Chords for James McMurtry - "Ruby and Carlos" - KXT Live Sessions

[A] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ Ruby said you're getting us [E] in a world of hurt. _ _ _
[A] Down below the Mason [D] _
[E] dumbass line
the food gets worse. _ _
[A] _ [D] I can't [E] go back to Tennessee, _ [A] that NASCAR [D] country's not for
me.
_ _ [F#m] _ _ Go on if you think you must.
[E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _
Carlos [D] packed his drums [E] up in the dark of
night.
_ _ _ _ [A] _
Ruby [D] standing just [A] outside [E] the front porch of light.
_ _ _ _ [D] _
Chains smoking
[E] camel straights.
[A] The sky off to [D] the east got gray _
[F#m] _ and he rolled off in a cloud of
dust.
[E] _ _ _ And the gray [D] coat _ knickered at the [E] gate.
She said [A] you're right it's getting
[D] late. _
[F#m] You and me got work to do.
[E] Can't be burning daylight too.
_ _ [D] She [A] took down [E] a
long lead [A] rope and stayed off of [D] that slippery _ [F#m] slope. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
The [D] aspen trees were
burning [E] gold up top.
_ _ _ _ [A] _
The talk was buzzing round [E] the beauty shop.
_ _ _ [A] [D] Well wasn't he
barely [E] half her age. _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ Oh that's just how [D] they do nowadays. _ _ _ _
_ [F#m] _ Wish it all have been
so lucky.
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ By spring [D] she'd had the [E] run of the freeborn men. _ _
_ [A] And Ruby [D] turned
fifty [E]
in a sheep camp tent. _ _ _
[A] [D] And her body [E] still could rock all [A] night but her heart
was [D] closed and locked up tight.
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [F#m] _ Potato fields all muddy and brown.
[E] The gossip
long since quieted down. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ And after one [E] more Coggins [A] test.
_ Pouring coffee [D] for the
county vet.
_ [F#m] _ _ _ Pictures on the icebox [E] door of Carlos in the first Gulf War.
[D] Black
eyed brown and youthful face.
[E] Smiling back from a Saudi base. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ And then [D] Carlos
on [A] the big bay mare.
_ Heavier [D] now and longer haired. _ _ _
[F#m] _ _ _ _ _ Looking past the saddle
shed [E] from way on back inside his head. _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ [D] And the old [E] vet said one day Rube that
[A] colt'll break [D] an egg in you.
_ _ _ _ _ [F#m] _
Now and then one comes along [E] he just can't ride.
And he
went on [A] home.
[D] And the [E] storm door didn't catch.
[A]
It blew back hard [D] as she struck a
match [F#m] but she cupped it just in time. _ _
_ _ [E] Then she sent the ashtray flying. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C#m] _ [D] _ _ And
[E] holding back the flood [A] _ just [F#m]
don't do no good.
[D] _ You [E] can't unclench your [A] teeth [E] to
[F#m] howl the way you [D] should.
So [E] you curl your lips around [A] the taste [E] of tears [F#m] and a
hollow sound that no one [D] owns but you.
_ [E] _ No one owns but you. _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ Carlos took the [D] road
gig [E] and he saw it through. _ _ _ _
[A] _ He rode the tour bus [E] while the singer flew. _ _ _ _
[D] _ [A] Managed
out a [E] music row.
_ [A]
Carlos never saw the [D] studio. _ _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ _ Session guys had that all sewn [E] up. _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ He looks out the window and it [E] starts to sleet. _ _
_ [A] _ _ Laying on a [D] friend's [E] couch on
Nevada Street. _ _ _
[A] _ [D] And lately [E] he's been staying high.
[A] Sick all [C#m] winter [D] and they
don't know why.
_ _ [F#m] They don't know why [A] or they just won't say.
They [E] don't talk much
down at the VA. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ And Ruby's in his thoughts [E] _ sometimes.
[A] What thoughts can get
out [D] past the wine. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _
He feels her fingers on his brow.
[E] _
And right then he misses how
she [D] looked in that gray morning light.
She [E] never shaved like they all do now.
[D] He
sees it [A] all behind his eyes.
And his [E] hands go searching but they come up dry. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] And [D] halfway in [E] that waking [A] dream _ Carlos lets [D] the landline ring. _ _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
And [D] he'd never
[E] have guessed it was Ruby calling.
[A] A pin in her hip from [D] the gray coat falling. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ Figure eights in a lazy [E] lope _ stumbled on that slippery _ slope. _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ And [E] holding back the
flood [A] _ _ [E] just [F#m] don't do no [D] good.
_ You [E] can't unclench your [A] teeth to [F#m] howl the way you
[D] should.
So you [E] curl your lips [A] around the taste of [E]
tears and [F#m] a hollow sound that
[D] no one owns but you.
_ _ [E] No one owns but you. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _