She is best-remembered for From a Distance, by Julie Gold, although the version that achieved greater commercial success was not Griffith's but Bette Midler's (From a Distance). Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success with Griffith's songs than did Griffith herself: for example, Kathy Mattea, who had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover (Love at the Five and Dime) of Love at the Five and Dime.
ADDITIONALLY
In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[2]
Singer-songwriter Christine Lavin remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform:
I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good.
During her career, Griffith toured with many artists, including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets; John Prine; Iris DeMent; Suzy Bogguss; and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, John Prine, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows), The Chieftains, and Darius Rucker (lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.
Griffith suffered from severe 'writers block' for a number of years after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations.
After several months of limited touring in 2011, Griffith's bandmates The Kennedys (Pete & Maura Kennedy) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and relocated it to Nashville, where they installed it in Griffith's home. There, Griffith and her backing team, including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney, co-produced her album, Intersections over the course of the summer. The album includes several new original songs and was released in April 2012.
In addition to her own songs, Griffith is well known for her versions of other people's material, usually by contemporary singer-songwriters.
Awards
Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms. In 2008, the Americana Music Association awarded her its Americana Trailblazer Award; Lyle Lovett, who contributed backing vocals to some of "The Blue Moon Orchestra's" recordings,[which?] had won it before her.
Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
Griffith refers to her backing band as "The Blue Moon Orchestra." This reference is believed to have been drawn from both the title of one of her earliest albums, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and its title selection, which reached #85 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1986.
Ruby
Nanci Griffith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He wore when he was with her
All he needs are his railroad boots
And his leather jacket
As he says goodbye to Ruby's arms
Although his heart is breaking
He will steal away out through her blinds
Morning light has washed her face
And everything is turning blue now
She holds on to her pillow case
There's nothing he can do now
As he says goodbye to Ruby's arms
He says, she'll find another soldier
And he swears to God by Christmastime
There'll be someone else to hold her
The only thing he is taking is
The scarf off of her clothesline
He'll hurry past her chest of drawers
And her broken wind chimes
As he says goodbye, he says goodbye
Goodbye to Ruby's arms
He will feel his way down her darkened hall
And out into the morning
The hobos in the freight yards
Have kept their fires burning
And Jesus Christ, this cold hard rain
Won't someone put him on his train
He'll never kiss her lips again
Or break her heart
As he says goodbye, he says goodbye
Say goodbye to Ruby's arms
"Nanci Griffith's Ruby's Arms" is an emotional ballad about a man who is leaving his lover, Ruby. He bids goodbye to everything he once cherished about their relationship, including the clothes he wore when he was with her, leaving behind only his railroad boots and his leather jacket. Despite his heart shattering, he sneaks out of her apartment through the blinds since he doesn't want to face her as she wakes up. Morning light has washed her face, and everything has turned blue by now. She clings to her pillowcase, but there is nothing left to be done. The verse "He'll never kiss her lips again, Or break her heart" reinforces the sadness, as he walks down her dark hallway and out into the morning. As he walks, the freights roar and the hobos chase the cold, hard rain in a dramatic scene.
The song becomes even more poignant as the singer walks down the alley, where the hobos in the freight yard have kept their fires burning, looking for a train to hop on. The singer vows that she will move on, finding love with another soldier. He makes a promise that by Christmastime, someone will be holding her close. He takes only her scarf, leaving her chest of drawers and the broken wind chimes to savor the perfect memory. As he says goodbye to Ruby's arms, he reflects on the love that he has lost and the memory that the scarf will hold for him.
Line by Line Meaning
He will leave behind all of his clothes
He's leaving with only his essentials. He's not taking anything materialistic to remember her by.
He wore when he was with her
He only wore those clothes when he was with her, and now he's leaving them behind because he's moving on without her.
All he needs are his railroad boots
His railroad boots are the only thing essential to him because he's going to be traveling a lot, so he needs them for practical purposes.
And his leather jacket
His leather jacket is one of the few things that he's personally attached to, so he's taking it with him.
As he says goodbye to Ruby's arms
He's saying goodbye to the love and warmth he used to have in her arms.
Although his heart is breaking
Even though he's going through pain and heartbreak, he knows he needs to move on.
He will steal away out through her blinds
He's trying to leave quietly and unnoticed to avoid any drama, as he knows that he's hurting her by leaving.
For soon she will be waking
He's leaving before she wakes up because he's afraid she'll try to stop him and convince him to stay.
Morning light has washed her face
It's morning and the sunlight is shining on her face. She's still asleep, and there's a sense of peacefulness in the air.
And everything is turning blue now
The world around him is turning blue, representing the sadness he's feeling as he leaves her behind.
She holds on to her pillow case
She's holding onto something to give her comfort as she sleeps, symbolizing how she's still holding onto the memory of their love.
There's nothing he can do now
He knows that it's too late to fix things between them, and he has to accept the reality of the situation.
He says, she'll find another soldier
He knows that she'll move on eventually and find someone else to love, even though he's hoping that she'll stay single for a little while longer.
And he swears to God by Christmastime
He's making a promise that by Christmas, he'll be okay and will have moved on from their relationship.
There'll be someone else to hold her
By the time Christmas comes around, he thinks that she'll have found someone else to love and hold onto.
The only thing he is taking is
He's not taking anything except for one item, symbolizing that he's moving on from everything associated with their relationship.
The scarf off of her clothesline
He's taking the scarf off of her clothesline because it's a physical representation of her presence, and he wants to remember her as he moves on.
He'll hurry past her chest of drawers
He's trying to avoid the temptation of looking at the things she owns because he knows it'll bring back memories.
And her broken wind chimes
The broken wind chimes represent the shattered pieces of their relationship that can never be put back together again.
He will feel his way down her darkened hall
He's leaving without turning on the lights, symbolizing that he's moving towards a different path in his life.
And out into the morning
He's leaving before dawn, signifying a new beginning and a fresh start.
The hobos in the freight yards
The hobos in the freight yards are other people who are also going through tough times and trying to move on from their pasts.
Have kept their fires burning
The fires represent hope and warmth, symbolizing that not everyone has lost everything and that there's still hope.
And Jesus Christ, this cold hard rain
The cold hard rain represents the harsh reality he's facing and how it's not going to be easy to move on.
Won't someone put him on his train
He's waiting for something or someone to come and help him move on from his past and start a new journey.
He'll never kiss her lips again
He's accepted that they're not meant to be together anymore and that this is the end of their relationship.
Or break her heart
He's feeling the pain of causing her heartbreak, but he's trying to spare her any further pain by leaving her behind.
As he says goodbye, he says goodbye
He's saying goodbye to his old life and starting a new one. It's a final goodbye.
Say goodbye to Ruby's arms
He's saying goodbye to the love and warmth he used to have in her arms, symbolizing moving on from everything that was associated with their relationship.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: Tom Waits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@timothykelley3635
This is a Tom waits song. She does it beautifully. Miss her