues of both Coat of Many Colors and Bubbling Over. Official audio releases are available through Sony Music Entertainment catalogs, including digital platforms associated with the original RCA masters. The 1973 single was issued in standard 7-inch vinyl format in the United States and Canada, with promotional copies also produced.
Recording personnel credits for the albums list standard Nashville session contributions under Ferguson’s production, consistent with Parton’s early 1970s RCA sessions. The song’s structure follows a verse-based narrative with a recurring refrain focused on the traveling salesman figure. Lyrics detail the salesman’s route, the narrator’s secret plans, and the concluding revelation involving the mother.
Discography sources, including Parton’s official discography resources and Billboard chart histories, consistently list the April 30, 1973, single release date, the July 14, 1973, peak position of number 20 on Hot Country Songs, the 11-week chart run, and the association with the Bubbling Over album. The original 1971 album appearance is similarly documented with the October 4, 1971, release date of Coat of Many Colors and the April 16, 1971, recording date for the track.
The song remains part of Parton’s early catalog of self-penned material from the period preceding her major crossover successes later in the decade. It stands as an example of her narrative songwriting approach during the early 1970s RCA era, issued first as an album track and later as a re-recorded single with measurable chart activity in 1973.
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Lyric
The man I loved ran a salesman route Selling goods from house to house Now I knew my mama would never stand For me stepping out with no traveling man Mama bought things that he was a'selling But mama didn't know and I sure wasn't telling That behind her back I was making plans To meet somewhere with that traveling man Oh the traveling man was a good bit older But a girl needs arms to hold her Mama didn't know 'cause I didn't told her But mama wouldn't understand Me stepping out with a traveling man Mama didn't allow me a'going courting And I'd tell lies that I reckon I oughtn't Oh but she'd a'give me the back a' her hand If she'd a'seen me with that traveling man So I tell my mama that I reckon I oughta Go to the spring and fetch us some water What mama didn't know is I had a plan To meet down there with that traveling man Now I make plans to run away With that traveling man on a Saturday Well Saturday's here and here I stand And there goes my mama with that traveling man Oh that traveling man was a two-time lover He took my love then he took my mother But I didn't know 'cause mama didn't told me and I don't understand My mama running off with my traveling man