Dolly Parton didn't dream up the subject of her Golden Globe nominated tune TRAVELIN' THRU - it's about a real-life pal of hers who underwent a full sex change.

Parton wrote the tune for acclaimed new film TRANSAMERICA, which stars Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman as a man determined to surgically become a woman, and she admits the idea for the lyrics came from a friend's real-life transition.

Parton explains, "I knew this person before, during and after he was a man. He works for me. He typed up the lyrics when I was writing and rewriting it (the song)."