Parton began performing as a child, singing on local radio and television in East Tennessee. At age 12 she was appearing on Knoxville TV, and at 13, she was recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. When she graduated from high school in 1964 she moved to Nashville, taking many traditional elements of folklore and popular music from East Tennessee with her.
Parton's initial success came as a songwriter, with her songs being covered by Kitty Wells, Hank Williams, Jr., Skeeter Davis, and a number of others. She signed with Monument Records in late 1965, where she was initially pitched as a bubblegum pop singer, earning only one national chart single, "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby," which did not crack the Billboard Top 100. Additional pop singles also failed to chart.
The label agreed to have Parton sing country music after her composition "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" as recorded by Bill Phillips (and with Parton, uncredited, on harmony) went to No. 6 on the country charts in 1966. Her first country single, "Dumb Blonde" (one of the few songs during this era that she recorded but didn't write), reached No. 24 country 1967, followed later the same year with "Something Fishy," which went to No. 17. The two songs anchored her first full-length album, Hello I'm Dolly, that same year.
In 1967, Parton was asked to join the weekly syndicated country music TV program hosted by Porter Wagoner, replacing Norma Jean. She also signed with RCA Records, Wagoner's label, during this period, where she would remain for the next two decades. Wagoner and Parton immediately began a hugely successful career as a vocal duet in addition to their solo work and their first single together, a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind," reached the top ten on the U.S. country charts in late 1967, and was the first of over a dozen duet singles to chart for them during the next several years.
Parton is a hugely successful songwriter, having begun by writing country songs with strong elements of folk music in them based upon her upbringing in humble mountain surroundings. Her songs "Coat of Many Colors" and "Jolene" have become classics in the field, as have a number of others. As a composer, she is also regarded as one of country music's most gifted storytellers, with many of her narrative songs based on persons and events from her childhood.
In 1982 Dolly Parton sang her song "I Will Always Love You", for the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", starring Parton and Burt Reynolds. The song - originally composed around 1974 - made few ripples, but it wasn't until Whitney Houston re-recorded it for "The Bodyguard" a decade later, that the song made yet another international hit for Dolly Parton. She later put out her own version on the 1996 album of the same name.
In 1987, Parton left her longtime label, RCA, and signed with Columbia Records, where her recording career continued to prosper, but by the mid 1990s, Parton, along with many other performers of her generation, found that her new music was not welcome on country radio playlists. She recorded a series of critically acclaimed bluegrass albums, beginning with "The Grass is Blue" (1999) and "Little Sparrow" (2001), both of which won Grammy Awards. Her 2002 album "Halos and Horns" included a bluegrass version of the Led Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven. In 2005, Parton released Those Were The Days, her interpretation of hits from the folk-rock era of the late 1960s through early 1970s. The CD featured such classics as John Lennon's "Imagine," Cat Stevens' "Where Do The Children Play," Tommy James' "Crimson & Clover," and the folk classic "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", as well as the title track.
In 2007, Dolly paved new musical ground by forming her own record label, Dolly Records. The label's first release - Backwoods Barbie - debuted at #2 on the Billboard country albums charts and marks Parton's first mainstream country album in 17 years. Parton is touring North America and Europe throughout 2008 in support of her latest release.
1955
The Master's Hand
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world grew wicked and corrupt
But Noah was a good man
And the Lord unto him came
He said to Noah
"Go build an ark"
Noah did and the sky got dark
Except for Noah and his wife
And their three sons and their wives
And a pair of every kind of creature
Walkin' in the land
And the people mocked
And they made fun
But old Noah worked till it was done
'Cause he was holding to the Master's hand
The Master's hand is always held out to us
And it will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the Master's hand
Three Hebrew children in days of old
Were marched into the fiery coals
'Cause they would not deny the Lord
Would not obey command
And the furnace roared like a mighty storm
But the Hebrew children saw no harm
The flame was smothered by the Master's hand
The Hebrew children loved their God
And with them in the flames he trod
To show the world that he was King
And ruler over man
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Had no fear of the fiery coals
'Cause they were holdin' to the Master's hand
The Master's hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the Master's hand
If we are holdin' to the Master's hand
Dolly Parton's song "The Master's Hand" is a powerful testament to faith and perseverance in the face of adversity. The song tells the story of two biblical tales: Noah and the flood and the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. In both stories, the characters face seemingly insurmountable obstacles and threats, but they remain steadfast in their faith and trust in the Lord.
