Baroque Rock Music

The song was written by group members Keith Richards and Brian Jones with a little help from Mick Jagger.  Richards says that the song was about his girlfriend Linda Keith, who left him for Jimi Hendrix and became involved in drugs. Richards wanted her back, evidently, and spoke with her parents. They got a court order and legally grounded her. She never forgave Richards. “Ruby Tuesday” was released as a single in 1967 as the B-Side of “Let’s Spend the Night Together.” In that year, “Ruby Tuesday” went to #1 in the U.S. and Canada. It was #3 in the U.K. and Australia. The Stones also had “Ruby Tuesday” on their album Between the Buttons and the 1967 compilation album Flowers. The song is also on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

Band members on the song were: Mick Jagger (lead vocals, backing vocals, and tambourine); Keith Richards (double bass bowed strings, 12 string acoustic guitar, and backing vocals); Brian Jones (piano and recorder), Billy Wyman (double bass on fingerboard, bass guitar); and Charlie Watts (drums). Jack Nitzsche was on piano.

Here are the lyrics to “Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones:

“She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don’t matter if it’s gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows
She comes and goes
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I’m gonna miss you…
Don’t question why she needs to be so free
She’ll tell you it’s the only way to be
She just can’t be chained
To a life where nothing’s gained
And nothing’s lost
At such a cost
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I’m gonna miss you…
There’s no time to lose, I heard her say
Catch your dreams before they slip away
Dying all the time
Lose your dreams
And you will lose your mind.
Ain’t life unkind?
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I’m gonna miss you… [x2]”

For more songs by The Rolling Stones: “Satisfaction,” “Mother’s Little Helper,” “Paint it Black,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Get Off of My Cloud,” and “Sympathy for the Devil.”

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones.