The first of his American television roles was as family patriarch Ben Cartwright on the long-running western series Bonanza (1959–1973), making Greene a household name. He garnered the role after having turned in a highly-regarded performance in a production of Nineteen Eighty-Four for the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). After the cancellation of Bonanza, he was host for the CBS nature documentary series "Last of the Wild" from 1974 to 1975. During the 1977 miniseries, Roots, he played the first master of Kunta Kinte, John Reynolds.
Greene's next best-known role was Commander Adama, another patriarchal figure, in the science fiction feature film and television series Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979) and Galactica 1980 (1980).
In 1964, Greene had a #1 single on the music charts with his hit ballad, "Ringo." [[1]] He was also known as the host and narrator of the nature series, Lorne Greene's New Wilderness. He also appeared in the HBO mockumentary The Canadian Conspiracy, about the supposed subversion of the United States by Canadian-born media personalities. For nearly a decade, Greene co-hosted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. He is also fondly remembered as the founder of Toronto's Academy of Radio Arts which had been founded as the Lorne Greene School of Broadcasting.
Ringo
Lorne Greene Lyrics
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Clutching his six-gun in his hand
Shot from behind, I thought he was dead
But under his heart was an ounce of lead
But a spark still burned so I used my knife
And late that night I saved the life of Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
I nursed him till the danger passed
The days went by, he mended fast
Then from dawn till setting sun
He practiced with that deadly gun
And hour on hour I watched in awe
No human being could match the draw of Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
One day we rode the mountain crest
And I went east and he went west
I took to law and wore a star
While he spread terror near and far
With lead and blood he gained such fame
All through the West they feared the name of Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
I knew someday I'd face the test
Which one of us would be the best
And sure enough the word came down
That he was holed up in the town
I left the posse out in the street
And I went in alone to meet Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
They said my speed was next to none
But my lightning draw had just begun
When I heard a blast that stung my wrist
The gun went flying from my fist
And I was looking down the bore
Of the deadly .44 of Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
They say that was the only time
That anyone had seen him smile
He slowly lowered his gun and then
He said to me "We're even, friend"
And so at last I understood
That there was still a spark of good in Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
I blocked the path of his retreat
He turned and stepped into the street
A dozen guns spit fire and lead
A moment later, he lay dead
The town began to shout and cheer
Nowhere was there shed a tear for Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
The story spread throughout the land
That I had beaten Ringo's hand
And it was just the years, they say
That made me put my guns away
But on his grave they can't explain
The tarnished star above the name of Ringo
(Ringo, Ringo)
(Ringo, Ringo)
The song "Ringo" by Lorne Greene tells a story of a man who saves the life of the notorious outlaw Ringo, only to face him in a showdown years later. The singer finds Ringo lying face down in the desert sand, shot from behind and with an ounce of lead under his heart. He nurses him back to health and watches in awe as he practices with his deadly gun. Eventually, they part ways, with the singer becoming a lawman and Ringo continuing his life of crime. The two men come face to face when Ringo is holed up in a town, and a showdown ensues. The singer is shot but still manages to draw his gun, only to have it knocked out of his hand by Ringo's shot. Ringo shows a spark of goodness by letting him go, but is ultimately killed by a group of men in the town.
The song highlights the themes of redemption and morality, showcasing how even notorious outlaws can hold a spark of goodness within them. It also portrays the idea that there is always someone faster and better, encouraging humility in the face of such inevitabilities.
Line by Line Meaning
He lay face down in the desert sand
Ringo was lying face down on the desert sand.
Clutching his six-gun in his hand
Ringo had his six-gun in his hand.
Shot from behind, I thought he was dead
I thought Ringo was dead, as he was shot from behind.
But under his heart was an ounce of lead
There was an ounce of lead under Ringo's heart.
But a spark still burned so I used my knife
I used my knife to keep alive the spark burning within Ringo.
And late that night I saved the life of Ringo
I saved Ringo's life late that night.
I nursed him till the danger passed
I took care of Ringo until the danger was gone.
The days went by, he mended fast
Ringo healed quickly in the following days.
Then from dawn till setting sun
From sunrise to sunset, Ringo practiced with his deadly gun.
He practiced with that deadly gun
Ringo practiced with his deadly gun for hours on end.
And hour on hour I watched in awe
I spent hours watching Ringo in awe.
No human being could match the draw of Ringo
No one could beat Ringo when it came to drawing his gun.
One day we rode the mountain crest
One day we rode along the mountain crest.
And I went east and he went west
I went east and Ringo went west.
I took to law and wore a star
I became a lawman and wore a star.
While he spread terror near and far
Ringo terrorized people far and wide.
With lead and blood he gained such fame
Ringo became famous for killing people.
All through the West they feared the name of Ringo
People in the West were afraid of Ringo's name.
I knew someday I'd face the test
I knew that one day I would have to face Ringo.
Which one of us would be the best
I wondered who would come out on top.
And sure enough the word came down
I eventually heard that Ringo was hiding in a town.
That he was holed up in the town
Ringo was hiding in the town.
I left the posse out in the street
I left the posse outside and went in alone.
And I went in alone to meet Ringo
I went in alone to face Ringo.
They said my speed was next to none
People always said that I was incredibly fast.
But my lightning draw had just begun
My lightning-fast draw was just starting.
When I heard a blast that stung my wrist
Suddenly, there was a blast that stung my wrist.
The gun went flying from my fist
My gun flew out of my hand.
And I was looking down the bore
Ringo had his gun pointed straight at me.
Of the deadly .44 of Ringo
Ringo's gun was a deadly .44.
They say that was the only time
People say that was the only time Ringo smiled.
That anyone had seen him smile
No one had seen Ringo smile before that moment.
He slowly lowered his gun and then
Ringo lowered his gun slowly.
He said to me "We're even, friend"
Ringo said to me, "We're even, friend."
And so at last I understood
Finally, I understood something.
That there was still a spark of good in Ringo
There was still some good left in Ringo.
I blocked the path of his retreat
I blocked Ringo's way out.
He turned and stepped into the street
Ringo turned and walked into the street.
A dozen guns spit fire and lead
A dozen guns fired bullets at Ringo.
A moment later, he lay dead
A moment later, Ringo was dead.
The town began to shout and cheer
The town celebrated by shouting and cheering.
Nowhere was there shed a tear for Ringo
No one shed a tear for Ringo.
The story spread throughout the land
The story of Ringo's death spread everywhere.
That I had beaten Ringo's hand
People said that I had beaten Ringo.
And it was just the years, they say
People say that it was only time that made me give up my guns.
That made me put my guns away
I stopped carrying guns.
But on his grave they can't explain
However, no one can explain something about Ringo's grave.
The tarnished star above the name of Ringo
There is a tarnished star above Ringo's name on the grave.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Don Robertson, Hal Blair
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind