Early life
After the separation of his parents, Lee grew up in Sacramento on the poultry farm of his grandparents. At the age of seven, he began playing the saxophone, and at the age of nine became a member of a dance ensemble. In 1969, he joined the Chester Smith Band and had his first television appearance. A short time later, he worked with the country musician Del Reeves.
He founded his first band, Apollo, in 1962. He briefly battled a cocaine addiction and moved to Iceland to go to rehab. The band, which changed its name later to Lee Greenwood Affair, played mostly pop music and appeared mostly in casinos in Las Vegas. A few records were recorded in Los Angeles with the Paramount label. After the band broke up in the 1970s, Greenwood moved back to Las Vegas, where he worked as a black jack dealer during the day, and as a singer at night.
Career
In 1979, he was discovered in Reno, Nev., by Larry McFaden, the bandleader and bassist of Mel Tillis. After making some demo tapes, Greenwood was signed in 1981 by the Nashville-based MCA label, and McFaden became his manager.
The first single, "It Turns Me Inside Out", made it to a spot in the top 20 of the country charts. Greenwood had written this song for Kenny Rogers, but Rogers turned it down due to the sheer volume of songs he had been offered at the time. "Ring On Her Finger and Time on her Hands" landed him in the country top 10.
He is best known for writing and recording the patriotic song "God Bless the USA" in the early 1980s. "God Bless the USA" gained renewed popularity following the launch of Operation: Desert Storm in 1991, and again, ten years later, following the September 11, 2001 attacks; in fact, the song even re-entered the Top 20 of the country charts in late 2001. Since then, Greenwood has played at many public events and commemorations of the attacks. He supports the United States Republican Party.
Theater
In 1995, Greenwood took a break from his touring schedule to spend time with his wife and newborn son. In his time off, he elected to build a theater in Sevierville, Tenn., and in April 1996, the "Lee Greenwood Theater" opened its doors. This gave Greenwood the opportunity to still perform daily shows, in addition to being with his family. The theater operated for five seasons, and closed for Greenwood to continue touring. The theater was not located in the heavily entertainment and tourist oriented areas of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Gatlinburg, Tenn., which contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church.
Ring On Her Finger
Lee Greenwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And vowed that she'd never love anyone else again, only me
As pure as her gown of white, she stood by my side
And promised that she'd love me till the day she died
Lord, please forgive her
Even though she lied
'Cause you're the only one who knows
She had a ring on her finger and time on her hands
The woman in her needed the warmth of a man
The gold turned cold in her wedding band
It's just a ring on your finger when there's time on your hands
When I add up all the countless nights
She cried herself to sleep
And all the broken promises
I somehow failed to keep, I can't blame her
I'm the one who left her too many times alone
In a three bedroom prison, she tried to make a home
Her love slowly died but the fire inside still burned
In the arms of a stranger was the only place left to turn
She had a ring on her finger and time on her hands
The woman in her needed the warmth of a man
The gold turned cold in her wedding band
It's just a ring on your finger when there's time
She had a ring on her finger and time on her hands
The woman in her needed the warmth of a man
The gold turned cold in her wedding band
It's just a ring on your finger when there's time on your hands
The lyrics of Lee Greenwood's "Ring On Her Finger" tell the story of a woman who got married to the person she loves, and vowed to love no one but him. However, as time passed, the circumstances changed, and the relationship deteriorated. She found herself with "time on her hands" as her love for her partner slowly died, and turned to the arms of a stranger, giving up on the promise she made on her wedding day. The lyrics also highlight the singer's awareness of his own shortcomings in the relationship, as he admits to leaving her alone too many times and failing to keep promises.
Greenwood portrays a complex situation in the song where the love in a relationship fades, and a person is left with only a physical symbol of their love - a cold, golden band on their finger. He touches upon the themes of love, commitment, and regret, portraying how difficult it can be to hold on to love and the importance of communication to maintain a healthy relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
She stood before God, her family and friends
At her wedding ceremony, she made a solemn oath before God, her loved ones and friends
And vowed that she'd never love anyone else again, only me
She promised to love only her spouse for the rest of her life, forsaking all others
As pure as her gown of white, she stood by my side
Her commitment to her partner was as true and genuine as her white wedding dress
And promised that she'd love me till the day she died
She pledged to love her spouse till the very end of her life
Lord, please forgive her
Asking for divine forgiveness on her behalf
Even though she lied
Acknowledging that she might have betrayed her commitment
'Cause you're the only one who knows
Admitting that only God truly understands the reasons and motivations behind her actions
Just how hard she tried
Requesting God to understand the effort and struggle she put into her marriage
She had a ring on her finger and time on her hands
She possessed a wedding ring but had a lot of free time on her own
The woman in her needed the warmth of a man
Her feminine desires craved the intimacy and companionship of a man
The gold turned cold in her wedding band
The precious metal of her ring lost its symbolic value as it couldn't keep her love warm
It's just a ring on your finger when there's time on your hands
A marital symbol loses its worth if the relationship isn't nurtured and given attention
When I add up all the countless nights
Reflecting on the countless times she spent in agony and pain
She cried herself to sleep
Her emotional distress was so grave that it reduced her to crying herself to sleep
And all the broken promises
Acknowledging the promises the singer failed to keep despite her needs and demands
I somehow failed to keep, I can't blame her
Taking full responsibility for the failed aspects of their marriage and absolving his wife of the blame
I'm the one who left her too many times alone
Realizing that the artist neglected his wife's needs and left her alone too often
In a three bedroom prison, she tried to make a home
Despite her discontentment and confinement, she attempted to create a loving home for her family
Her love slowly died but the fire inside still burned
Her love for the singer may have diminished, but her passion and desire remained intense and untamed
In the arms of a stranger was the only place left to turn
Her desperation for love and affection drove her into the arms of another man
Contributed by Adalyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jim Cholley
THE TOP 50 BILLBOARD ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE
HOT COUNTRY SINGLES
1982
Number 49
RING ON HER FINGER, TIME ON HER HANDS
Lee Greenwood
Words & music by
Don Goodman, Pam Rose,
Mary Ann Kennedy
Produced by
Jerry Crutchfield
From the album
INSIDE OUT
Panorama Records
MCA Records
MCA-52026
First Chart Date:
Saturday, March 27, 1982
77-62-52-44-37-24-22-20-12-10-8-7-6-5-10-46-59-92
Last Chart Date:
Saturday, July 24, 1982
Total weeks on the chart:
18
Peak Position on the chart:
5 [1 week]
OneVoiceUSA
This song speaks to so many, and I feel every single word!
Rosemary Warnes
I hadn't heard this song in many years. This morning on car radio they played it. It brought back lots of memories. When I got home I down loaded it. I'm married again now to a beautiful man. He reminds me everyday how much he loves me. To all of you I pray that you will experience true love. There's someone looking for you and wanting the love that only you can give.
Cynthia Martin
One of the greatest voices ! Love all his songs 👍
Jarriq Tha Great
Most Powerful song of my childhood. Now I can actually understand it.
Helen Courtois-Polacek
I just found this awesome song this morning for the first time. WOW, Where has it been all this time 😢
Jenn Kokenny
Well it's been out since 1982 so the question is, where have you been? 😆 🤣 😂
myfavlb
Brings memories. Used to play this on cassette. Great song and great voice!
Lasse 1964
trasures as a gold!!!!!! very beautiful song from amazing decades of the 80s....Really unforgettable song.
Lasse 1964
@Elani Aniyvwia definitely you need a good doctor what are you telling us now??? Grazy
David Fisher
This song means a lot to me