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Dolly Parton puts 'Jolene'-themed spin on popular internet joke

Dolly Parton used her classic song "Jolene" to create the best "distracted boyfriend" meme on Twitter.
/ Source: TODAY

Dolly Parton knew all about distracted boyfriends way before the internet existed.

The 72-year-old country music legend used her classic song "Jolene" to show the online generation how to perfectly nail the popular "distracted boyfriend" meme.

As any Dolly fan knows, the 1973 hit tells the story of a woman worried that another woman is going to win her man's affection.

"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,'' the lyrics go. "I'm begging of you please don't take my man/Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/Please don't take him just because you can."

Parton often posts silly memes on her Twitter account when she's not busy letting Reese Witherspoon raid her closet, making music for children or pulling off surprise visits to senior centers.

Parton got the name of the song from a young fan she met while signing autographs after performing on a show in the 1960s, and she got the story from a bank teller who had a crush on her husband, she told NPR.

"It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank,'' she said. "I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one."

Before there were memes, there was "Jolene."

Follow TODAY.com writer Scott Stump on Twitter.