The first part of the song recounts the story of Noah, who was instructed by God to build an ark before a great flood would destroy the world. Noah faced ridicule and mockery from the people around him, but he continued to work on the ark, knowing that he was following God's plan. The song emphasizes that Noah was able to overcome these obstacles because he was "holdin' to the Master's hand," or trusting in God's guidance and protection.
The second half of the song tells the story of the three Hebrew children who were thrown into a fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar because they refused to worship false idols. Despite being in the midst of an inferno, the children were unharmed because God was with them, symbolized as "the flame [being] smothered by the Master's hand." Like Noah, the children held fast to their faith and trust in God, even in the face of great danger.
Line by Line Meaning
In the days before the flood
Long before the great flood described in the Bible
The world grew wicked and corrupt
Humanity had turned evil and depraved
But Noah was a good man
Noah was righteous and virtuous in the eyes of the Lord
And the Lord unto him came
God spoke to Noah and gave him a divine mission
He said to Noah
God spoke to Noah directly
"Go build an ark"
God commanded Noah to build a massive vessel
Noah did and the sky got dark
Noah followed God's command and built the ark, and then a great storm approached
And a great flood destroyed everything
The subsequent flood destroyed everything outside the ark
Except for Noah and his wife
Noah and his wife were spared from the flood and saved in the ark
And their three sons and their wives
Noah's three sons and their wives were also saved in the ark
And a pair of every kind of creature
Two of every kind of animal were also saved in the ark
Walkin' in the land
Walking around within the confines of the ark
And the people mocked
The people outside the ark ridiculed Noah and his family
And they made fun
They insulted and laughed at them
But old Noah worked till it was done
Noah persisted in building the ark despite the ridicule and mockery
'Cause he was holding to the Master's hand
Noah was holding onto his faith in God and following His command
The Master's hand is always held out to us
God is always ready and willing to help us
And it will lead us to the promised land
Following God's guidance and holding faith in Him will lead us to our ultimate destination
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
No matter how bad the world gets, we can overcome it with God's help
If we are holdin' to the Master's hand
If we maintain our faith in God and follow His guidance
Three Hebrew children in days of old
Three young Jewish men in ancient times
Were marched into the fiery coals
They were thrown into a blazing furnace as punishment
'Cause they would not deny the Lord
They refused to renounce their faith in God
Would not obey command
They would not worship any other god or idols
And the furnace roared like a mighty storm
The furnace burned with great intensity
But the Hebrew children saw no harm
The three men were unscathed by the flames
The flame was smothered by the Master's hand
God intervened and saved the three men from the fiery furnace
The Hebrew children loved their God
The three men had a strong love and devotion for God
And with them in the flames he trod
God was with the three men in the furnace
To show the world that he was King
God demonstrated His power and sovereignty to the world through this miracle
And ruler over man
God reigns over all of humanity
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
The names of the three Hebrew men thrown into the furnace
Had no fear of the fiery coals
They were not afraid of the fire
'Cause they were holdin' to the Master's hand
Their faith and loyalty to God gave them strength and courage
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dolly Parton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ScoobyandShaggy5554
In the days before the flood
The world grew wicked and corrupt
But Noah was a good man
And the Lord unto him came
And He said to Noah
Go build an ark
Noah did and the sky got dark
And a great flood destroyed everything
Except for Noah and his wife
And their three sons and their wives
And a pair of every kind of creature
Walkin' in the land
And the people mocked
And they made fun
But ol' Noah worked 'til it was done
'Cause he was holding to the master's hand
[Chorus]
The master's hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the master's hand
[Verse 2]
Three Hebrew children in days of old
Were marched into the fiery coals
