Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand

Subject: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: GUEST,Catlin
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 03:27 AM

Sally Rogers did a song over 20 years ago about a violin being sold at an auction. The violin would have been sold for $3 until a fiddler tuned up and played the old violin. The bidding then went to $3000. I was thinking of playing this at the Episcopal church I attend.

Thanks a bunch!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Peace
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 03:29 AM

Touch Of The Master's Hand Lyrics
^^^


"Touch Of The Master's Hand"

Well it was battered and scared,
And the auctioneer felt it was hardly worth his while,
To waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile,
Well it sure ain't much but its all we got left I guess we aught to sell it to,
Oh, now who'll start the bid on this old violin?
Just one more and we'll be through.

And then he cried one give me one dollar,
Who'll make it two only two dollars who'll make it three,
Three dollars twice now that's a good price,
Now who's gonna bid for me?
Raise up your hand now don't wait any longer the auctions about to end,
Who's got four Just one dollar more to bid on this old violin?

Well the air was hot and the people stood around as the sun was setting low,
From the back of the crowd a gray haired man,
Came forward and picked up the bow,
He wiped the dust from the old violin then he tightened up the strings,
Then he played out a melody pure and sweet, sweeter than the Angels sing,
And then the music stopped and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low he said now what am I bid,
For this old violin and he held it up with a bow.

And then he cried out one give me one thousand,
Who'll make it two only two thousand who'll make it three,
Three thousand twice you know that's a good price,
Common who's gonna to bid for me?
And the people cried out what made the change we don't understand,
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
It was the touch of the Master's hand.

You know threes many a man with his life out of tune,
Battered and scared with sin and he's auctioned cheap,
To a thankless world much like that old violin,
Oh, but then the Master comes,
And that old foolish crowd they never understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is rought,
Just by one touch of the Masters hand.

And then he cried out one give me one thousand,
Who'll make it two only two thousand who'll make it three,
Three thousand twice you know that's a good price,
Common who's gonna bid for me?
And the people cried out what made the change we don't understand,
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
It was the touch, that's all it was; it was the touch of the Master's hand,
It was the touch of the Master's hand; oh, it was the touch of the Master's hand.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: GUEST,Catlin
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 03:32 AM

My hero! Many thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Susan of DT
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 05:57 AM

It is in the DT

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Crane Driver
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 06:33 AM

And the moral is: if the meddling old fool had kept out of it, some poor struggling musician could have got a decent fiddle at a price he could afford!

;-}

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 06:45 AM

I first heard Johnny Collins sing this, and he blew me away. His remains my favourite performance of it.

This from Google (www.barefootsworld.net, which seems to be an AA site):

"The Master's Hand" was written by Myra Brooks Welch. She was called "The poet with the singing soul." Hers was a very musical family. As a young woman, Myra's special love was playing the organ.

In 1921, she heard a speaker address a group of students. She said she became filled with light, and "Touch of the Master's Hand wrote itself in 30 minutes". She sent it anonymously to her church news bulletin...   Several years later the poem was read at a religious international convention - "author unknown." A young man stood up and said, "I know the author, and it's time the world did too. It was written by my mother, Myra Welch." [...]

What the world did not see was the woman who created these masterpieces: Myra in her wheelchair, battered and scarred from severe arthritis, which had taken away her ability to make music. Instead, her musical soul spoke through her poetry. She took one pencil in each of her badly deformed hands. Using the eraser end, she would slowly type the words, the joy of them outweighing the pain of her efforts... Her talent lay undiscovered prior to her wheelchair days. Rather than becoming bitter, she chose to let her handicap make her better, and a wonderful new door opened for her.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 09:01 AM

It may seem a little irreverent but there is a very clever rewrite by the late Dave Houlden - The Touch of the Cock Up Mans Hand ! I know catter Trayton sings it !

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 12:10 PM

Hi folks,

Yes, this one is a goodie - but I think there are a couple of missing or scrambled lines in the version quoted here. This is the text I have:

TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND

'Twas battered and scarred, and the old auctioneer
He though it scarcely worthwhile
To waste much time with the old violin
But he held it up with a smile.
What am I bidden, good folk, he cried
Who'll start the bidding for me
A dollar, a dollar, come, who'll make it two
Two dollars, now who'll make it three?

Three dollars once and three dollars twice
And going for three -- but no
From the back of the room a grey haired man
Stepped forward and picked up the bow.
And brushing the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the loose strings
He played a melody pure and so sweet
Sweet as the angels sing.

When the music ceased the old auctioneer
In a voice that was quiet and low
Asked, What am I bid for the old violin
And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars -- come, who'll make it two
Two thousand, and who'll make it three
Three thousand once and three thousand twice
And going and gone, cried he.

And the people shouted, and some of them cried
We do not quite understand
What changed its worth -- swift came the reply
The touch of the master's hand.
And many a man with life out of tune
And battered and scarred with sin
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine
A game and he travels on
He's going once and he's going twice
He's going and almost gone.
But the master comes and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the master's hand.

Anyone out there old enough to remember Ted Ray? Ted was a British comedian in the golden age of music hall (vaudeville) and radio, who used a fiddle as a prop in his act (rather like Jack Benny). I seem to remember hearing him do this as a monologue (not a song) many years ago.

Anyhow, well done Myra.

Wassil!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Peace
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 12:13 PM

Sorry Susan. I always figuer that the people making the requests have checked it (no offense Catlin). I will not in future.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: open mike
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 12:23 PM

This has been done by Laurie Lewis.

the first line should read battered and scarred.

although some vilins should be scared to go to

people who have no sense of pitch and who do

nopt use rosin!

And for thos who do not know what D.T. means..

if you are ever looking up a song or tune on
the mudcat, always try first to search the
existing archived list ("Digital Tradition = D.T.")
by putting the title or a key word in the
TITLE and KNOWLEDGE SEARCH box and click "DT"

if you also click "forum" you will see any
previous threads where we have discussed it.
Click here to go to our discussion of this 4 years ago

this older thread also contains 5 other clickable links
which contain other info on this and another "auction" song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: open mike
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 12:30 PM

Oh and HERE is another more closely related thread.

where i see i have been scolded for swending people to unrelated songs

but then again the links might be interesting and do have some info.

By the way, welcome to MUDCAT, feel free to come back often, and even
become a member so you can join us in the chat room, send and receive
personal messages and post with your own name. This is a wonderful
resource place and a great place to meet folkies and share info.
I am glad you found us. Most people first find us while doing
a search for lyrics....and many years and many thousands of posts
later wonder how they ever lived without the MUDCAT family!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 12:36 PM

The text that Mike of Northumbria gives above is the one that I am familiar with too, and it rhythmically suits all the sung versions I've heard.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: GUEST,AlanG
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 03:46 PM

It takes me back. My dad had it on a 78rpm record by Tex Ritter (one of the 1950's singing cowboys). I seem to remember that on the other side of the record was "Green Grow the Lilacs" which many years later I discovered is an Apalation version of the English trad song "Green Grow the Laurels".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 08:31 PM

Bonnie-

Thanks for providing the background to this song.

Sally Rogers did a good job of reviving this song, and I haven't a clue where she got it. She was part of our music community when I was living out in deepest darkest Michigan in the 1970's.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 05:29 AM

There are at least two recordings of it available on CD :-
Johnny Collins - A Pedlar of Songs - SCM004
Neasa Nu Annrachain - The Touch of the Master's Hand - RTE CD191

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 08:36 AM

I wasn't going to mention this, since there is no bigger fan of Natalie MacMaster than I am - and I'll step outside with anyone who begs to differ - but there is an incredibly silly, rocked-up, technified, spoken-wordified rendition on one of her albums ...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Touch of the Master's Hand
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 09:49 AM

There's another version on CD by Tom McConville on his 2004 CD "Tune for Michael".

He has the title down as "The Auctioneer" and credits it as trad arr. I guess that the different title may have made it difficult to identify an author. It certainly sounds like a composed song or poem to me rather than trad but the sort of thing that becomes thought of as "traditional".

Whatever, Tom's is a fine version as expeceted.