Raised on George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, she sang harmonies as a toddler, eventually thinking she'd make a career of it. Following the murder-suicide of her parents (perpetrated by her father) in 1986, she moved into her aunt and uncle's home.
Not long afterwards, sister Shelby Lynne moved to Nashville for a career in music, and after her high school graduation, Moorer followed. She sang harmonies with her sister for a while but returned to Alabama to earn a degree in public relations. She skipped the graduation ceremony to move back to Nashville.
Her song "A Soft Place to Fall" was tapped for Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer in 1998, and she also appeared in the movie. Because the ballad earned her an Academy Award nomination, she performed it on the 1999 Oscars ceremony. However, none of her singles from her debut "Alabama Song" or its follow-up "The Hardest Part" received much radio airplay, nor achieving chart success though both projects were highly praised by critics.
When Brown moved from MCA to sister label Universal South, Moorer followed. Her 2002 album "Miss Fortune" earned more raves, but didn't meet sales expectations. She almost got another big break by recording the duet "Picture" with Kid Rock after Sheryl Crow had bowed out. However, Crow changed her mind, and the Rock/Crow-version became a huge radio hit. Yet, the song was credited on the charts to both Crow and Moorer. In addition, the CD single featuring Moorer sold 500,000 copies and is certified Gold by the RIAA. Her ballad "Tumbling Down" (from Miss Fortune) was featured on the soundtrack of the popular 2002 film The Rookie.
Her live album album "Show"(2003) was recorded in one night (two performances) at the 12th and Porter in Nashville and despite popular belief, it features the first recorded collaboration by both Moorer sisters.
After releasing Show and a DVD on Universal South, Moorer moved to independent label Sugar Hill Records. With a slightly rougher edge than past efforts, The Duel was released in April 2004.
After a divorce between Moorer and Primm, she eventually married Steve Earle, after serving as his opening act on a European tour. Earle produced her 2006 album, "Getting Somewhere". Moorer wrote all the songs, with the exception of one co-written with Earle. She and Earle were nominated for a Grammy award in the category Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, for the song "Days Aren't Long Enough" from Earle's "Washington Square Serenade".
Moorer released the Buddy Miller-produced "Mockingbird" in February 2008; an album mainly of covers of songs by female singer/songwriters including her sister, Shelby Lynne.
Her latest studio album "Crows" (2010), features her first departure from the Contemporary Country style of her earlier albums, instead changing to a Pop and Contemporary Singer/Songwriter style.
http://allisonmoorer.com
Ruby Jewel Was Here
Allison Moorer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A harlot who was hot to trot
Gave a fine little bijou to the world
With a blacksmith for a makeshift doc
In a cathouse far from Camelot
Her gold mine brought to bed a baby girl
When the child screamed from life's first slap
The bawd said kid get used to that
Then she wrapped her babe in a petticoat
Grabbed a bottle and made a toast
Here's to my gorgeous bastard Ruby Jewel
And the man at the piano played a tune
And everybody sang and danced in the saloon
Except Ruby, no not Ruby, Ruby Jewel
Reared among the guttersnipe
While her mama puffed the Chinese pipe
The salad days for Ruby didn't last
Forced to work and pay her dues
Inside that poor man's Moulin Rouge
The snot-nosed kid had to grow up fast
Night and day she'd toil and sweat
While brothel patrons placed their bets
On who would be the first to break her in
Then one night the madam screams
Ruby get to room thirteen
There's someone there who thinks you're quite a gem
And the man at the piano played a tune
And everybody sang and danced in the saloon
Except Ruby no not Ruby Ruby Jewel
In done up hair and a borrowed dress
She climbed the stares scared to death
Said a prayer and tip-toed through the door
But on deaf ears her prayer fell
Cause through her tears she stared at hell
Standing there in nothing but his drawers
She recognized the whiskered chin
Bloodshot eyes and foul-mouthed grin
He was the man who wore the silver star
She tried to turn around and run
But he pulled out his big six gun
And said whore you won't get very far
And the man at the piano played a tune
And everybody sang and danced in the saloon
Except Ruby, no not Ruby, Ruby Jewel
Ruby Jewel woke up in bed
A crimson pool between her legs
Naked as the day that she was born
But lying there next to him
Made her wish she hadn't been
If this was all that living had in store
Making sure he was asleep
She quietly got to her feet
Found his gun and aimed it 'tween his eyes
She kept it there 'til he came to
So he could stare down the barrel too
Pulled the trigger once and watched him die
And the man at the piano played a tune
And everybody sang and danced in the saloon
Except Ruby no not Ruby Ruby Jewel
On a rainy night in nineteen-twelve
Locked inside the town's new jail
Ruby carved a message in the stone
When morning came hacks led her out
In ankle chains right through the crowd
Who waited in the mud to watch the show
They walked her up the gallows steps
But the rope around her neck
Dropped the trap as all the watchers cheered
But on the wall of her cell
In a tiny scrawl and misspelled
Were the words Ruby Jewel Was Here
And the man at the piano played a tune
And everybody sang and danced in the saloon
Except Ruby, no not Ruby, Ruby Jewel
Allison Moorer's "Ruby Jewel Was Here" is a narrative ballad that tells the story of a young woman named Ruby Jewel who was born in a brothel during the early 1900s. Despite her difficult upbringing, she manages to survive and even find love when a man takes her out of the brothel to be his wife. However, her past catches up with her, and when she faces abuse from her husband, she takes matters into her own hands and shoots him dead. This leads to her arrest, imprisonment, and eventual execution by hanging. Despite her tragic end, Ruby Jewel leaves her mark on the world by carving her name in the cell wall as a quiet assertion of her existence.
