Verse 1
His hands were never handsome,
Knuckles swollen, fingers scarred,
Black beneath the nails on Friday,
From a lifetime working hard.
He could turn a broken engine,
Bring an old machine to life,
Then come home and peel the potatoes
With those hands beside his wife.
Chorus
Hands of gold,
Rough and worn,
Hands that built a life
From dusk till dawn.
They never wore a diamond,
Never needed one to hold.
Some hands may look like working hands,
But some are hands of gold.
Verse 2
He fixed the gate for Mrs Taylor,
Never charged her for the wood,
Mended bikes for half the children
Simply because he could.
He held his baby daughter
Like the finest thing he’d known,
Those great hands suddenly gentle
As he carried the child home.
Chorus
Hands of gold,
Rough and worn,
Hands that built a life
From dusk till dawn.
They never wore a diamond,
Never needed one to hold.
Some hands may look like working hands,
But some are hands of gold.
Verse 3
Later when his strength deserted him,
And the tools were put away,
His fingers shook around the teacup,
Growing weaker every day.
But when his granddaughter visited,
She placed her hand in his,
And those fingers closed around it
Like they still knew what love is.
Bridge
We praise the hands of surgeons,
We praise the hands that paint,
But there are quiet hands among us
That history never names.
Hands that mend,
Hands that carry,
Hands that give without being told,
And only when they’re gone
Do we know they were gold.
Final Chorus
Hands of gold,
Rough and worn,
Hands that built a family
From dusk till dawn.
No medals on the mantel,
No stories ever told,
Just a lifetime left behind him
By those beautiful hands of gold.
Lyrics Michael Forty
Voice Michael Forty & Friends