Lyr Req: The Touch of the Master's Hand (Welch)

Subject: His Master's Hands
From:
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 10:33 PM

I'm probably mis-remembering the title, but the gist of this is:

An old instrument (fiddle?) is up for auction, and it doesn't look like much. Bidding starts low, and just about finishes, when an older man goes up, and plays beautifully on the instrument (I'm sure it was a fiddle), and after he finishes, the bidding resumes, with the price taking a major leap up. Someone answered the question of why it was suddenly worth so much, with something about the Touch of the Master's Hand.

I suspect there was an allusion to spiritual matters in this. My faint memory is that Walter Brennan did this, like he did with Old Rivers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 10:37 PM

George, it's in the DT, under Touch of the Master's Hand, just as you have it. If you put that in the Search the DT and Forum box, some threads come up, too.:-)

kat

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From:
Date: 05 Aug 01 - 07:15 AM

Thanks KAt. I did a search under "Master's Hand" and nothing showed up last night.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From:
Date: 05 Aug 01 - 07:18 AM

I KEEP forgetting that I need [Master's Hand] in the database search! Thanks, Kat!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Aug 01 - 07:21 AM

Here's a clicky

Subject: Lyr Add: THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND (Welch)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 05:27 PM

Although this song is already in DT, and the text there is a pretty good one, I think it's worthwhile to post the lyrics here again.

There are literally hundreds of copies of this poem on the Internet, and they vary considerably in detail. Although the author seems to be known -- many sites attribute it to Myra Brooks Welch -- it's clear that the "folk process" has been to work on this poem. I was unable to find any one text that I can confidently claim to be authentic and original. So I did the next best thing and collated all the plausible variations I found. I did this by working my way through the poem, one phrase at a time, entering one phrase into Google and then looking at the Google results to see which words followed the phrase I had just entered. I then selected, from among the variants, what seems best to me. I can't get around the fact that I had to use considerable intuition and artistic judgment, so of course, you might disagree. I then put the variant words and phrases in parentheses.

I find it a very stirring and inspirational poem, which is what made it all worthwhile.

I'd be very interested to know if anyone can find an old printed copy in, say, a book of poems by Ms. Welch.

THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND
(THE MASTER'S TOUCH)
(THE OLD VIOLIN)
Poem by Myra Brooks Welch

'Twas (It was) battered and scarred and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely (hardly) worth his while
To waste much (his) time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden (bid), good folks (folk) (friends) (people)," he cried.
"Who'll start the (Who will start) (Who starts the) bidding for me?
"A (one) dollar, a (one) dollar"; then (now), "Two!" "Only two? (Now who'll make it two?)
Two dollars and who'll make (who makes) it three?

"Three dollars once; three dollars twice;
Going for three" — but no! (lo!)
From the room, far back, a gray-haired (bearded) man
Came forward and picked up the bow.

Then (And), wiping the dust (dirt) from the (that) old violin
And tight'ning the loose (up all of the) (up the) (up all the) (the loosened) strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings (As caroling angels sing)
(As sweet as an angel sings) (As sweet as the angels sing).

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: "What am I bid (bidden) for the (this) old violin?"
And (as) (then) he held it up (aloft) with the (a) (its) bow.

"A (one) thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice —
And going, and gone," said he.

The people (audience) cheered, but some of them cried (said),
"We do not (don't) quite understand (just don't understand)
What (what's) changed its worth." Swift came the reply (The man replied):
"The touch of a (the) master's hand."

And many a man (person) with life out of tune
And (all) (is) battered and scarred (torn) with sin (battered with bourbon and gin),
Is auctioned cheap to the (a) thoughtless crowd (thankless world)
Much like the (this) (that) old violin.

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game — and he travels (they travel) on.
He is (he's) (they're) going once, and going twice,
He is (he's) (they're) going — and almost gone.

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can (Can never) (Never does) quite understand
The worth of a soul, or (and) the change that is (that's) wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: open mike
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 06:09 PM

this topic has 3 threads going....
here is one of the others...
other thread-master's hands

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 06:14 PM

The poem was indeed written by Myra Brooks Welch, and copies of her book of the same name can be picked up quite cheaply.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: Leadfingers
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 06:25 PM

There is a wonderful parody of this courtesy of the late lamented Dave Houlden 'The Touch of the Cock Up Mans Hand' About a melodeon
which was (nearly) Daves instrument. If asked I could find it.
It works the other way round .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: open mike
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 06:29 PM

here is the other recent mention of this tune
touch of masters hands--auctioneer
hooray for the blickifier

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 07:03 PM

Open Mike: I've looked at those threads. One person, James H. Silver, started them both. In one, he says he's looking for a Dolly Parton song. In the other, he says the first line of the chorus is "This Saturday morning there will be an auction." I don't know what song he's looking for, but it certainly isn't "The Touch of the Master's Hand." Therefore I don't think it's appropriate to link this thread to those ones.

---

I sometimes group threads that aren't directly related, but that tend to remind people of each other, if that makes sense. Kind of a "free association" sort of thing. I made a group of threads about auction songs.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: His Master's Hands
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Mar 03 - 02:42 AM

Here's the recording history (or as much of it as I can dig up) for "The Touch of the Master's Hand."

Tex Ritter, Jimmy Dean, and Bill Anderson have all recorded versions that are more or less spoken/recited with musical accompaniment.

Sally Rogers wrote a tune for it, which she recorded on "The Unclaimed Pint," 1986.

John Kramp wrote a tune for it, which has been recorded by Wayne Watson and by Danny Gans.

Laurie Lewis wrote a tune for it, which she recorded with Kathy Kallick.

Glen Duncan, Roland Gresham, Dennis Swanberg, Doug Brummel, Jan De Wet, John Carlton, Leroy Van Dyke, Afterglow, and Fleeting Moment have each recorded some version of it.

My personal favorite is the one by Sally Rogers.