Biography:
James McMurtry (born March 18, 1962 in Fort Worth, Texas) is a Texas rock/Texas Country singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader and occasional actor (Daisy Miller, Lonesome Dove). He performs as James McMurtry And The Heartless Bastards with veteran bandmates and rhythm section Darren Hess and Ronnie Johnson (not to be confused with the Cincinnati, OH, band Heartless Bastards).
The son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment), James grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records.
Read more on Last.fm
Other songs:
- Broken Bed
- Charlemagnes Home Town
- Childish Things
- Choctaw Bingo
- Copper Canteen
- Crazy Wind
- Dont Waste Away
- Fast As I Can Acoustic
- Fireline Road
- Fuller Brush Man
- Gulf Road
- Hands Like Rain
- Hurricane Party
- Iolanthe
- Lights Of Cheyenne
- Lost In The Backyard
- Memorial Day
- Out Here In The Middle
- Painting By Numbers
- Pocatello
- Ruby And Carlos
- State Of The Union
- Too Long In The Wasteland
- Walk Between The Raindrops
- We Cant Make It Here
- We Cant Make It Here Anymore
- Wheres Johnny
- You Got To Me
Four years of hard work!This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!
G Cadd9 F# x2
G Cadd9 F# G Cadd9 F#
Ruby said "You're gettin' us in a world of hurt, Down below the Mason-Dumbass line the food gets worse.
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9 Em F#
I can't go back to Tennessee that NASCAR country's not for me, Go on...if you think you must."
G Cadd9 F# x2
Carlos packed his drums up in the dark of night, Ruby's standing just outside the front porch light
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9 Em F#
Chain-smoking Camel straights the sky off to the east got gray, And he rolled off in a cloud of dust.
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9
And the gray colt knickered at the gate, She said "You're right it's getting late.
Em F#
You and me got work to do, we can't be burning daylight too."
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9 Em F#
She took down the long lead rope, and stayed off that slippery slope
G Cadd9 F# x2
The aspen trees were turning gold up top, The talk was buzzin 'round the beauty shop
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9
"Wasn't he barely half her age?, Well that's just how they do now days
Em F#
We should all had been so lucky."
G Cadd9 F# x2
By spring she'd had the run of the free born men, Ruby turned 50 in a sheep camp tent
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9
Her body still could rock all night, but her heart was closed and locked up tight
E F#
Potato fields all muddy and brown, the gossip long since quieted down
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And after one more Coggins test, Pouring coffee for the county vet
Em F#
Pictures on the ice box door, of Carlos in the first Gulf War
Cadd9 F#
Black-eyed brown and youthful face, smiling back from a Saudi base
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And then Carlos on the big bay mare, Heavier now and longer hair
Em F#
Looking past the saddle shed, From way on back inside his head
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And the old vet said, "One day, Rube, that colt will break an egg in you
Em F#
Now and then one comes along you just can't ride." And he went on home.
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And the storm door didn't catch, It blew back hard as she struck a match
Em F#
But she cupped it just in time??. And she sent that ash tray
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
And holding back the flood, Just don't do no good
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
You can't unclench your teeth, To howl the way you should
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
So you curl your lips around, The taste, the tears, and the hollow sound
Cadd9 F#
That no one owns but you, No one owns but you
Cadd9 F# Em F# Cadd9 F#
G Cadd9 F# x2
Carlos took the road gig and he saw it through, He rode the tour bus while the singer flew
Cadd9 F# Em F#
Managed out of music row, Carlos never saw the studio, Session guys had that all sewn up.
G Cadd9 F# x2
He looks out the window and it starts to sleet, Laying on a friend's couch on Nevada Street
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
Lately he's been staying high, Sick all winter and they don't know why
Em F#
They don't know why or they just won't say, They don't talk much down at the V.A.
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And Ruby's in his thoughts sometimes, What thoughts can get out past the wine
Em F#
He feels her fingers on his brow, And right then he misses how
Cadd9 F#
She looked in that gray morning light, She never shaved like they all do now
Cadd9 F#
He sees it all behind his eyes, and his hands go searching but they come up dry
Cadd9 F#
And half way in that wakin' dream, Carlos lets the land line ring
G Cadd9
He never guessed it was Ruby calling, The pin in her hip from the gray colt falling
Em F#
Figure eight in a lazy lope, Stumbled on that slippery slope
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
And holding back the flood, Just don't do no good
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
You can't unclench your teeth, To howl the way you should
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
So you curl your lips around, The taste, the tears, and the hollow sound
Cadd9 F#
That no one owns but you, No one owns but you
G Cadd9 F# G Cadd9 F#
Ruby said "You're gettin' us in a world of hurt, Down below the Mason-Dumbass line the food gets worse.
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9 Em F#
I can't go back to Tennessee that NASCAR country's not for me, Go on...if you think you must."
G Cadd9 F# x2
Carlos packed his drums up in the dark of night, Ruby's standing just outside the front porch light
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9 Em F#
Chain-smoking Camel straights the sky off to the east got gray, And he rolled off in a cloud of dust.
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9
And the gray colt knickered at the gate, She said "You're right it's getting late.
Em F#
You and me got work to do, we can't be burning daylight too."
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9 Em F#
She took down the long lead rope, and stayed off that slippery slope
G Cadd9 F# x2
The aspen trees were turning gold up top, The talk was buzzin 'round the beauty shop
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9
"Wasn't he barely half her age?, Well that's just how they do now days
Em F#
We should all had been so lucky."
G Cadd9 F# x2
By spring she'd had the run of the free born men, Ruby turned 50 in a sheep camp tent
Cadd9. F# G Cadd9
Her body still could rock all night, but her heart was closed and locked up tight
E F#
Potato fields all muddy and brown, the gossip long since quieted down
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And after one more Coggins test, Pouring coffee for the county vet
Em F#
Pictures on the ice box door, of Carlos in the first Gulf War
Cadd9 F#
Black-eyed brown and youthful face, smiling back from a Saudi base
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And then Carlos on the big bay mare, Heavier now and longer hair
Em F#
Looking past the saddle shed, From way on back inside his head
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And the old vet said, "One day, Rube, that colt will break an egg in you
Em F#
Now and then one comes along you just can't ride." And he went on home.
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And the storm door didn't catch, It blew back hard as she struck a match
Em F#
But she cupped it just in time??. And she sent that ash tray
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
And holding back the flood, Just don't do no good
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
You can't unclench your teeth, To howl the way you should
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
So you curl your lips around, The taste, the tears, and the hollow sound
Cadd9 F#
That no one owns but you, No one owns but you
Cadd9 F# Em F# Cadd9 F#
G Cadd9 F# x2
Carlos took the road gig and he saw it through, He rode the tour bus while the singer flew
Cadd9 F# Em F#
Managed out of music row, Carlos never saw the studio, Session guys had that all sewn up.
G Cadd9 F# x2
He looks out the window and it starts to sleet, Laying on a friend's couch on Nevada Street
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
Lately he's been staying high, Sick all winter and they don't know why
Em F#
They don't know why or they just won't say, They don't talk much down at the V.A.
Cadd9 F# G Cadd9
And Ruby's in his thoughts sometimes, What thoughts can get out past the wine
Em F#
He feels her fingers on his brow, And right then he misses how
Cadd9 F#
She looked in that gray morning light, She never shaved like they all do now
Cadd9 F#
He sees it all behind his eyes, and his hands go searching but they come up dry
Cadd9 F#
And half way in that wakin' dream, Carlos lets the land line ring
G Cadd9
He never guessed it was Ruby calling, The pin in her hip from the gray colt falling
Em F#
Figure eight in a lazy lope, Stumbled on that slippery slope
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
And holding back the flood, Just don't do no good
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
You can't unclench your teeth, To howl the way you should
Cadd9 F# G F# Em
So you curl your lips around, The taste, the tears, and the hollow sound
Cadd9 F#
That no one owns but you, No one owns but you
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James Quick
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James Reyne
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