When Benton was young he enjoyed gospel music and wrote songs and in 1948 he went to New York to pursue his music career.
He was a member of several gospel groups including "The Langfordairies", "The Jerusalem Stars", and "The Golden Gate Quartet".
After returning to his home state he joined a R&B singing group, "the Sandmen", and soon went back to New York to try for a big break. Eventually the record company decided to drop The Sandmen and push Brook as a solo artist.
Benton wrote songs for artists such as Nat King Cole, Clyde McPhatter, and Roy Hamilton. Soon he released his first minor hit A Million Miles From Nowhere, and later he joined the Mercury label, which would later bring him big success.
In 1952 he got his big break with It's Just a Matter of Time and Endlessly.
It's Just a Matter of Time made it to #3 on the U.S. Pop charts, while Endlessly made it to #12 . Both hits were written by Benton himself.
Benton had many #1 hits including Rainy Night in Georgia and Hotel Happiness. According to Songfacts, his version of the blues standard The Boll Weevil Song has the unique distinction of being the first #1 song on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.
Altogether, Benton had 38 hit singles through out his career. His last album was "Fools Rush In", released posthumously in 2005. He died on April 9, 1988.
Shadrack
Brook Benton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Now there were three children from the land of Israel
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Ah they took a little trip to the land of Babylon
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
And ol Nebudchanezzer was the king of Babylon
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
And they told everybody when you hear the music of the clarinet,
They told everybody when you hear the music of the flute,
Now listen, children, when you hear the music of the horn,
Oh, you gotta bow down and worship the idol!
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Ah, but the children of Israel would not bow down!
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
We aint going to bow to no golden idol!
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
No, you couldnt fool the children with the golden idol!
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
So the king cast the children in the fiery furnace
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
He heaped on coal and red-hot brimstone you couldn't but see
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Even made it seven times hotter than it oughtta be!
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Now they burned up the soldiers that the king had put there
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Oh, Shadrack! Meshach, Abednego!
Um hmm, then the Good Lord called an angel,
Gave him a couple of wings.
He said go down there through the middle of the furnace
And began to coolin' the flames.
And those children got so happy,
they went struttin right through the fire.
And this lot got to talkin' bout the power of gospel
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
Oh, Shadrack! Meshach, Abednego!!!
The lyrics of Brook Benton's song "Shadrack" tell the biblical story of Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego, three children from the land of Israel who refuse to bow down to the golden idol that King Nebudchanezzer made in Babylon. They defy the king's orders, and as punishment, they are cast into a fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. However, the Lord sends an angel to the furnace, where he cools the flames and saves the three children. The lyrics, therefore, emphasize the power of faith and the triumph of good over evil.
The choice of subject matter in "Shadrack" is significant in the context of African American history. The song is a product of the 1950s, when black communities in the United States were fighting against discrimination and segregation. The story of the three children from Israel serves as a metaphor for the struggle for racial equality, and the message of the song suggests that faith and resilience can overcome even the strongest opposition.
Line by Line Meaning
Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego!
These are the names of three children from Israel who were taken to Babylon.
Now there were three children from the land of Israel
Three children from Israel were taken as captives to Babylon.
Ah they took a little trip to the land of Babylon
The children of Israel were taken to Babylon.
And ol Nebudchanezzer was the king of Babylon
The king of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar.
So they took a lot of gold, and made em an idol
A gold idol was created by the Babylonians.
And they told everybody when you hear the music of the clarinet,
The Babylonians instructed everyone to worship the idol when they heard the clarinet's music.
They told everybody when you hear the music of the flute,
The Babylonians instructed everyone to worship the idol when they heard the flute's music.
Now listen, children, when you hear the music of the horn,
The Babylonians instructed everyone to worship the idol when they heard the horn's music.
Oh, you gotta bow down and worship the idol!
The Babylonians required everyone to bow down and worship the idol.
Ah, but the children of Israel would not bow down!
The children of Israel refused to worship the idol.
We aint going to bow to no golden idol!
The children of Israel refused to bow down and worship the golden idol.
No, you couldnt fool the children with the golden idol!
The children of Israel could not be deceived by the golden idol.
So the king cast the children in the fiery furnace
The king ordered the children of Israel to be thrown into the fiery furnace.
He heaped on coal and red-hot brimstone you couldn't but see
The fire was made hotter with coal and brimstone.
Even made it seven times hotter than it oughtta be!
The fire was made seven times hotter than it should have been.
Now they burned up the soldiers that the king had put there
The soldiers who threw the children into the furnace were burned up.
Oh, Shadrack! Meshach, Abednego!
The names of the three children being discussed are repeated.
Um hmm, then the Good Lord called an angel,
God sent an angel to help the children.
Gave him a couple of wings.
The angel was given wings.
He said go down there through the middle of the furnace
The angel was instructed to go down to the furnace.
And began to coolin' the flames.
The angel began to cool down the flames.
And those children got so happy, they went struttin right through the fire.
The children of Israel walked through the fire unharmed and were overjoyed.
And this lot got to talkin' bout the power of gospel
The people began to talk about the power of the gospel.
Oh, Shadrack! Meshach, Abednego!
The names of the three children being discussed are repeated.
Lyrics © CARL FISCHER, LLC
Written by: ROBERT MACGIMSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MustangSam
I remember this well. I was 12 years old and loved it. I don't know what made me think of it tonight but it sounds great!
@dennisboyd1712
AMEN, we don't bow to no golden idol!
@gooddognigel4947
This is the version I remember as a youth. Love it.
@mariellemartin7372
Same one as I remember as a child also. I had been looking for it cause I didn't have the proper title.
@stephencollins1438
Mr. Benton's voice is just vanilla for the soul x soulful regards Stephen x
@JasperRuffin
Use to play this record over and over.....some 43 years ago. It still sounds Great!!
@lasombramagister2668
Jesus, I remember this from when I was like 6. My mom had the record. Great memories
@cojaysea
I remember this song , I use to love it , I was 12 then .
@deidrarichards5801
Love listening to this as a child
@danielburns987
this song went to #19 on the pop charts in 1962!!!