Ames was born in Malden, Massachusetts to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. He was one of nine children, five boys and four girls. Ames grew up in a poor household, but was educated in Classical and Opera music, as well as in Literature, such as Shakespeare. Ames was very athletic as a child and teenager, but he always knew that music would one day become his future destiny, as well as for his brothers; Gene, Mac, Vic and Joe. Together, while still in high school, the brothers formed a quartet and often won competitions around the Boston area in Massachusetts. Three of the brothers later formed the Amory Brothers quartet and went to New York, where they were hired by bandleader Art Mooney. Abe Burrows, a playwright entertainer at the time who helped the brothers along the way, had suggested the brothers change their names to the Ames Brothers.
They were first signed on with Decca Records in 1948. However, because of the Musician Union's ban, their records from Decca were never released. Instead, they signed on with another label, Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca. They had their first major hit in the 1950s with the double-sided "Ragg Mopp" and "Sentimental Me". Following this, the Brothers continued to have success throughout the 50s with many hits like "It Only Hurts For a Little While", "Man With The Banjo" and "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane". The brothers also made appearances regularly on variety shows, and even for a short period of time had their very own 15 minute variety show in 1955.
In 1960, The Ames Brothers disbanded, and Ed Ames, pursuing a career in acting, studied at the Herbert Berghoff School. His first starring role was in an Off-Broadway production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, going on to starring performances in The Fantasticks and Carnival!, which was on Broadway. He was also in the national touring company of Carnival.
Although Ames was Jewish, his dark complexion led to his being cast regularly as an American Indian. His greatest success as a stage actor came when he played Chief Bromden in the Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, opposite Kirk Douglas. Talent scouts at 20th Century Fox saw Ed in the production and invited him to play the Native American Mingo on the television show Daniel Boone.
While playing Mingo on television, Ames developed some skill in throwing a tomahawk. This led to one of the most memorable moments of his career, when he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on April 29, 1965. During the course of the show, Ames and Johnny Carson were discussing Ames' tomahawk throwing abilities. When Ames claimed that he could hit a target from across the room, Carson asked Ames if he could demonstrate this skill. Ames agreed, and a wood panel with a chalk outline of a cowboy was brought on to the stage. Ames proceeded to throw the tomahawk, which hit the "cowboy" in the tip of the crotch. This led to a very long burst of laughter from the audience and Carson's famous ad-libs; "I didn't even know you were Jewish!" and "Welcome to Frontier Bris."
During the 1960s, Ed returned to singing, this time however as a solo artist. He released his first single, "Try to Remember", in 1965. The song barely made the charts. However, a bigger success came in 1967 with "My Cup Runneth Over". The song was both a Pop hit and an Adult Contemporary hit. He had less success on the Pop charts soon after, and only had Adult Contemporary hits. The hits were "When the Snow Is On the Roses", "Time Time" and "Timeless Love". He did make the Pop Top Twenty one last time in his singing career with the song "Who Will Answer" in 1968.
Ames's distinctive baritone is a regular radio presence during Christmas season, too, thanks to his version of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Written originally in response to the Cuban missile crisis, the song received its best-selling treatment from Bing Crosby in 1962, but Ames's version--recorded a few years later, during the peak of his solo recording career, is in frequent holiday rotation.
Apologize
Ed Ames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the words of wrath rang out
When my mind was filled with questions
And my head was filled with doubt
I can still see sadness heartbreak
And the sorrow in your eyes
How can flowers live in darkness
For the blackness I've created
In the world that used to shine
I have wilted all the roses
And I spoiled all the wine
Just get out your magic pencil
And erase the cloudy skies
Just draw a picture of me
Saying, I apologize
Give me back
The words I spoke in haste
Give em back
Or love will go to waste
Give em back
See the sunlight reappearing
Through the shrouds of darkened blue
As I hear the words forgiving
And watch the flowers bloom
And when time has lost that moment
And we mended broken ties
I will stay be on my knees
Saying, I apologize
Give me back
The words I spoke in haste
Give em back
Or love will go to waste
Give em back
The lyrics of Ed Ames's song "Apologize" revolve around a narrator who has made a mistake in the heat of the moment and deeply regrets it. The singer acknowledges that harsh words were spoken and the anger that had fueled the exchange had blinded him to the emotional pain he had inflicted on the other person. The singer vividly remembers the sadness, heartbreak, and sorrow he saw in the other person's eyes and wonders how he could offer an apology. He acknowledges the blackness he's created in a world that used to shine, spoiling all the beauty he had once enjoyed. Yet, he is not without hope; he believes that he can erase the cloudy skies, draw a picture of himself saying "I apologize," and restore what he has lost.
As the singer seeks forgiveness, he recognizes that his regret can only be fulfilled by retracting his hasty words, which caused the emotional pain in the first place. He pleads with his beloved to give him back his words and not to let love go to waste. As he slowly sees the sunlight reappearing through the shrouds of darkened blue, the singer hears words of forgiveness and watches as the flowers bloom. As he finally mends the broken ties, he stays on his knees and continues to apologize, hoping that time will heal the scars he has caused.
Line by Line Meaning
In the fury of the moment
During a heated argument or disagreement
When the words of wrath rang out
When angry and hurtful words were spoken
When my mind was filled with questions
When I was confused and uncertain
And my head was filled with doubt
And I was unsure of what to do
I can still see sadness heartbreak
I can still feel the pain and sadness in your eyes and heart
And the sorrow in your eyes
And I can see the sadness in your eyes
How can flowers live in darkness
How can beautiful things exist in a dark and negative environment
How can I apologize
How can I make things right and ask for forgiveness
For the blackness I've created
For the negativity and darkness I have caused
In the world that used to shine
In a world that was once filled with happiness and light
I have wilted all the roses
I have destroyed all the beauty and goodness that once existed
And I spoiled all the wine
And I have ruined all the good things that we shared
Just get out your magic pencil
Just imagine a way to make things better
And erase the cloudy skies
And make everything bright and happy again
Just draw a picture of me
Just envision me doing the right thing
Saying, I apologize
Asking for forgiveness and wanting to make amends
Give me back
Let me take back
The words I spoke in haste
The hurtful and rash things I said without thinking
Or love will go to waste
Or our love and relationship will be ruined
See the sunlight reappearing
Seeing the beauty and good things coming back
Through the shrouds of darkened blue
Through the sadness and negative feelings
As I hear the words forgiving
As I hear you saying that you forgive me
And watch the flowers bloom
And see the beauty and happiness come back to our lives
And when time has lost that moment
And when enough time has passed and things have healed
And we mended broken ties
And we fixed the problems in our relationship
I will stay be on my knees
I will still be asking for your forgiveness and showing my remorse
Saying, I apologize
Continuing to ask for forgiveness and making things right
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.