At the age of 14 (1957) Danko booked himself as an opening act for ronnie hawkins, & his band The Hawks. Hawkins asked Danko to join his band as a rythym guitarist, though later he would have Danko learn the bass, and by 1960 was Hawkins' bassist.
Around 1963 The Hawks broke away from Hawkins and the members (including Danko) would go on to continue as the Levon Helm Sextet (later renamed to The Canadian Squires and Levon and the Hawks).
In 1965, Bob Dylan recruited Levon and the Hawks to accompany him on his 1965/66 wold tour. However, Levon Helm chose not to tour with Dylan and was replaced on the tour by drummer Mickey Jones. In 1968, Danko and The Hawks, who had moved to Woodstock, where they began to be referred to as simply "the band," began recording with Dylan in the basement of a big pink house that Danko had rented (and which would soon become famous on its on as "Big Pink"). With Levon Helm back in the fold, they also released their first demo, allowing them to secure a record deal with Capitol Records. Working over the next few months, the five-piece band recorded what would become their debut album, Music From Big Pink. At this time, the group more or less officially changed their name from The Hawks to The Band, this time with a capital "B." Shortly after the album was released, Danko was seriously injured in a car crash, breaking his neck and back in nine places. Though he was laid up in traction for many weeks, he recovered and worked with The Band until 1976, when the group did their final concert at San Francisco's Winterland. The film of the concert, directed by Martin Scorsese, was released as "The Last Waltz" in 1978.
Danko would go on to record solo work on Arista Records, releasing his first solo work in 1977 (his self-titled debut). In the early 1990s, Danko teamed with Jonas Fjeld and Eric Andersen and three albums were released, Danko/Fjeld/Andersen in 1991, Ridin' on the Blinds in 1994, and One More Shot in 2001. Danko released a live album in 1997 (Rick Danko in Concert), and, in 1999, he released Live on Breeze Hill, which featured a new studio version of his much-loved song, "Sip the Wine" (the original version was on his first studio album) and was already working on material for his next work called Times Like These. On December 10, 1999, Danko's heart gave out and he passed away in his sleep. Times Like These was released posthumously the following year.
Once Upon a Time
Rick Danko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somehow seemed to rhyme
The wise were always old
And the young were always showed
But very early on, I was spun a different hand
Tried to get along, just by knowin right from wrong
The best offer is a helping hand
And whether you're young or old
Never ever let yourself get put on hold
I would sit on grandps's knee..just to wear his hat
And listen to the tales
From his world of make believe..
As the child comes of age, leave him alone
To turn the page
Luck is the spine..a broken promise of another's mind
Straight goods really are what money cannot buy
Choose your side, and walk with pride
There's no reward for suicide...
The lyrics of Rick Danko's "Once Upon a Time" can be interpreted as an introspective reflection on the singer's life experience. Danko seems to be contemplating on contrasting his own experience with popular preconceptions about growing up and being wise. He acknowledges that in his own life, things did not always follow the conventional wisdom. However, he believes that the best approach to navigating life is by doing what is right, rather than blindly following the rules.
The song's chorus emphasizes the importance of kindness and helping others. Danko believes that everyone needs support, and that we all share a common desire to reach the "promised land." He encourages people, no matter their age, to never relent in their pursuit of their dreams.
The second verse contains a nostalgic reminiscence of the singer sitting on his grandpa's knee and listening to stories. He makes a reference to how elders usually have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that they can impart to younger generations. But, he also acknowledges the importance of young people finding their own way in life and growing up, leaving childhood behind to "turn the page."
In the final verse, Danko muses over the concept of "luck," which he sees as nothing more than an empty promise of someone else's making. He stresses the importance of choosing ones' path in life carefully and walking with pride, and urges listeners that there is no value in sacrificing oneself for others.
Overall, "Once Upon a Time" is a contemplative song that combines Danko's personal philosophy with his deep love for storytelling, both of which he was known for throughout his musical career.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time, everything I thought of
In the past, every idea or thought that came to me easily found a match
Somehow seemed to rhyme
These ideas and thoughts sounded perfect and harmonious to me
The wise were always old
People who were knowledgeable or smart were always older in age
And the young were always showed
Younger people were expected to listen or learn from the older ones
But very early on, I was spun a different hand
However, I was dealt an unexpected set of experiences or circumstances early in life
Tried to get along, just by knowin right from wrong
I tried to navigate these circumstances by following my sense of right and wrong
The best offer is a helping hand
Offering assistance or aid is the most valuable thing you can do for someone
Everyone needs the promised land
Everyone needs a place, a goal or a dream where they feel they belong or can succeed
And whether you're young or old
It doesn't matter how old or young you are
Never ever let yourself get put on hold
Don't wait or pause in pursuing what you want or need
I would sit on grandpa's knee..just to wear his hat
I enjoyed spending time with my grandfather and trying on his hat
And listen to the tales
I loved hearing the stories he had to share
From his world of make believe..
Even if these stories were not literally true, they had a powerful impact on me
As the child comes of age, leave him alone
As a child matures, they need space and independence to explore who they are and what they want
To turn the page
To move forward and embrace the next chapter of their life
Luck is the spine..a broken promise of another's mind
Relying on chance or luck is like trusting a promise that someone else broke
Straight goods really are what money cannot buy
Honesty and integrity are priceless qualities that cannot be acquired by wealth
Choose your side, and walk with pride
Take a stand for what you believe in, and carry yourself with dignity and respect
There's no reward for suicide...
There is no benefit to giving up or sacrificing oneself needlessly
Contributed by Jacob I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robert Sloan
Such an underrated album.
Jóhann Árelíuz
This LP is so underrated ... And, sure, everyone needs a Promised Land! There's not a bad track here, in fact most of them are plain wonderful! Must be a great gig up there somewhere with Danko, Manuel and Helm singing together!
gjs
Wonderful track, in my opinion the best on this album. Rick at his best. He was the first to make a solo studio album after the break up of The Band. Levon's harmony vocal is great and very subtle. Other tracks feature Robbie, Richard and Garth, so they are all there. And there were more guests: Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Blondie Chaplin and Doug Sahm.
Jay T.
Rick Danko is such a fantastic musician
Jay
Long live Rick!
SingleMalt77005
Rick co-wrote this with Emmett Grogan, founder of the Diggers and author of the book "Rigolevio" (and to whom Bob Dylan dedicated his "Street Legal" album).
james mason
i was doing some stuff whilst listening too supertramp, then this came on and i thought "heck this doesn't sound like supertramp, this sounds like the band", then i change to the music program to check and of course its ricK :)
Kent Nelson
thanks for this....