BROKEN WEDDING RING, by Hank Snow, is available on the 5-CD set, "Yodelling Ranger (1936-1947)," Bear Family CD #15587, 1994.From CDNOW's sound sample, I was able to transcribe the following excerpt:
"You'll find upon that ring, sweetheart, my name engraved in gold,
And I shall keep the other half which bears your name, you know.
Three years have passed. He did not come, and Nell will wed tonight..."Then I found the following version in an article called "Songs of a Manitoba Family" from the Canadian Journal for Traditional Music (1975) on this web page: http://cjtm.icaap.org/content/3/v3art7.html
The writer says the song is derived from Hank Snow's version.Because of some formatting problem, the lyrics of two songs were apparently scrambled together. I hope I unscrambled them correctly, yet something seems to be missing.
THE COWBOY'S WEDDING RING
A cowboy with his sweetheart stood beneath the starlit sky.
Tomorrow he was leaving for that lonesome prairie wide.
She said, "I'll be your loving bride when you return someday."
He handed her a broken ring and this to her did say:"You'll find inside this ring, sweetheart, my name engraved in gold.
I will keep the other half, which bears your name, you know."
He rode away to toil next day, this cowboy brave and bold,
And as he swayed and as he strayed his maiden's love grew cold.Three years they passed. He did not come, and Nell will wed tonight.
Her father hoped some earl she'd wed, a happy home so bright.
The lights were gaily glowing as they stood there side by side.
"We'll drink a toast to this young man and to his lovely bride."She tipped the glass and from her lips the ring fell shining bright.
The token she had longed to see fell there beneath the light.
Just then there stood within the door a cowboy tall and slim.
"I'll drink a toast to you," said he, and slowly he walked in."Three years, my cowboy sweetheart, and love's won its last long fight.
It's you, my cowboy sweetheart, and my Jack I'll wed tonight."