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Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring

15 Dec 00 - 09:33 PM (#358068)
Subject: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: GUEST,Mary shmmlong@nb.sympatico.ca

I would like to have the words to the old song "(the) Broken Wedding Ring, I have some but some words are missing, Can any one help, Merry Christmas, Mary

15 Dec 00 - 09:57 PM (#358081)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: Malcolm Douglas

Can you quote some of the words that you do have?  It would help us to identify it.  I'm guessing that you mean the Hank Snow song of that name; I don't have it, but I should think that someone round here does.  Give us a few useful clues...

Malcolm

25 Jul 02 - 10:10 PM (#754722)
Subject: Lyr Add: BROKEN WEDDING RING/COWBOY'S WEDDING RING
From: Jim Dixon

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."

25 Jul 02 - 10:16 PM (#754727)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: Jim Dixon

Email sent.

26 Jul 02 - 12:24 PM (#755014)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: masato sakurai

Found Hank Snow's "Broken Wedding Ring" (full recording) at The Record Lady's All-Time Country Favorites (Click on "Real Country Page 27").

~Masato

26 Jul 02 - 12:35 PM (#755020)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: Art Thieme

Masato, ONCE AGAIN, thank you for the link to that site. I just subscribed to their mailing list. How do you find these???

Art

26 Jul 02 - 08:08 PM (#755233)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: masato sakurai

Art, I searched classic country sites, including Classic Country Index and Honkytonk's Country Classics, neither of which contains "Broken Wedding Ring."

~Masato

03 Jun 07 - 02:18 PM (#2067408)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: GUEST,Dan Watt

In 1967 I "collected" a version of this song from a friend in Nova Scotia, then a young woman of about 25 or so.

The lyrics are slightly different from my friend's version. The tune is also slightly different (and I think better) than the one in Edith Fowke's article. Here are the words. She called the song

"My Jack I'll Wed Tonight"

A cowboy and his sweetheart stood beneath the starlight sky,
Tomorrow he was leaving for the lonesome prairie wide.
Says she, "I'll be your lovin' bride when you return someday."
He handed her a broken right and unto to her did say.

"You'll find upon this ring sweetheart my name ingraved in gold,
And I will keep the other half, it bears your name you know."

Three years have passed he did not come and I must wed tonight.
My father says we all will have a happy home so bright.
The lights were gaily glowing as they stood there side by side.
"Let's drink a toast to this young man and to his lovin' bride."

Just then there stood within the door a figure tall and slim.
A handsome cowboy was their guest and slowly he walked in.
"I'll drink a toast with you," said he and quickly in her glass
He dropped his half of the broken ring and anxiously he watched.

She tipped the glass up to her lips, the ring fell shining bright.
"It's you my cowboy sweetheart and my Jack I'll wed tonight."

03 Jun 07 - 02:31 PM (#2067423)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: (The) Broken Wedding Ring
From: Malcolm Douglas

Roud 4053, Laws dB39. An interesting reworking of an old, recurrent theme: it's virtually the dénouement of the 'Hind Horn' story.