dolly parton
Katherine Bomboy/NBC

Country legend Dolly Parton performed her hit song “Go to Hell” during a special, passionately rebuking the devil during prime-time TV. The Grammy-winning songstress, who included the tune in her “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas” special on NBC, has long been outspoken about her faith.

Parton’s tune is about telling Satan to “go to hell,” with the lyrics repeating that refrain, among other chastisements. “Take your wars and your politics, your lust, and your greed, and go to hell in a handbasket, ’cause heaven waits for me,” she sang. “You’re a cheat; you’re a liar; you’re a scoundrel and a thief.”

Parton danced and sang along with a choir as a man portraying Satan followed her around the stage. At one point, Parton stops to deliver the performance’s climax: a mini-sermon directed at the devil.

“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,” she said. “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.”

And Parton wasn’t done there. She said her God “can do anything,” including healing the sick, mending hearts, and bringing souls to heaven. Parton has openly spoken about her belief in God and faith and has partnered with Christian music artists in recent years.

The two-hour special featured musical guests Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmie Allen, Zach Williams and Miley Cyrus, with actors Tom Everett Scott, Angel Parker and Ana Gasteyer costarring alongside Dolly. Mary Lane Haskell, Bryan Batt, Brendan Bradley, John Newberg, Rachel Parton George, Cassie Parton Griffith, Rhoda Griffis, Liam Rauhoff and Steve Summers. There was also a movie that accompanied the Christmas special.

The Emmy Award-winning Kathryn Burns choreographed musical numbers alongside assistant choreographer David Hull. The new film was filled with songs that capture the spirit of Christmas and the importance of gathering with family during the holidays. Parton also performed two of her iconic songs (“9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You”) as well as a new holiday melody produced just for the film.

She won a Grammy in 2021 alongside Christian singer Zach Williams for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for their duet version of Williams’ song, “There Was Jesus.” She also won a Grammy in 2020 alongside Christian band For KING & COUNTRY for the duet rendition of their single, “God Only Knows.”

Dolly Parton has been in the music industry for a long time, so it’s refreshing to see that she’s not afraid to share her faith. With so many other stars that look up to her, perhaps she might inspire them to be more open about publicly sharing their faith. Parton told PEOPLE, “I just feel like that it was time for me to do another special like this, with good music, with comedy, with meaningful things and to kind of make you feel entertained for a couple hours just to get away from everything else.”

More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad