Ruby And Carlos

Ruby said you getting a sin of world of hurt

Down below the mason dumb ass lined the food gets worse

I can't go back to Tennessee

That Nascar country's not for me

Go on if you think you must

Carlos packed his drums up in the darken night

Ruby standing just outside the front porch light

Chain smoking camel straights

The sky off to the east got grey

And he rolled off in a cloud of dust

In a grey coat nicard at the gate, she said,

"You're right it's getting late

You and me got work to do

We can't be burning day light too

She took down the long laid rope

And stayed off that slippery slope

Now Aspen trees were turning gold up top

The talk was buzzing round the beauty shop

Wasn't he barely half her age

Well that's how they do nowadays

We should have all been so lucky

By spring she had the run of the free born men

Ruby turned 50 in a sheep camp tent

Her body still could rock all night

But her heart was closed and locked up tight

But Teddy feels all muddy and brown

The gossip long such quieted down

After one more Cogans test

Pouring coffee for the county vet

Pictures on the ice box door

Carlos in the first gulf war

Black eyed brown and youthful face

Smiling back from a Saudi base

Then Carlos on the big bay mere

Heavier now and longer haired

Looking past the saddle shed

From way back on inside his head

And the whole vet said one day Rub

that cold will break an egg in you

Now and then one comes along

You just can't write and he went on home

And the storm bird didn't catch

And blew back hard as she struck a match

But she cupped it just in time

And she sent that ashtray flying

You holding back the flood

It just don't do no good

You can't unclench your teeth

To howl the way you should

So you curl your lips around

The taste of tears and the hallow sound

And no one owns but you

No one owns but you

Carlos took the road gig

And he saw it through

He rode the tour bus

While the singer flew

Managed out a music road,

Carlos never saw the studio

The session guys had that all sewn up

He looked out the window

And it starts to sleet

Laying on a friends couch on Nevada street

Lately he's been staying high

Sick all winter and don't know why

They Don't know why or won't say

They don't talk much down on the V.A

And Ruby's in his thoughts some times

What thoughts can get out past the wine

He feels his fingers on his brow

And right then he misses how

How she looked in that grey morning light

She never shaved like they all do now

He sees it all behind his eyes

And his hands go searching but they come out dry

Half way in that waken dream

Carlos let's the land line ring

He'd never guess it was Ruby calling

A pen in her hip from the grey coat falling

Figure eights and a lazy loop

Stumbled on that lazy slope

Holding back the flood

It just don't do no good

You can't unclench your teeth

To howl the way you should

So you curl your lips around

The taste of tears and the hallow sound

And no one owns but you

No one owns but you