Lines from the song include “get thee behind me Satan,” “you’re a cheat, you’re a liar, you’re a scoundrel and a thief” and “go to hell in a handbasket, ’cause heaven waits for me.”
At one point during the song, Parton speaks to the choir as though she were a preacher at a revival, saying, “My brothers and my sisters: I’m here to tell you that Satan is real. He is real and walking around amongst us, trying to destroy everything that’s good and beautiful. He wants to break our hearts and minds, destroy our dreams and plans. He wants to tear us up in little pieces, break us down and send us straight to hell.” But God, through his power “can heal the sick, mend broken hearts, and take our souls to heaven.”
Despite her desire not to push an agenda on people, Parton does not skimp on religious themes. In a later song, the Grammy Award-winning singer wrestles with the brokenness in the world, telling God, “I am a seeker and you are a teacher” and “Please forgive us, for we know not what we do.”
Dolly Parton and Zach Wilson also do a beautiful rendition of their single, “There Was Jesus,” a song that in 2020 allowed Parton to achieve her first top single on one of Billboard’s Christian charts. The song is about how Jesus is always with us through our trials, even if we do not sense his presence or his help.
Not all of the musical numbers in the special are religious in nature. Parton sings “It’s Almost Too Early for Christmas” with Jimmy Fallon, “Run, Run Rudolph” with Jimmie Allen, and “Pretty Paper” with Willie Nelson.”
Yet other musical numbers seem to have no reason to be included other than the fact that they are a part of Dolly Parton’s identity and message. Such songs include “Whoever You Are, Be That” and a song she sings with her sisters, titled, ““E-Shay As-Way, Eye-May, Est-Bay, End-Fray.”
With its odd segues, diverse musical numbers, and Parton periodically breaking the fourth wall, some viewers might find “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas” to be a bit strange. One reviewer, in fact, called it “completely bananas.”
But there’s no doubt that people appreciate and enjoy Dolly Parton. The day that the special was released, author and Bible teacher Beth Moore tweeted, “I love @DollyParton. I just do.”
