Rife with passion and a steady rhythm, the melancholic tale of George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s timeless country ballad, “Golden Ring,” hides a heart-wrenching reality. The lyrics weave a poignant narrative around a pawn shop wedding ring, a symbol of love, matrimony, and eventual dissolution. As the song concludes, it mirrors the somber fate that befell the husband-and-wife country duo. Let’s delve into the captivating layers behind the “Golden Ring” and unravel its profound meaning.
Penned by Rafe Van Hoy and Bobby Braddock, the latter found inspiration for the song after watching a television drama that traced the journey of a gun, capturing the shifting hands and the consequent repercussions. Braddock ingeniously adapted this concept, crafting a poignant storyline around a wedding ring. The ballad commences in a humble pawn shop in Chicago, setting the stage for a hopeful beginning: “On a sunny summer day, a couple gazes at the wedding rings there on display. She smiles and nods her head as he says, ‘Honey, that’s for you. It’s not much, but it’s the best that I can do.'”
The song opens with a couple deeply in love, brimming with optimism for their shared future. The chorus resounds, describing the golden ring adorned with a tiny, delicate stone, awaiting someone to claim it as their own. This refrain imparts a sage-like insight, foreshadowing the subsequent events: “By itself, it’s just a cold metallic thing; only love can make a golden wedding ring.” The ballad then traverses through the couple’s journey, chronicling their next chapter. In a modest wedding chapel, later that afternoon, an old upright piano serenades them with a familiar melody. Tears stream down her cheeks as he utters those sacred words, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
The chorus echoes once more, with a slight shift to reflect the evolving circumstances in the lives of the newlyweds. The golden ring, now shining brightly, has finally found a home. Yet, the refrain remains steadfast, emphasizing that without love, the ring is merely an impersonal, metallic object. As the song progresses, it unveils a pivotal moment in the couple’s relationship, a make-or-break stage where their marriage teeters on the edge. In a cramped two-room apartment, the narrative continues, capturing their final clash: “As they fight their final round, he says, ‘You won’t admit it, but I know you’re leaving town.’ She replies, ‘One thing’s for certain, I don’t love you anymore,’ and casts the ring aside as she walks out the door.”
The chorus undergoes another alteration, underscoring the melancholic reality of the discarded golden ring, symbolizing a love that has withered away. It reiterates the crucial message: “By itself, it’s just a cold metallic thing; only love can make a golden wedding ring.”
Finally, the song concludes with the ring returning to its origins: the pawn shop in Chicago on a sunny summer day. Another couple pauses to admire the ring displayed before them, perpetuating the cycle of hopes and dreams encapsulated within this precious symbol.
What renders “Golden Ring” even more poignant is the profound authenticity Jones and Wynette infused into their rendition. Their tumultuous marriage had come to a bitter end, just fourteen months before the song’s release in May 1976. For Jones, collaborating with Wynette after their separation proved challenging. In his memoir, “I Lived To Tell It All,” he confessed, “That wasn’t my idea. In fact, I hated to work with [Tammy]. It brought back too many unpleasant memories, and when some fans saw us together, they got it in their heads that we were going to get back together romantically.”
The undeniable chemistry shared between George Jones and Tammy Wynette, once a blazing flame, flickered when they performed together, leaving audiences yearning for the days when their love burned bright.
Artist: Tammy Wynette
Released: 1975
Album: The Best of George Jones
Genre: Classic Country
Lyrics
In a pawn shop in Chicago
On a sunny summer day
A couple gazes at the
Wedding rings there on display
She smiles and nods her head
As he says, “Honey that’s for you
It’s not much but it’s the best that I can do”
Golden ring (golden ring)
With one tiny little stone
Waiting there (waiting there)
For someone to take it home
By itself (by itself)
It’s just a cold metalic thing
Only love can make a golden wedding ring
In a little wedding chapel
Later on that afternoon
An old upright piano
Plays that old familiar tune
Tears roll down her cheeks
And happy thoughts run through her head
As he whispers low, “With this ring I thee wed”
Golden ring (golden ring)
With one tiny little stone
Shining ring (shining ring)
Now at last it’s found a home
By itself (by itself)
It’s just a cold metalic thing
Only love can make a golden wedding ring
In a small two room apartment
As they fight their final round
He says, “You won’t admit it
But I know you’re leavin’ town”
She says, “One thing’s for certain
I don’t love you anymore”
And throws down the ring
As she walks out the door
Golden ring (golden ring)
With one tiny little stone
Cast aside (cast aside)
Like the love that’s dead and gone
By itself (by itself)
It’s just a cold metalic thing
Only love can make a golden wedding ring
In a pawn shop in Chicago
On a sunny summer day
A couple gazes at the
Wedding rings there on display
Golden ring
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