The Heart-Tugging True Story Behind The Song Dolly Parton Wanted At Her Funeral, “If We Never Meet Again”
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12 years before she died on August 25, 2026, Dolly Parton named the song she wanted to have played at her funeral. That song was the country-gospel standard, “If We Never Meet Again.”
Dolly told Entertainment Weekly that “If We Never Meet Again” was her father’s favorite song, adding, “We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
Dolly never recorded “If We Never Meet Again,” but there is footage of her performing the song live.
Following Dolly Parton’s death, there has been renewed interest in “If We Never Meet Again.” Whether people knew the song before or were just introduced to it, listeners around the world have been drawn to its beautiful lyrics.
“If we never meet again this side of Heaven,
As we struggle through this world and its strife,
There’s another meeting place somewhere in Heaven,
By the side of the river of life.
Where the charming roses bloom forever,
And where separations come no more.
If we never meet again this side of Heaven,
I will meet you on that beautiful shore.”
Those lyrics were written by esteemed songwriter Albert E. Brumley.
Beyond “If We Never Meet Again,” Albert penned the beloved Christian hymn “I’ll Fly Away,” “Turn Your Radio On,” and over 800 other songs. As a testament to his talent and influence, Brumley has been inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Albert E. Brumley’s Granddaughter Shares What Inspired Him To Write “If We Never Meet Again”
What inspired Albert E. Brumley to write such a tender song that has stood the test of time? The answer lies with his granddaughter, Betsy Brumley-Bernier, who shared the heart-tugging true story behind “If We Never Meet Again” during a recent conversation with Country Rebel.
Betsy explained that her grandfather used to attend what he called “singing conventions” in Memphis, Tennessee, during the 1930s and 1940s. After attending one of these conventions, Albert was driving home when a song idea popped into his head.
“One of the secrets about grandpa, he wrote a lot of his music while he was driving. If he needed to be inspired, he’d get in the car,” Betsy remarked.
Betsy said during her grandfather’s drive back from Memphis, “It hit, he’s like, ‘This group of people that I just left will never be the same.'”
She elaborated, saying her grandpa knew “‘Even if we try to redo it again next year, somebody will be missing, some circumstance will take them away.’ And we’ve all done that, we’ve all been like, ‘That was the best time, we have to do it again and try to recreate that magic,’ but you can’t, because there’s always some element that’s different.”
Albert recognized that, which is why he wrote “If We Never Meet Again,” a song promising to reunite with someone in heaven if you never see them again on Earth.
“Because he knew that someone would be missing, and we should always cherish every moment we meet these people, because they may not come around again until we see each other in heaven,” Betsy said.
Albert Brumley passed away in 1977. But before he died, he got the chance to hear major artists such as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley record “If We Never Meet Again” and some of his other songs.
Betsy said her grandfather was especially honored by Elvis’ recording:
“I know he was very proud, because…a lot of people don’t realize…Elvis’ mother, her favorite song was ‘If We Never Meet Again.’ So when she passed away, he requested that grandpa, and grandma, and my mom, and dad come to the funeral, because of that song.”
Betsy continued, saying, “When you have someone at the status of Elvis…requesting your song, how special is that, because they could have literally had any song in the world, and they chose you.
Why It Means So Much To Betsy Brumley-Bernier To Know That Dolly Parton Loved Her Grandfather’s Song
Dolly Parton always adored Albert Brumley’s entire body of work. When she constructed the little white chapel at her Dollywood theme park, Albert’s songbook was the only one she allowed in the building.
Betsy believes that her grandfather “absolutely would have” been touched to learn that “If We Never Meet Again” was the one song Dolly asked to have played at her funeral.
Betsy herself was deeply moved to hear how much Dolly loved the song:
“To know that someone as prolific as Dolly Parton wants another songwriter’s song to be sung at her funeral, I mean…I don’t know the words for that because…’Honor’ is the one that comes up…it makes me go ‘wow,’ because songwriters honoring songwriters that way, it’s like ‘My work’s good, so is this guy’s,’ and I love that.”
Keep up with Betsy and learn more about Albert by following Brumley & Sons Music on social media. Also, if you enjoy learning more about music history and the unsung “heroes” in the industry, Betsy Brumley-Bernier has started a new podcast in that exact wheelhouse.
It’s called Our Musical Heritage, and the first episode debuts on Friday, September 11. Her first guest is Bobby Tomberlin, one of the co-writers on Diamond Rio’s “One More Day.”
Betsy shared that the podcast was recorded before Dolly Parton passed away. Yet, unaware that the world would lose Dolly shortly after their conversation, Betsy and Bobby got to talking about her and her connection to “If We Never Meet Again.”
No matter who she speaks to, Betsy says, “there is a commonality of this love of music and how it touches us so deeply.” That commonality has certainly been made clear in the wake of Dolly’s passing…