The lyrics of "Ruby Jewel Was Here" are a powerful commentary on the exploitation and abuse of women during the early 1900s. As a baby, Ruby Jewel is born into a life of poverty, prostitution, and abuse. The bawd who delivers her tells her she will never know a day that isn't cruel, and Ruby soon learns that this is true. She grows up in the brothel, forced to work and pay her dues to the madam, while the patrons place bets on who will be the first to break her in. The song highlights the resilience of women like Ruby Jewel who had to face adversity at every turn and often took extreme measures to survive. Ruby's shooting of her abuser is arguably an act of self-defense, but the society she lived in did not see it that way, and she met a tragic end.
Line by Line Meaning
In nineteen and double-aught
In the year 1900
A harlot who was hot to trot
A prostitute who was eager to work
Gave a fine little bijou to the world
Gave birth to a beautiful baby girl
With a blacksmith for a makeshift doc
Assisted by a blacksmith instead of a medical doctor
In a cathouse far from Camelot
In a brothel located far away from the mythical city of Camelot
Her gold mine brought to bed a baby girl
Her fertile body brought forth a daughter
When the child screamed from life's first slap
When the baby cried after being slapped by the doctor
The bawd said kid get used to that
The madam of the brothel told the baby to get used to the harsh realities of life
You'll never meet a day that isn't cruel
The madam warned the baby that life is always cruel
Then she wrapped her babe in a petticoat
Then she dressed the baby in a petticoat
Grabbed a bottle and made a toast
She took a bottle and toasted to the baby's birth
Here's to my gorgeous bastard Ruby Jewel
Here's to my beautiful and illegitimate daughter, Ruby Jewel
And the man at the piano played a tune
The piano player started playing a song
And everybody sang and danced in the saloon
And everyone in the brothel started singing and dancing
Except Ruby, no not Ruby, Ruby Jewel
Except Ruby, who did not join in
Reared among the guttersnipe
Raised among the poor and destitute
While her mama puffed the Chinese pipe
While her mother smoked opium
The salad days for Ruby didn't last
Ruby's happy days did not last long
Forced to work and pay her dues
Forced to work and pay her way in life
Inside that poor man's Moulin Rouge
Inside that cheap imitation of the famous Moulin Rouge club in Paris
The snot-nosed kid had to grow up fast
Ruby had to mature quickly despite her young age
Night and day she'd toil and sweat
Day and night she worked hard and sweated
While brothel patrons placed their bets
While the clients of the brothel placed bets on who would be the first to have sex with her
On who would be the first to break her in
On who would be the first to have sex with her
Then one night the madam screams
Then one night the madam shouted
Ruby get to room thirteen
Ruby was told to go to room thirteen
There's someone there who thinks you're quite a gem
There's a client there who is interested in her
In done up hair and a borrowed dress
Her hair was styled and she wore a dress borrowed from someone else
She climbed the stares scared to death
She climbed the stairs, afraid for her life
Said a prayer and tip-toed through the door
She prayed and quietly entered the room
But on deaf ears her prayer fell
Her prayer was not heard or answered
Cause through her tears she stared at hell
Because through her tears she saw the horrible situation she was in
Standing there in nothing but his drawers
He was standing there half-naked
She recognized the whiskered chin
She recognized him by his chin with whiskers
Bloodshot eyes and foul-mouthed grin
His eyes were red and he had a vulgar smile
He was the man who wore the silver star
He was a lawman who wore a silver badge
She tried to turn around and run
She tried to flee and escape
But he pulled out his big six gun
But he took out his large revolver
And said whore you won't get very far
He insulted her and threatened her
Ruby Jewel woke up in bed
Ruby woke up in bed
A crimson pool between her legs
There was blood between her legs
Naked as the day that she was born
She was completely naked
But lying there next to him
But lying there next to him made her regretful
Made her wish she hadn't been
Made her wish that she had not done what she did
If this was all that living had in store
If this was all that life had to offer
Making sure he was asleep
Making sure he was asleep
She quietly got to her feet
She got up silently
Found his gun and aimed it 'tween his eyes
Found his gun and pointed it at his forehead
She kept it there 'til he came to
She kept it there until he regained consciousness
So he could stare down the barrel too
So he could also look down the barrel of the gun
Pulled the trigger once and watched him die
She pulled the trigger once and watched him die
On a rainy night in nineteen-twelve
On a rainy night in 1912
Locked inside the town's new jail
Locked inside the new jail in town
Ruby carved a message in the stone
Ruby wrote a message on the wall
When morning came hacks led her out
When morning came, the jailers led her out
In ankle chains right through the crowd
In ankle chains, she was led through the crowd of people
Who waited in the mud to watch the show
Who were waiting in the mud to watch her execution
They walked her up the gallows steps
They led her up the steps of the gallows
But the rope around her neck
But the rope was already around her neck
Dropped the trap as all the watchers cheered
The trap was dropped as the crowd cheered
But on the wall of her cell
But on the wall of her jail cell
In a tiny scrawl and misspelled
In a small and poorly written handwriting
Were the words Ruby Jewel Was Here
Were the words 'Ruby Jewel Was Here'
And the man at the piano played a tune
And the man at the piano played a song
And everybody sang and danced in the saloon
And everyone in the brothel sang and danced
Except Ruby, no not Ruby, Ruby Jewel
Except Ruby, who did not participate
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: ALLISON MOORER, DOYLE PRIMM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind