Song · Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
“Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town” by Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
From the EP Kenny Rogers and The First Edition (1977)
“Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town” by Kenny Rogers & The First Edition appears on 1 radio countdown from 1 station in 2020. It was first released in 1977 on the EP Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. Its best result is #1934 on the WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #8,208 indie & aaa song of all time.
Mel Tillis wrote "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", and Kenny Rogers and the First Edition put it out in 1969: a bleak little country melodrama told by a paralyzed veteran. He lies there helpless while his wife gets herself done up for an evening out without him, and he's sure she's going looking for another man. When the door slams behind her, he confesses he'd kill her if he could only get to his gun, then pleads with her to think again.
A line about a war in Asia, and the moment the record appeared, had listeners hearing a Vietnam vet, though Tillis has said the man he had in mind was a World War II veteran. The group's version later resurfaced on a 1977 EP that carries their name.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1934 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
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