Download   I’ve never liked anyone named Ruby.  Well, truthfully, I’ve never met anyone named Ruby.  But if I did, I wouldn’t like her… because of this song.

Oh, this Kenny Rogers classic starts out innocent enough: “You’ve painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted hair”.  But then it gets just a bit ominous with “Ruby, are you contemplating going out somewhere?”.  Hmmm…. husband doesn’t seem to be going along.  Then it’s  “Oh, Ruby, don’t take your love to town”.  She’s takin’ her “love” somewhere and he’s not invited.  Houston, we have a problem…

“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” is quite sinister on several levels.  We find our hero is paralyzed and apparently sits helplessly in a wheelchair – a victim of that “crazy Asian war”, Vietnam.  She’s getting all painted up to go out and leave him there for the night, in spite of his entreaty that he “still needs some company”.  Not feelin’ real good about her now, are you?  But then he gives her an excuse: “It’s hard to love a man whose legs are bent and paralyzed – and the wants and needs of a woman your age, Ruby, I realize”.  Okay, hormones and all that.  Kinda-sorta understandable.  But then he says, “But it won’t be long, I’ve heard them say, until I’m not around”.  BAM!  Right back in the bitch category!  The door slams – she’s leaving anyway – as we knew she would.  Our hero mutters to himself, “If I could move I’d get my gun and put her in the ground”.  Okay, that’s disturbing, but who can blame him?

Still want to perform this song?  In the right venue, this piece would be a definite crowd-pleaser.  It’s the very last spoken line that will sell this one onstage for you – both chilling and heartbreaking at the same time: “Ruby… for God’s sake, turn around”.  Save all your emotion and drama for that one sentence.  Lower the mic, drop your head, and let the stage lights slowly fade.  Powerful…