'Cause they would not deny the Lord
Would not obey command
And the furnace roared like a mighty storm
But the Hebrew children saw no harm
The flame was smothered by the master's hand
The Hebrew children loved their God
And with them in the flames He trod
To show the world that he was King
And ruler over man
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Had no fear of the fiery coals
'Cause they were holdin' to the master's hand
[Chorus]
The master's hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the master's hand
@lolliepop8720
In the days before the flood
The world grew wicked and corrupt
But Noah was a good man
And the Lord unto him came
And He said to Noah
Go build an ark
Noah did and the sky got dark
And a great flood destroyed everything
Except for Noah and his wife
And their three sons and their wives
And a pair of every kind of creature
Walkin' in the land
And the people mocked
And they made fun
But old Noah worked till it was done
'Cause he was holding to the Masters hand
The Masters hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the Masters hand
Three Hebrew children in days of old
Were marched into the fiery coals
'Cause they would not deny the Lord
Would not obey command
And the furnace roared like a mighty storm
But the Hebrew children saw no harm
The flame was smothered by the Masters hand
The Hebrew children loved their God
And with them in the flames He trod
To show the world that He was King
And ruler over man
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Had no fear of the fiery coals
'Cause they were holdin' to the Masters hand
The Masters hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the Masters hand
If we are holdin' to the Masters hand
@ScoobyandShaggy5554
In the days before the flood
The world grew wicked and corrupt
But Noah was a good man
And the Lord unto him came
And He said to Noah
Go build an ark
Noah did and the sky got dark
And a great flood destroyed everything
Except for Noah and his wife
And their three sons and their wives
And a pair of every kind of creature
Walkin' in the land
And the people mocked
And they made fun
But ol' Noah worked 'til it was done
'Cause he was holding to the master's hand
[Chorus]
The master's hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the master's hand
[Verse 2]
Three Hebrew children in days of old
Were marched into the fiery coals
'Cause they would not deny the Lord
Would not obey command
And the furnace roared like a mighty storm
But the Hebrew children saw no harm
The flame was smothered by the master's hand
The Hebrew children loved their God
And with them in the flames He trod
To show the world that he was King
And ruler over man
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Had no fear of the fiery coals
'Cause they were holdin' to the master's hand
[Chorus]
The master's hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the master's hand
@debcamp4685
Love this song
@sisb9951
Lets hold on to the Masters Hand. Lovely song.
@wandeilsonlucena4445
sis b do u know where I can buy it?
@wandeilsonlucena4445
This song is beautiful
@Gentle_Spirit777
Great song...
😊🙏💖🙌👼
@ericdetosh8681
truly we must hold the masters hand
@lolliepop8720
In the days before the flood
The world grew wicked and corrupt
But Noah was a good man
And the Lord unto him came
And He said to Noah
Go build an ark
Noah did and the sky got dark
And a great flood destroyed everything
Except for Noah and his wife
And their three sons and their wives
And a pair of every kind of creature
Walkin' in the land
And the people mocked
And they made fun
But old Noah worked till it was done
'Cause he was holding to the Masters hand
The Masters hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the Masters hand
Three Hebrew children in days of old
Were marched into the fiery coals
'Cause they would not deny the Lord
Would not obey command
And the furnace roared like a mighty storm
But the Hebrew children saw no harm
The flame was smothered by the Masters hand
The Hebrew children loved their God
And with them in the flames He trod
To show the world that He was King
And ruler over man
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Had no fear of the fiery coals
'Cause they were holdin' to the Masters hand
The Masters hand is always held out to us
And It will lead us to the promised land
And the evil of this world cannot outdo us
If we are holdin' to the Masters hand
If we are holdin' to the Masters hand
@johnfranklin685
I was greatly disappointed that Dolly didn't perform her traditional songs. I've never esteemed Queen as a band worth listening to.
@armandomuchave9179
adoro exta artista