Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town

Annotation

The country-rock song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" (Reprise Records # 0829) written by country artist Mel Tillis, told the story of a veteran disabled in that "old crazy Asian war" - presumed to be Vietnam, but also possibly a reference to the Korean War.1 It was first released by Johnny Darrell in 1967 - "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", which reached # 9 in the Billboard country chart. This version reached # 6 in the Billboard Hot 100.23 It dealt with themes typically found in a post-Vietnam war song. The soldier said that he "was proud to...do my patriotic chore". Unfortunately, he returned to the US with his "legs...bent and paralysed". As a result, his sweetheart left him.Answer records: Dori Helms - "Ruby's Answer" (Little Darlin' Records # LD-0029) (1967). Dodie Stevens - "Billy, I've Got to Go to Town" (World Pacific # 77927) (1969). Sources1Wikipedia: Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town↩2Billboard, 23 August 1969↩3Billboard↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs

The country-rock song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" (Reprise Records # 0829) written by country artist Mel Tillis, told the story of a veteran disabled in that "old crazy Asian war" - presumed to be Vietnam, but also possibly a reference to the Korean War.1 It was first released by Johnny Darrell in 1967 - "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", which reached # 9 in the Billboard country chart. This version reached # 6 in the Billboard Hot 100.23 It dealt with themes typically found in a post-Vietnam war song. The soldier said that he "was proud to...do my patriotic chore". Unfortunately, he returned to the US with his "legs...bent and paralysed". As a result, his sweetheart left him.Dori Helms - "Ruby's Answer" (Little Darlin' Records # LD-0029) (1967). Dodie Stevens - "Billy, I've Got to Go to Town" (World Pacific # 77927) (1969).Sources1Wikipedia: Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town↩2Billboard, 23 August 1969↩3Billboard↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: You've painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted hair / Ruby are you contemplating, going out somewhere / The shadow on the wall, tells me the sun is going down / Oh Ruby, don't take your love to town / It wasn't me that started that crazy Asian war / But I was proud to go and do my patriotic chore / And yes, it's true that, I'm not the man I used to be, oh, Ruby I still need some company / It's hard to love a man, whose legs are bent and paralysed / That my wants and needs of a woman of your age Ruby, I realised / Oh Ruby, don't take your love to town / She's leaving now 'cause I just heard the slamming of the door the way / I know I've heard it some 100 times before / And if I could move I'd get my gun and put her in the ground / Oh Ruby, don't take your love to town

Notes

Reprise 0829 (L6669), "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" (Mel Tillis), 2:52, Cedarwood Pub. Co., BMI; from the Reprise album RS 6328 "The First Edition '69"; arranged by Glen D. Hardin; produced by Jimmy Bowen; manufactured by Amos Productions, Inc.; "Reprise Records, a division of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Records, Inc." The UK pressing is Reprise K 14009 (K 14009 A), Side One, 45 RPM, ℗ 1969, publisher Southern, "Manufactured in the UK", credited to Kenny Rogers & The First Edition, in a Reprise Records Hollywood company sleeve "Distributed by Pye Records (Sales) Ltd., A.T.V. House, Gt. Cumberland Place, London, W.1". [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American pop group formed 1967 in Los Angeles, California ('Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town'). [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War · Answer to Ruby

In collections

US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]